Great American Aran Afghan

What a week full of knitting this has been! And a glorious week at that! I started the actual knitting of the Great American Aran Afghan a week ago and have completed 2 of the blocks, except for the actual 'blocking', which I plan to demonstrate at the Baskets of Yarn 2009 Winter Retreat next month. My class on the afghan will include the various cables and other stitches used to knit the afghan, as well as how to read the charts and how to make the charts easier to understand. I'm very excited about knitting this project, and having completed the first two blocks gives me a lot of confidence that I will be able to finish it by May, which is my goal. I have chosen the recipient of the finished product, but I do not want to reveal the name just yet.

Saturday at the Baskets of Yarn shop I took a class with Sue Dial, the Wet Felted Rose. It was very productive (I actually finished my rose!) and so much fun. Sue is a wonderful, generous teacher and so artistic. Accidentally sipping the soapy water was not much fun, but aside from that I can't complain about anything. It was a wonderful day.

Saturday afternoon I sat with 5 other knitters who wanted to make the Starry, Starry Night beaded scarf. Their yarn colors and beads were yummy, and I can't wait to see how they all turn out. Stringing the beads can prove to be tedious, but the result is well worth the time it takes.

On a very sad note, tonight we learned that two teenage girls in our community were killed in an automobile accident. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of these girls and to their very young friends who will grieve their loss forever.