Learning about a camera

I normally take pictures for this blog (and my other blog) using my Nikon CoolPix, which I love. When Circuit City was going out of business, Steve bought a Canon Rebel XSi for us. It's a digital SLR camera with two lenses. I've used it some, and love it, too, but feel as if I don't know much about its operation. We're planning a trip in May (Alaska!), so I wanted to take some time to become more familiar with it. I bought a couple of books from Amazon, and am working my way through one of them now (The Canon Digial Rebel XSi Companion). The picture above was snapped as I finished a chapter this evening.

Mason Dixon link

Go take a look at this post on Mason Dixon knitting if you haven't already seen it. Great YouTube video!

Edited later (much later) to add the LINK. (Bleh!)

Next?

So, now that I'm moving on, what is on the needles?

I was planning to do the Kilkenny cable shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls, but I wanted to use Knits Picks Wool of the Andes in Blue Ink. The Blue Ink's delivery date kept moving farther and farther into the future. I had almost given up when it finally became available to order.

In the meantime, while I waited, I started a pair of socks with Mountain Colors yarn. I think the needles were too large for the yarn. The sock in progress didn't feel right. My KnitPicks yarn finally arrived, so I sat the socks aside. Between when I stopped knitting them until I moved them out of my knitting bag, three of the needles came out of the stitches. You know I don't like the project when I don't even care about the lose stitches and haven't put them back on the needle yet!

I finally started on the Kilkenny Cable shawl. It's going well. The pattern looks complicated, but it's not. I do it without a chart now -- it was that easy to learn.

Beach Scarf

Long time, no post. I have been knitting, but have also had some periods of not knitting, so progress has been slow.

I finished a scarf using yarn (and a free pattern) I bought at the beach last year. The scarf is really too short for my taste, and not really a color I like. I bought the yarn thinking I would use it to make a gift, but then changed my mind. I knit in anyway, but I kind of doubt I'll wear it, and the short length means I probably won't give it away.

BUT, it is a finished project.

Pattern: The pattern was free from Island Knits when I bought the yarn. I'm not sure I would actually call it a pattern. It's just a simple stitch repeat. Cast a multiple of 4 + 2 (I did 26). On each row, knit 2, knit one through back loop, pearl 1. Repeat to end of row.

Yarn: Ester Bitran Hand-Dyes Talinay -- it's a beige/pink/blue combination.

Needles: US size 9

The color of the yarn reminded me of sand and seashells, so on Ravelry I called it my beach scarf.