In other news, this morning I used my brand-new goLITE, purchased based on a recommendation from Amyknitty. We’ll see how it goes -I’m optimistic.  I think I can handle 15 minutes each morning. 

Other than that, not much going on here.  I’ve gotten through clue 4 on one end of the Mystery Stole, and started clue 4 on the other end.  I’m hopeful that I will finish it relatively soon.  And then, I have Plans.  Plans for a sweater for Kris that I’ve been thinking about (and have had the yarn for) for quite a while now.

Speaking of yarn, don’t forget about the destash!  There’s a good amount of stuff up there, and if I can get organized, there will be more soon.

And I promise, I won’t let this go to my head.  No “posse”, no “entourage”, no “handlers”.  Still just me. 

Today, clue #3 for the Mystery Stole was released.  I finished up clue #2 on one end at knitting yesterday, and got the other one started, but only got a few rows done.  So, as of this morning, it was here:

Obligatory closeup of the pattern:

(And for the record, no, the rug is not that obnoxiously bright.  Believe it or not, that’s a non-flash picture, too.)

I originally planned to finish the other end with clue #2 before starting clue 3, but I’m too impatient.  So, after a day spent on the couch nursing a lovely cold (ick), I finished one end of clue 3 a little bit ago.  So, now it looks like this:

(That’s a MUCH better representation of the rug color, although the yarn looks less grey in person.  You can see more of the multicolored-ness of the beads, though.)

This clue had no beads, so even though it had about twice the rows as the previous ones, it moved pretty quickly.  And I still love the way it looks.  I can’t wait to find out the theme – I have no clue what it is going to be.

And yes, I know today is International Talk Like Pirate Day.  As I am feeling a bit under the weather (see above re: nursing a cold) and am saving my energy for my Bernina guide class (AKA Get to know your new sewing machine) tomorrow morning, my entire contribution to the observance is watching POTC2: Dead Man’s Chest on USA Network.  Kris, however, was a better pirate.  He wore his socks today:

Yes, those are the very ones that appeared in the magazine.  Two years later, and a little covered in cat hair at the moment, but it speaks well for Lorna’s Laces that they still look good!

In the interest of not suffering from SEOSS (Second End of Stole Syndrome, a cousin to Second Sock Syndrome), I’m working both ends as I go.  So, I’ve got both ends of clue #1 done, and am halfway-ish though clue #2 on one of them.

Closer shot of the pretty sparkly beads:

I’m really happy with how it is coming out, and I look forward to seeing what is to come.

And before you tell me I’m moving fast, someone in the MS4 Ravelry group was done yesterday afternoon.

Here is a closeup of the center beaded section:

I love the way the multicolored beads are working out.  I wasn’t sure if they would be a problem, but they look really cool.  I’m picking them completely by random, so there is no rhyme or reason to the color arrangement.

Here’s one of the lace motifs, too:

From what we’ve been told, this will have mostly symmetrical ends and be grafted (EEP!) together in the center.  They will differ at some point in the middle, I’m guessing so that we graft not at the exact center of the stole, but off to one side or the other.  As such, I’m going to start working on the other end today, planning on having both done before clue #2 comes out next Friday.

Also, since my mailman just came by, my Mystery Stole has a new home!  I saw on Amby’s blog that she had come up with a design for a lace-specific project bag.  So, I am now the proud owner of my very own Gabrielle Lace Keeper!

And yes, it is currently stuffed to busting with the GIANT ball of Lisa Souza fingering weight I’m using for the Mystery Stole.
And because her bags are freaking ADDICTIVE, I picked up one of her Lily Totes for those days when my big sushi-themed Hannah Tote is a little too much.

Thanks, Amby – I love them!  And I know all of you will love them too – go check out her shop!

So, anyway, I brought a bunch of laceweight and bead options to DuClaw to get opinions from Amanda and Carrie a while back (pre-Ravelympics), and we all pretty much decided that my Lisa Souza fingering weight merino in “Blue Spruce” was the best choice.  (I picked this up at my first Stitches East, in Nov. 2006.)

Ain’t it purty?  We had 90% decided on one particular mix of beads, but since I was trying to decide needle size anyway, I decided to swatch with all three of the mixes I liked best and see how they worked with the yarn. Left to right,that’s Aqua Mist, Grey Diamonds, and Coffee Latte.  Amanda and I were strongly leaning toward the Grey Diamonds mix, because we thought it would make a nice contrast, but I was also curious to see how the Coffee Latte mix looked.

On the swatch, top to bottom, this is Aqua Mist beads and a US2/3mm needle, Coffee Latte beads and a US2/2.75mm needle, and Grey Diamonds beads and a US3/3.25mm needle:

Closeups:

Grey Diamonds beads:

Coffee Latte beads:

Aqua Mist beads:

I’m REALLY glad I swatched, because I am not thrilled with how the Grey Diamonds looks. They are really hard to see. I love the colors in the Coffee Latte, but I think the matte finish of the beads gets lost against the yarn. I am really happy with the way the Aqua Mist looks, though, so I’m going with that. I’m also going with the smallest needle (in the Coffee Latte section of the swatch) – I think that has the best look in the fabric.

So, now, I wait for clue #1 on Friday!

And now, off to the porch to do some work on the walls.  We’re hoping we might be able to tackle the roof this weekend.

I’ll be sitting here tomorrow morning, ready to start work on the Santa Fe shawl.   I’m hoping to get into a groove with it so that I can get it done in fairly short order and get started on the skirt.  I realized yesterday that the Ravelympics (and, you know, the ACTUAL Olympics) run from tomorrow until August 24.  The problem with that?  August 23 and 24, we’ve got our crazy friends lined up to come help build the porch.  So… no crocheting for me those days.  Somehow I don’t see some people being ok with building a porch while I sit in the A/C and crochet a skirt for myself.  So, instead of 17 days, I’ve got 15.  Wish me luck ok?  Realistically, you won’t see too much in the way of wordy blog posts, but I do plan to update with status pics, hopefully daily.  And for those of you who I talk to on GChat… yeah, you may not see much of me there either.  I am DETERMINED to finish these if I can.

Did I mention that I signed up for Mystery Stole 4?  And that I may have suckered enticed Amanda into joining me?  I’ve got a crapload of beads here (Thank you, Beadwrangler, for ridiculously fast shipping), and I’ll be deciding between them post-Ravelympics.  I’ll post my options here, just to see what the general thoughts are, but that will come later.  For now – Must.  Focus.