Basketweave scarf and some new fabric.

I started knitting this scarf probably back in November, at least. But then I took a break from it for several weeks because I was knitting dishrags for my mom for Christmas. And then it was taking so long that I got discouraged and didn't work on it very often (which really helped matters, of course), until about a week ago when I decided I was going to finish it.

I used the basketweave stitch. It's a little hard to see it because of the colors of the yarn, but if you look closely you can see little squares. The yarn is a snowflake wool blend by Yarn Bee, and I got two skeins of it on clearance at Hobby Lobby. The colors were so pretty that I couldn't resist. I made it into a scarf because, well, that's the only thing I know how to knit so far besides washclothes (and I couldn't use wool for that). Which brings my scarf collection to a total of about nine, I think? :) This is the third scarf I've knitted.

It's surprisingly heavy and long, which I like. I wanted to use up both skeins since that's all of this yarn I have.

This was my first scarf where I didn't make any real mistakes. I even remembered to bind off loosely and in the stitch pattern. :) I did drop a stitch and have to unravel (what's the word? Frog? I don't think I'll ever be able to say that without laughing) a couple of rows because stitches kept slipping off my needles. I don't like metal knitting needles very much. I ended up fixing things in a slightly sloppy way. But it blends in so well that I don't think I'd even be able to find that spot now.

I also learned that I knit considerably faster during climatic end scenes of Hitchcock films. I'm talking about you, Saboteur.

Last week, Kellie posted about Fabric.com having a big sale. I've only ever ordered fabric online once before (that was a printed cotton for a customer). I like to touch and see fabrics in person before I buy them, and I don't like not knowing exactly what I'm getting.

But...they had some amazing sale prices, plus free shipping over $35, plus I got 15% off my total order. So this is what I got:

One yard of this Michael Miller (I think) Eiffel Tower cotton print. I think I'll make a pillow or something with it, because I really don't need another bag.

About 4.5 yards of this speckled brown wool suiting. I need a brown skirt, so maybe a half circle skirt or something? Maybe a circle skirt, but that might be cutting it close to have enough fabric.

About 2.5 yards of this cute red floral shirting, which I think I'll use for a spring button up shirt with elbow length sleeves. It looked really 30s/40s to me, even though unfortunately it's polyester instead of cotton.

And about 5 yards of this floral rayon. It's navy but looks black in most lighting. I'm thinking maybe another 40s swing dress with it?

Even though my PayPal balance is now significantly lower, I'm really happy with my order. I don't think I've bought any fabric in the past month and a half or two months, so this was a splurge. Everything I got was on sale (besides the other discounts) and I have plans for each fabric. So I feel completely justified.

Can I just mention how thrilling it is when the UPS man delivers an eight pound box of fabric? :)

Until next time,