Yarn Binge! Post-Travel Report: Bermuda and Washington, DC

Hello, followers!

I've just returned from a week long cruise to Bermuda, followed by a weekend trip to Washington, DC.  I didn't take my embroidery with me on the cruise, but I did make some headway on some of my knitting projects, and I found some *lovely* locally dyed yarn during my travels!

Starboard Shawl - original design.  Should be published within the month!

I'm working on an original design for a stashbuster shawl to use up the half-balls of sock yarn I had left from Joji Locatelli's Starting Point wrap.  I call this the "Starboard Shawl" for its nautical stripes and a few subtle sea-themed details.  I'm hoping to have this published to Ravelry within the next month!  It's a little over halfway done at this point.  The main color (gray) is Shibui Knits Birch in Ash, and it's SO SOFT!  The contrast colors are from Malabrigo and Skeinny Dipping Yarn - I'll go over them in more detail once I finish the shawl.  I really do love it - it's coming together so nicely, and I'll be happy to post my first "real" pattern!

"Veda's Peacock" - pattern by Nancy Marchant

This next little WIP is Nancy Marchant's brioche "Veda's Peacock" from her book Knitting Fresh Brioche.  I'm really enjoying it!  It's my first full brioche project, and it's going well, although it's slow.  The yarns are Madeline Tosh Dandelion in Grasshopper (green) and Black Bunny Fibers Bartram in Archipelago (blue).  I don't recommend this for a brioche beginner, though - it's better to start off with some simple stripes so you can really understand the construction.

Hue Shift Afghan in progress

Did a few more squares on my Hue Shift Afghan.  This is the fourth and final quadrant - I've got 80 of 100 squares done!  My sister is knitting this along with me from Ohio, too.  I'm using the Jewel Toned color kit.

"Bermuda Cedar" and "Teal" colorways from Sheepwrecked Yarns

 I stopped at The Black Purl yarn store in Hamilton, Bermuda while we were there and picked up two of her lovely hand-dyed yarns on a merino-cashmere-nylon base.  I can't wait to start something pretty with these!  The shop was lovely and cozy, and the owner, Cindy, was welcoming and friendly.  Definitely worth a trip if you're in Bermuda!

Left to right - "Laser Space Cat" by Tempting Ewe Yarns, "Acid Bomb" by Qing Fibre, and "Van Gogh Sunflowers" by Dragonfly Fibers

When I came back from Bermuda, we went on a quick weekend trip to Washington, DC to meet up with some friends and play some Ingress.  I stopped by Looped Yarn Works in Dupont Circle and bought a few more skeins to add to my stash.  The "Laser Space Cat" by Tempting Ewe Yarns is my favorite - it's sparkly and wonderfully bright.

"Claudius Fancius Maximus" - my new ragdoll kitty!

And finally, because I know a lot of you are cat lovers, I should share a couple of pictures of my new boy, Claudius Fancius Maximus, or "Fancy" for short.  I'm officially fostering him through his rabies quarantine (he came into our hospital as a stray tomcat with a bite wound abscess about two months ago).  He's a love - and super handsome!

Fancy and Julius are tolerant of each other.

He's getting along okay with my other cat, Julius.  They're not in physical contact with each other due to the rabies quarantine, but I take him out of his room every few days to look at Julius and to feed them both some treats.  Supervised physical contact will probably follow once the quarantine is up in another two months.

That's all for today - thanks for stopping by!

-Erin