Not bad, eh? The first repeat was a little shaky, but I finally got into a rhythm during the second repeat, and that's what I'm going for in the stole.When I tracked my FedEX package this morning from Fire Mountain, my heart sank. My beads for MS3 (and a gorgeous array of other goodies that you'll see another day), were scanned as departing Portland Tuesday night at 10-something, and then scanned as departing Portland at 8:52 this morning. AUUUUGH!!!! So, I called FedEx, and got a moderately helpful (if very uninterested-sounding) phone rep. He put a trace on my package, and I felt better, although really disappointed that my beads wouldn't be delivered until tomorrow. So, I went about my day, deciding that I really shouldn't go to my LYS to pick up a #13 steel crochet hook for the beading, and gathered my wits about me.
By the way, did I mention that I left to take my mom to the airport this morning at 5:30? It was a bit uncomfortable (especially considering that I had a weird night--tossed and turned, dreamed a ton, and kept waking up during the scant 7 hours I had in bed), but I managed to make it home without being actually drowsy for more than the last two minutes. So, by the time I had the FedEx package traced, I felt like I had been up forever. In reality, it was only just over five hours; but when being up for five hours means that it's only just after 10am, it feels kinda strange. Mom's flying down to Tejas to see my brother, my adorable SIL and they're 2.5 week old munchkinette. Oh, how I wish they lived closer. I would love to hold her. My Mom and that brother (I have three, total) are my best friends next to Vern. It's hard to have my lil' bro and his lil' family that far off.
So, I went back to my day, taking care of the munchkins and all, took a few minutes to catch up on the few blogs I read, and sat down to finish the MS3 swatch when, to my uttermost surprise, I see a purple polo flash in the windows of my front door. The doorbell rings, DS the younger goes streaking for the door, and I get up to see what's going on. And there it is--my little box of beads! Woo-Hoo! (Don't you just love technology? It's my guess that somehow the scanning equipment substituted "Portland" for "Spokane". Whatever happened, I'm just glad that my box either went from Portland to my door in two hours and 19 minutes, or somebody in a purple polo was having a more tired day than I was. Or maybe it was purple polo-wearing software. You've gotta love databases and their attendant code. Anyway, I ordered two different colors, and I reallllllly like this one. What do you think?
So, as I play a little with the contents of the box, I planned out a quick trip out for a crochet hook, gathered the munchkins up, and off we went. I grabbed the mail, and (be still my beating heart!) the Zephyr Lace was nestled in back, behind something else I ordered that came today. (Why, oh WHY?, doesn't Knit Picks offer Priority shipping for their orders? Two days from NY & MI, but a FULL WEEK from Ohio. Sniffle, sniffle, grrrrr.) It was a few hours before I could start, but it's coming along well.
The beading is a bit awkward, but nothing like learning to knit. ;o) The trickiest part is keeping hold of both slick needles while I manipulate the hook, bead & stitch. I spear a bead with the hook in my right hand while holding the work in my left, which is worked to the stitch before the beaded stitch. I hook the stitch to be beaded, and keep gentle tension on the loop as I push the bead off of the hook and onto the stitch. As I do this, the stitch usually slips off of the left needle, and then I insert the left needle into the top of the stitch, gently pushing the bead down to where it's supposed to be. Then I work the stitch, and go on my merry way. I'm still waiting for my chart keeper to arrive (gotta love KP's slow boat from Ohio shipping), but for now I'm doing okay with marking each RS row after I work it, and just putting a pen or pencil just above the current row. (You can see the tic marks at the edge of the rows in the photo above. I'm on row 11 there.)Meanwhile, the house is reasonably presentable (well, except for the laundry room and the kids' room . . . ), and this is how DS the younger spent his afternoon:
Well, that, and other various permutations of the same. He had a blast.Have a wonderful week!
