Camping

Our family: not so big into camping.
Actually, my dad, not really a nature kind of guy.  If there is no remote involved, forgetaboutit.

My camping trips were limited to church group outings where I managed to get one of the WORST sunburns of my life on a 2 x 3 patch of the back of my neck that I "missed" with sunscreen AND where I was forced into a death march to Lake Michigan across Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The bugs, the questionable bathrooms...etc...not my fave.  But I did love the camp fires, the singing and the stars.

Anyway, I'm knitting "Camping" right now.  Its a half pi shawl designed in honor of Elizabeth Zimmerman's 100th birthday anniversary (I guess that means its the anniversary of what would have been her 100th birthday?) available for free on ravelry.

I'm doing it in Tosh Merino DK.  Its a great yarn to work with, as is anything from Madelinetosh.  I'm not TOTALLY convinced on the color.  I've been trying to branch out from my usual greens and blues and purples; and everyone always tells me I look good in pink.  So, pink it is (or this will end up being for Robin!)

Here she is in progress:

I know, she really doesn't look like much.  But I'm now about halfway through the 3rd of 4 lace patterns.  There is also a knitted on edging.  I think this photo speaks VOLUMES about the power and necessity of blocking.

But, even cooler, is my total abandonment of printing patterns & my magnet board for holding up my charts and the adoption and affection for the IPAD for managing my knitting patterns.  I can't recommend highly enough downloading the GoodReader app.  It allows you to write on, mark up, highlight, cross out and well, manipulate PDF's.  It works great for chart knitting as you can mark off as you go along:

LOVE LOVE LOVE.  No more magnets slipping all over the place!  No more blowing up charts (the IPAD does that for you!)  It has changed my knitting life!

Last night I had to add another cable on to my fantastic interchangeable knitpicks needles as the shawl continues to expand.  More on the progress of my camping trip to follow