Yarn Along - Very Mysterious Indeed

When we last saw our intrepid [knitter] she was bemoaning the fact that she was going to run out of dark gray yarn before she even started the bind off row.  There were a few options for how she could "fix" this including finding "a tiny bit more of that dark roving" even though she was really pretty sure she'd already found it all...

It took me a day or two to get up my nerve to go look.  As I walked into the Wool House, the very first thing I saw, sitting right on top of the big yarn basket, smack dab in the middle of the room, the basket where I know every skein of yarn...was a small skein of perfectly matching yarn.

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Excuse me?  Where did that come from???

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20 has bailed me out of several knitting crises...but he's up at the house watching hockey.

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Sock Monkey???

I love sock monkeys.  I've wanted to make one for years, but was pretty sure knew I'd never get it done.  Guess what Auntie Reg found in her stash?  A kit that had belonged to John's mother!  She wasn't sure how old it was, but it had to be at least 25 years old and could be as old as 50.  She made him for me :-D.   He's very special and now to find out he can spin...

I love how the colors match Liddy.  I've thought of this shawl as hers because of that and the fact I've knit it with her, mostly sitting out in the yard with her as she's learned to eat big girl food (grass) and also hiding out in the house when it was too hot to go outside.  Although...sitting covered up in a wool shawl with a wool sweater growing next to me using me as a pillow...not that cool ;-).

Okay, so it seems like everything's back on track.  I know exactly where I am in the pattern.  I distinctly remember that I have one more row before I start the bind off.  All I have to do is knit that row with the remaining original dark gray yarn and then bind off with the new yarn.  

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That row is already done.  I'm ready to bind off.  And I have what looks to be plenty of yarn left.

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Excuse me?  Where did that come from???

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This mystery knitalong has been mysterious for sure!

What I learned new with this project - the Icelandic bind off.  Loved it!

Before blocking.  Liddy is showing the proper amount of amazement and interest.  You can trust her with knitting.  You just can't trust her with the needles ;-).

As always, I love to block.  I decided to try using floral pins.  They come in a big bag, the double prongs are handy and they are easy to see if you drop one on the floor and wouldn't stick into your foot if you couldn't find it ;-).  I think they worked great!

I knew the patterning was pretty, but I didn't realize it was going to be this pretty.  A very enjoyable mystery knitalong!

The shawl turned out perfect.  All the stewing over yarns and colors and while it is all Jacob yarn, it's from three completely different fleeced Jacobs, worrying I'd knit the first couple of rows of the dark gray too tight...not to worry.  Now if it would just cool off so I could try it on!

One last picture of Monkey...because you can never have too many pictures of a sock monkey sitting out on the porch with some knitting :-).

Books...I've loved everyone's suggestions for books, especially sheep books (keep them coming!).  I'd completely forgotten about Shepherdess: Notes From The Field by Joan Jarvis Ellison.  I re-read that this week and loved it.  

In looking for a link, Amazon says I purchased that book in 2008.  I'm pretty sure I received that as a gift!?  Then, I see a book suggestion on that same screen that looks interesting.  I click on it - a book I am quite sure I've never seen before - and it says I purchased that one in 2005.  I don't see it on my book shelf...

Very mysterious indeed!

Joining in with Ginny...