Craftvent 2016 - Day 13

There was yarn today - some very yummy Anzula Squishy in Aqua.  One of the fun things about this project is the chance to try out yarns that I've never used before - as if I need more favorites to tempt me.  I think I will modify the pattern just a little to use up all of the skeins when I start the next section.  It will probably mean that my color changes won't be at the ends of the rows, but that is okay with me.

I'm all caught up with the knitting.  There are three more colors to go before I start the next section.  I had to use the flash to take the picture, so it isn't the greatest, but you can see the way the colors are progressing.

I ended up falling asleep on my daybed last night, and when I got up to go to bed for real I decided to go ahead and block my Dragon Tooth Shawlette.  I did take a blocking photo, again with the flash, but I'll wait to post until I can get some beauty shots.

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Color 3 - Lorna’s Laces Solemate in Pewter
Color 4 - Sweet Georgia Touch Love Sock in Ultraviolet
Color 5 - Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in Jakey
Color 6 - Koigu KPM in 2405
Color 7 - Anzula Squishy in Aqua
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Craftvent 2016 - Day 11

There was yarn in the drawer today - color 6 - so I was able to complete another repeat of Section 1.  I was disappointed to find a knot in my mini skein of Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20.  I didn't feel like dealing with it, so I didn't.  I left it in.  I don't usually leave knots in my knitting, but with the texture of this one I figured it wouldn't be noticeable.

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Color 3 - Lorna’s Laces Solemate in Pewter
Color 4 - Sweet Georgia Touch Love Sock in Ultraviolet
Color 5 - Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in Jakey
Color 6 - Koigu KPM in 2405
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Craftvent 2016 - Day 10

Today there was yarn in the drawer so I was able to get back to knitting, as well as a card with some good advice - 'tis the season for giving.  Each section consists of 10 rows of 2 colors alternating every 2 rows, so each new color allows me to work one more section, as well as the first 2 rows of the next section.  Once I get to color 10 I'll start using the colors in the reverse order.  Colors 11 and 12 are reserved for the end.

The yarn today is one of my favorites, Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20.  I have at least 60 skeins in my stash. A lot of those skeins are singletons, but I also have a handful or two of  2 or 3 skeins of the same color.

I did try the Spiced Apple Cider mix this morning, and it was actually pretty good.  I am always dubious of powdered drink mixes like these, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I think it has a lot of sugar in it though - it had 80 calories for one little cup.

On another note, my camera is working again.  Turns out the battery died.  It uses a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and when I pulled it out I could see that it had popped.  The case did not rupture, but it was bulging slightly.  Pretty good battery design.  Lithium-ion batteries can be very dangerous, as we've seen in the news.  In my business we actually have a battery safety program that all of our batteries have to go through - a series of safety and lifecycle tests to qualify them for use in our applications.  I ordered a replacement and once it was charged up I installed it and the camera started working again.

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Color 3 - Lorna’s Laces Solemate in Pewter
Color 4 - Sweet Georgia Touch Love Sock in Ultraviolet
Color 5 - Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 in Jakey
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Craftvent 2016 Day 7

Day 7 brought color 4, Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in Ultraviolet, and a card with a suggestion I would have liked to have followed, but I had to work 11 hours today instead.  I still managed to get the knitting done, though

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Color 3 - Lorna’s Laces Solemate in Pewter
Color 4 - Sweet Georgia Touch Love Sock in Ultraviolet
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Craftvent 2016 Day 6

Color 3 was in the drawer today, along with a card with a few more rows of the pattern instruction.  The yarn is Lorna's Laces Solemate in Pewter.  And here is the progress thus far.

With all of the color changes, there are lots of ends to weave in, and the pattern suggests weaving them in as you go.  I took that advice to heart.  All my ends are woven in.

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Color 3 - Lorna’s Laces Solemate in Pewter
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Craftvent 2016 Day 4

I almost forgot to open the drawer this morning, but when I did, there was the second ball of yarn, and a card with useful knitting definitions on it.  I also noticed a slip of paper peaking out of the center of the ball.  I gave it a little tug and low and behold, there was the yarn information!  Sweet!  Not having that information was really bothering me.  How was I supposed to set up a project page on Ravelry?  I pulled the first ball out of the project bag, poked a finger into the center of the ball and fished out the slip of paper that was hiding in there.  It looks to be printed on that thermal paper sometimes used for credit card receipts.

And here is the shawl knitted as far as I can go without color 3.

Pattern:  2016 Craftvent Shawl by Rachel Roden of Unraveled Designs and Yarn
Yarn:
Color 1 - MJ Yarns Sophistisock in Cerulean Twilight
Color 2 - Baah La Jolla in Maldives
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)