NORO SILK GARDEN LIGHT

As soon as I saw the second Argosy version in December's Knitty , I hurried to my LYS to purchase some Noro Silk Garden Light. I bought 2 skeins to make a scarf for my daughter for Christmas and 2 for myself. Hers is a similar colorway to mine, but instead of the coral-ish color, hers has fuschia. My scarf is show to the right. I think it's color 125.

I went back to the store for more but there was only one skein left, which I figured would be enough for a cap.

I had wonderful plans to create a hat that would be similar in appearance to the scarf, but since I was in a hurry to finish before I leave tomorrow for CA and since I had only one skein, I opted for a pattern I found online that would show off the beautiful striping. It's Nancy Delcomyn's Silk Garden Spiral, and I was pleased with the results. I made slight adjustments because I used the lighter weight yarn. By the way, this was my first time using a Noro yarn, although I've admired how it looks made up by others.

OUT OF OPTIONS

I'm ready to send my Options in Hardanger project in for evaluation. I haven't decided on a border yet which is just as well as I ran out of time. My piece was stitched on 25 ct Lugana

with Caron Watercolours and Wildflowers in "paprika". It is not without flaws, and I still haven't mastered picots! In the new

EGA education catalog there is another course by Dale Sokolow called More Options in Hardanger, and I'll probably sign up for it too.

Heaven help me, I'm a glutton for punishment. Although I think it is a beautiful technique, I only seem to find the hard in hardanger. I've yet been able to relax enough to enjoy doing it. I find it requires my total concentration, so I can only work on it when I know I won't be interrupted. Until I can find an effective means of magnification, I can only work for so long before I start getting double vision. So why would I even consider another course? I think the discipline is good for me.

And I just don't want to give up until I feel comfortable with the technique.

FREEFORM CALENDAR

I'd like to call attention to the 2007 Freeform Crochet & Knitting Calendar now available. It was compiled by Claudia Dunitz who patiently guided the digital photography challenged to show off their best scrumbles. I haven't seen the calendar yet, but I'm told it is beautifully and professionally rendered. Profits go to a worthy cause. And yes, (blush) I am one of the contributors.

TAST-Y TUESDAYS!

My first challenge of the New Year is partipation in Sharon B's Take A Stitch Tuesdays (aka TAST), which begins today with an exploration of the herringbone stitch. I enjoyed Sharon's Develop a Personal Library of Stitches course so much, this challenge seems like the perfect complement. I expect it to push my creative limits and think about stitching in an entirely new way. I look forward to sharing my own discoveries and gleaning inspiration from other participants. Anyone can participate by signing up at Sharon's website!