Best InTentions

A rather nice camping trip with the homeschoolers this past weekend was made even more delightful with the completion of this:


Bouyed by my sucess, I immediately cast on with size 8 needles for the back. I knit merrily along, since the children were all occupied by one thing or another. This child-occupation is one of the good things about camping with a ton of families. That, and the fact that someone in the group will have mosquito repellent or sunblock or size 6 knitting needles or olive oil if you've forgotten it.

My knitting was enhanced by a slight impulse purchase for the trip:


You may not be able to see it, but that background is a camping hammock. Oh boy, was that a hit. Not only did my spouse get to rest on it with Thing 4 being a little chest bug napper, but most of the short crowd found it irresistable as a swing. And yes, that is the much-wept over green sweater rescued from the grass at the side of the hammock. [Today, she said, "That sweater might need a wash." No kidding, honey.]

I was on such a knitterly high that when all of the kids were being watched by People With Fewer Children, my spouse and I escaped to Point Reyes Station for a cup of coffee. He just said, "I wondered when you were going to get around to that" when I asked brightly, "I wonder if there's a yarn store in town?"

Fortunately, there is! Look here


At this store, the depth of my self-delusion became clear, because I bought this


It's not quite visible in the picture, but that's about 500 yards of hand-spun fingering weight spun from Lincoln sheep raised in the Chileno Valley from pin draft roving by Bo-Rage Yarns. Yes, a huge honking skein of yarn that can really only be a shawl. With yarn overs. Because, of course, having finally muddled my way through mastered the simple yarn overs on the front of that cotton cardigan, can a wedding-ring shawl be far behind? Oh, yeah. That's probably why I look so insanely happy. I'm in complete denial.

Back at the campsite, I reread the pattern for the back of that cotton sweater. "Cast on 78 stitches, do this, do that, then change to larger needles." Whoops. That triumphant camp knitting became this


I spent the rest of the trip doing this, pretty much.


That shawl may have to wait.