Happy WIP Wednesday..

The temperature finally broke here in southern Wisconsin. It went from being in the mid-80s to the upper 60s and low 70s this week. Finally. I got so sick of going outside to walk the dog at 8:30pm and it still being 84 and humid as all get out. I didn't want to walk Puppy because of that.

But, it's finally starting to cool off.

School started in our neck of the woods. Actually, it started last Thursday (September 1). Years ago there was a big hubbub about school starting before Labor Day and how it was screwing up tourism and blah blah blah. So, they changed the ruling to say that school had to start no earlier than September 1...which still supposedly screws up tourism about half the time because of a late Labor Day. Whatever. It means that the kids went to school for two days, had a three-day weekend, and started back up again yesterday. Kind of silly, if you ask me.

Anyway, I have an actual WIP to show you.

I've been working on that shawl (the one I talked about here and here). I'm finally on the last row of the lace section (actually, that was the row before the one I'm on now but I haven't started the wrap & turn section yet so I still consider myself on the last row of the lace section).

I've only had some minor problems...a couple of sections that got messed up and I had to "fudge" (though, in retrospect, the fudging turned out fine), a dropped YO here and there...nothing too major. When I get finished with this row, I'm going to stick a lifeline in, though, so if I screw up, I don't have to rip all the way back. That would suck.

Anyway, gratuitous photo of the WIP...

 Don't mind my funky Wisconsin pants. They're my new jammie bottoms :) So, as you can see, the pattern pretty much forces itself into the shape that you want at the end...but some blocking is still going to be required. This was a few rows before the end of the lace section. It's actually turning out quite well.

I'm not sure "shawl" is the correct word for this project, however.....more like a scarf but a little too wide for a scarf and you wear it like a shawl but you don't have to...

Other than that, there are things on needles, things in my stash, Puppy, and Little Man to deal with...

Oh, my swag from Stitches Midwest. I don't think I've shown you that...

Please, don't count how many skeins of yarn you see in this photograph.
I was in the market for a few projects' worth of yarn. So, I picked up some Malabrigo chunky...though, for the life of me, I'm not sure how 16 skeins of chunky Malabrigo yarn (at 100 yds/skein) is going to translate into a camisole for me. Seriously? That just seems like a lot of yarn. What's the worst thing that happens? Oh darn, I have to make something else from the remains. Boo-hoo. There's also a sweater's quantity of finger weight yarn from both Zen Garden and Ella Rae (the latter of which I got at the Webs booth). I also couldn't resist some of the yarns from Miss Babs and Sophie's Toes. I also picked up a couple of skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Socks that Rock, a skein of Shalimar Yarns, a couple skeins from MacKintosh, some fiber, and various other things. My "big" purchase is rather small, actually...I sprung for Signature Needles. I got six sets of DPNs (#1, #1.5, #3, #5, #7, and #8)...you can see them toward the top of the picture, in their carrying case (which I got for free with that purchase). I also picked up a set of #1 Kollage Square needles and a small niddy-noddy (I have a large one, I wanted a small one). It was a good time. Little Man charmed everyone. And we had a late lunch at Joe's Crab Shack.

Let's not forget that I got pulled over for speeding just south of Rockford either. No ticket, my middle name is, "Ass," and that's all I'm going to say about it.

Anyway, for more WIP Wednesdays, go see Tami's Amis and Other Creations...

Maybe next time I'll show you the hat that I started...but maybe it'll be finished by then :)

And.....just because he's so stinkin' cute (and at his first mommy-held garage sale)...