Has it really been over half a year?

Oh dear. July. July, when the shawl I'm wearing at this very moment was still just in the planning stages. That was the last time I posted here. I am ashamed. *hangs head in shame*

So, what's new in my wanton world? Well, er, I knit this shawl! It took me ages, even though I don't feel like I ever put it down for more than a week at a time, even with several setbacks (I'm looking at you, broken needles over Thanksgiving!) and frustration. The thing is, it's a big shawl, it's laceweight yarn, and it involves both nupps and beads. The full-size Aeolian is NOT a fast knit! I finished it around New Year's Day. I still haven't managed to take a GOOD picture of it, but I hope this will suffice for now.

Since I last posted, I have had very bad luck with shawl pins. The one from Designs By Romi that I'd had for years--since I knit my first Aeolian shawlette--disappeared. The first part I lost was the stick, and I just replaced that with a darning needle with a beaded stitch market on the end. It was working well enough, but then I lost the curly pin part, and that was that. I couldn't order a new one from Romi, since her shop was closed while she finished a book. I got one from Nicholas and Felice on Etsy instead. Then that one disappeared when I was running errands one day. ("That sank into the swamp...") Finally, I ordered a couple new ones from N&F. This time, instead of sterling, I got the cheaper copper and aluminum. They aren't as delicate or as shiny, but they ARE lovely. Hopefully, they'll stick around.

The latest news in my knitting is big news indeed! Well, it's big news to me, anyway. I've finally taken the plunge into colorwork! Yes, after getting All The Knitpicks Palette Ever from my friend a couple years ago, I finally did the sensible thing and started to learn Fair Isle. I'm making a pair of the Daisy Mittens on Ravelry, in a deep rich red and teal combination. It's not easy. I'm really not used to working on DPNs anymore except for the three-needle hexipuffs for the Beekeeper's Quilt, so that's a challenge. An even bigger challenge is the fact that I've had to train myself to knit Continental. The palm side of these mittens alternates yarn colors with every stitch, for the most part, so having one color in each hand is much faster than dropping one to pick up the other with every other stitch. All in all, I feel like a totally clumsy n00b! Even so, things are beginning to pick up, and I've done 15 rounds of the colorwork pattern on my first mitten. I'd have done more, but I restarted a couple of times. The first time, it was because I'd dropped some stitches and was having a hell of a time trying to pick them back up again, since I'd managed to screw up the pattern because of it. The second time was when I decided to swap out the orange yarn I'd started with for the teal I'm using now. I like the color combination much better, so I think this was a good decision. Also, I'd been twisting my Continental stitches at the beginning of the pattern on my previous attempt (oops), which I have since corrected. It's really exciting to be learning something so new to me in knitting, and I can't wait to post pictures.

Hopefully, it won't be so long before my next update!