Sneak Peek: Kisseis

Here is another look at just what I've been up to!



Kisseis is a crescent shaped shawl worked in Malabrigo lace with a large ivy lace pattern and beads! It is named for Kisseis, the Lady of the Ivy. She is one of the Nysiades, nymphs of Mount Nysa, in Greek Mythology and caretaker of the young god Dionysus.



This pattern is currently being tested and edited.  It will be available as part of an ebook and as an individual PDF download in May.

Sneak Peek: Amalthea

Malabrigo Silky Merino, fringe and leaves...on my!



This shawlette was inspired by one of my favorite childhood characters; Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle.  Soft leaves and delicious pastel yarn make this shawlette perfect for keeping a unicorn turned lady warm in King Haggard's drafty castle by the sea.



Amalthea is currently being test knit and edited, the pattern will be released in May.  It will be available as part of an ebook and as an individual download.

So, um...yeah.

Hellooo there little blog and lovely readers.  I am very sorry for taking an "extended leave of absence." But, I have some good excuses, really.

So here's what happened:
November - 

• I was rushing to get Snowberry Brambles released both as a Ravelry download and as part of  KP IDP. Man, translating the charts on that pattern to include written instructions was a bear, but I got it done!
• The yarn support came for my big, secret project and I began to work furiously on charts, drafts and the first sample.
• Went to Chicago and enjoyed wonderfully cold weather to rock my hand-knits in and great company.
• Then my dad suffered a major injury to his knee at work the day before Thanksgiving. Broken patella, torn muscles and ligaments...it was horrible and he had emergency surgery right away.  So by the end of the month I was in NJ to help him out with just about everything, since it is impossible to drive with a cast that goes from ankle to hip!

December -

• Hung out in NJ was bored to death, worked on a ton of Christmas knitting and ate a lot of good food.
• Brought my dad down here with me for a few weeks, celebrated Christmas, panicked at my slow progress on secret project.
• My dog, Rocket, got a huge gash in his side and had to have stitches and then proceeded to rip the stitches out...ugh. (He's ok now and none the worse for wear.)
• Went to NC to visit my sister and nephew and to "hand-off" my dad so she could bring him back to NJ for his doctor's appointment.

January

•  Decided to do a Project 365 (really like I need more hobbies)!
• Spent a lot of time charting lace, unsuccessfully trying to get the massive repeats to bend to my will.  In the end I bent to the will of the lace and it worked out quite well.
• Marathon season preparation, lots of meetings and public speaking...eeek!
• Turned 31...another eeek!
• My other dog, Roxy, got a hematoma in her ear and had to have surgery (actually on the day I was supposed to leave for NJ...see next bullet point).
• Found out my dad's knee needed to be operated on again and by the end of the month I was back in NJ. And there was snow, a whole lot of snow.  I brought Rocket along for company and so Roxy could heal in peace.
• I did manage to get one sample done for my project  >_<

 February

• By mid-month I was back in Savannah and my dad is doing much better.
• Roxy finally got the silly bandage off her head and a week and a half later got all of her stitches out. 
• Coaching started, I actually missed the first 2 weeks.
• Woke up the other day in a cold sweat realizing that I need to start busting my butt to get my designs done for the big project.
• Became obsessed with Photoshop and textures thanks to Kim Klassen's wonderful blog and e-course.

See, I told you I have good excuses! Don't worry, I will do my best not to let it happen again. I am going to try to post at least once a week, hopefully more ♥ Stay tuned, in the next few days, I'll bombard you with pictures from my big project and give you the full scoop!