We spent a lovely hour and a half or so at the zoo yesterday before our traditional Sunday morning grocery outing. We’re members, and we like to go first thing, partly because it’s before the crowds show up, and partly because it’s before it starts to get hot out, which is good for us and for the animals.

We headed straight for the Rainforest, working our way backwards toward the Siamangs. Our zoo had a successful birth a couple of years ago, after which mom for some reason rejected her baby. So now it’s just Dad and little Tucker, now just over two. He’s looking more and more like a siamang these days — broader, more muscular shoulders, longer torso. He seems to play-fight with Dad a little less, but is starting to vocalize along with him in the mornings. He has this ridiculously cute little air sac under his chin, and makes little hoots that crack me up every time. We stayed to watch them for about 25 minutes, until the first of the crowds started to show up. It’s a good time.

It seems like it’s been quite a while since I finished knitting anything. There was that failed attempt at the sweater made of bamboo yarn, and while I’m making good progress with the new pattern,

I’m note sure I’ll finish it in time to wear it this year.

The Mystery Stole is coming along, too:

I’m actually one more clue ahead now, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the next clue will say something like, “Now, go back to the first clue and make another of the exact same thing you just finished!”

Some knitters are happy just to start projects when they’re struck by new moods, setting them aside for other things as shiny and new things strike their fancies. I feel rotten if my works in progress pile doesn’t shrink every so often. Hopefully I’ll have a spate of finishing to talk about here in the next few weeks.

Three big pieces of news:

1. Mike and I have our iPhones! Yay! In fact I’m posting this from my phone. Hi-tech awesomeness.
2. We had a huge Harry Potter event at the library Friday night. Like, 4500 people huge. And we got lucky in the book lottery and got to check out on of the library’s 215 copies. I started reading yesterday morning, and I don’t think it gives anything away to say that Rowling pulls no punches: the action totally starts right out of the gate.
3. I’ve been mystery stole-ing it up, yo.
   
   Here’s what I have done so far. The fourth clue came out on Friday, too. I’m a little disappointed that there aren’t more beads in it — I’ve been really enjoying the beading, especially once I got a crochet hook small enough.

Hopefully I’ll be more prone to post now that I can do it from pretty much anywhere. (Did I mention, “Yay!”?)

I can feel it. I got a very excellent package in the mail today, one that will allow me to take pictures, immediately email them to flickr, and then get right to the ol’ blog (or Ravelry, for that matter) and post ‘em up quick. What is it? Here’s a hint…

(Okay, not really. Certainly not mine, and no pressure for any yet-to-exist nieces or nephews. I just like knitting baby things.)

Voila my first Dale of Norway sweater!

I’m loving this thing! I did have a minor setback a couple of nights ago when I went to separate the yoke into body and sleeves and found out I was missing a stitch. It seems that after the first little motif, I had started looking at the instructions for the pullover, instead of those for the cardigan which allow for that lovely symmetry down the front. The bits of yarn spaghetti you see in that pile there are the vestiges of having pulled out about 4 inches of the yoke and reknit about 3.5 inches of it. I’m back on track, though, and I’m thinking ahead to knitting a grown-up sized Dale. Can’t wait…

I’d been lusting over Crystal Palace Bam Boo yarn since I’d seen it in my not-so-LYS — the most delicious shade of pink, so silky and with such lovely drape. So when my dear husband bought me some for my birthday last year, I started to look for a way to use it.

Here’s what I ended up with:

It’s the Butterfly pattern from Knitscene Spring 2007. This was actually my second attempt: the first time, with the size needles called for and knitting the size that ought to have fit my body, it turned out to be ridiculously big. This time the size of the thing is a bit better, but the construction of the top leads to sleeves that fall off my barely-existent shoulders. At any rate, I put it on to wear to work late last week and promptly changed my mind. It’s currently in the hibernation pile, but I have little doubt that I’ll be pulling it out and knitting something else entirely. (Something I can actually wear.)