Yarn, Over.

The next time I lecture my kids about the virtue of not completing projects at the last minute, I fully expect a bolt of lightening to strike me down. I finished Bijou on Saturday morning on the way to the Five Counties competition. I had stayed up until 1:00am the night before completing the crochet edging and darning in a few ends.

I really love her. Much more than most projects I complete at first. I typically need some time apart from items I've been so involved with for so long to forget where all the little mistakes are and to adjust to the reality of the item - rather than the fantasy. Since this project was intended to be a creative collaboration with a friend, combining the two hand spun yarns (mine and Hope's) was my way of expressing that theme.

Here are the project details:

Pattern: Bijou by Marnie MacLean Winter 2008 Twist Collective

Yarn: My friend's hand spun sport weight in a hand paint combined with my 2 ply lace weight in an indigo blue by Tactile Fiber Arts.

• The pattern is a joy to knit. Done in the round with waist shaping and bust darts made with short rows.


• The lace is not complicated and makes a nice fabric that's not too sheer.
• The flutter sleeves are a feminine touch and the construction of the sleeves was a lot of fun.

I wore Bijou to work today with a denim skirt and it looked nice for the office yet would be perfect for a special dinner out too. She got a lot of attention at the competition but alas - no prizes. That's OK -the "F.O. glow" is seeing me through.

No Pressure

If this were a baseball game, it would be the top of the ninth with the game tied. I have 12 days (actually 11 since we can't count the day of the fair) to finish Bijou. The theme is friendship and collaboration. The project - Bijou by Marnie McClean using my handspun in an indigo blue merino/tencel roving from Tactile Fiber Arts and my friend's handspun in a handpaint. The event is the Five Counties Guild competition coming up in a couple of weeks.

The lace section was a bugger but once I got it through my thick skull, it went quickly. The star pattern gives quite a bit of coverage so it won't be as sheer as I thought it would. Just two sleeves, a bit of crochet finish around the neck, some buttons and she'll be ready for the competition. This is one pretty pattern!

Here is Judy modeling Bijou in process.

Judy has a great body so the brilliant shaping Marnie's incorporated into this design really show well on the dress form.

I'm also a short-row shoulder convert after seeing how nicely these worked up.

I know I've squawked frequently about the cost of the Twist patterns but they are very detailed and well worth the money. (There - I've said it).

After Bijou, Cobblestone and Roam are on deck for finishing so stay tuned for an "FOpalooza"