Yes, I *Am* Still Alive And Knitting

But I'll bet you all thought I had disappeared. :-) The past four weeks have been a whirlwind with four trips out of state. I've spent more time packing and unpacking than anything else! The only good point about all this travelling is, more time to knit.

So, I finished the socks for my mom and gave them to her for her birthday (my first out of state trip). She loves them and is showing them off to everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of them...because I finished them at midnight the night before her birthday. Deadlines can be so inspirational!

I've done about a foot on my Trellis Shawl and I love it. Not just the pattern itself, but the yarn is so soft...I spend a lot of my knitting time fondling it. ;-) It's done in Classic Elite Premier yarn, which is a combination of Pima and Tencel. Does anyone know how it holds up to washing and drying? I hope it stays soft and lovely.

I've begun working on the Wave Knitting Bag (you can see it here: http://saboardman.tripod.com/id15.html) but my local yarn store didn't have five coordinating shades of any color...the closest we could get was four. So instead I'm making it in five jewel tones, which I think will be lovely when felted.

And...my big project I'm about to start is the Pierrot Long Coat from the Fall 2005 issue of Vogue Knitting. It's a swing coat type of pattern, with extra-wide sleeves with big cuffs, and a seed stitch pattern done in super bulky yarn. I've ordered the yarn through my LYS and am waiting anxiously for it to come in. Has anyone made this pattern, and if so, do you have any hints or tips for me?

Anyway, that's what I'm working on now! I'll try to post a little more frequently from now on, and maybe next time with pictures...