Flurry of WIPs, trips, etc.

Last week was all about the cold. My head was so muzzy that knitting was next to impossible. I tried multiple times to get the La-La-Love-You Cowl to work for me. It just wasn't happening.

I was able to ply the Cobbler singles. It's still sitting on the bobbin because I have only four coats of the finish on the oak niddy-noddy. Brandon says I need a few more coats for smoothness. I'm going to try to steel wool it and apply a coat before bed. He did say that it is usable though.....

Thursday my mother came down by train after visiting sister and family up in Snohomish. She met up with her DH who was attending a conference here in town over the weekend. William and I met up with her on Friday for lunch downtown at Rockbottom (wouldn't recommend them btw, wandered over to VooDoo Doughnuts so that she could buy the guys some. Then went up Alder to get to Knit/Purl and found a little Swiss chocolate store - Teuscher Chocolates of Portland. Mom bought us each a chocolate and picked up some for herself. I had the pistachio praline - yummy milk chocolate. Definitely going to have to go back for more!

While at Knit/Purl I found out that mom can't wear wool - of any kind. So the Purple Mistery Cowl that I had just finished, isn't going to her but I guess the sister up in Snohomish.....

We met back up with her and Aunt Mary on the MAX line and headed over to the Chinese Gardens. I had called Judy, Brandon's mom, and invited her to join us on Saturday and turned out it was in time to meet us there too. Here's a link to the Picasa album of our visit if you'd like to check it out.

After we got done at the Chinese Gardens we walked a few blocks over and had lunch at Kell's. Great Irish food and Brandon tried his first pint of Guinness. Refueled we then headed over to Saturday Market for some serious browsing. I think we found a picture to decorate around in the hall bathroom too, but we'll have to go back when that booth is open.

Sunday I tried out Tudora and had it work out for me - yea! Here's what it looks like so far:


Trying to get all those projects that I "thought" I could get done, I cast on today the Razor Shell Scarf. I'm going to use the Purple Mistery Malabrigo Lace leftover from the Cowl:

Since I still had leftover Olive worsted, I debated on casting on for a Calorimetry head cover but decided that I wanted to do the Celtic Cable Neckwarmer instead, this is one full chart repeat:

I had hoped to start William's "Where's Waldo" hat later in the week. Okay, I was going to wait until Friday to start it. Brandon and he insisted that I start it tonight. Since today is William's 19th birthday, I acquiesced and also cast that on tonight. There is a pattern available for it, but I didn't like the directions. So went back to a hat that I've done several of and know how to adapt to work for this design, the raglan hat. Here's what I have so far:


ETA: The cold is down to the sniffles, a few coughs and lots of sneezes still. William started his version of it late Saturday, thus postponing a visit from his other grandparents on Sunday. My dad has week lungs from when he was in a house fire as a child.