Mmmm...Jelly

All I can say is that Theresa and Rachel are truly inspired creatures. When I started to feel all summery (and yes, it is possible to feel fally in So Cal, just not wintery all that often) and feel like everything I was knitting was all heavy, solid and in great need of some well placed holes, they up and invented the Amazing Lace. It was exactly the way I wanted to spend the rest of my summer - making pretty things full of well placed holes!

I'm all signed up and will be posting my teammate introduction shortly (you'll see a couple of these actually, because Nonnahs has been equally inspired to make holes), but I am in still of a bit of a teammate quandry: to knit Rowan's Birch or it's modified version, Kiri?

This has been one of those knits that haunts me (in a good way). Every time I would see Kidsilk Haze in Jelly, I would go - ooooh. I had made the decision to buy the yarn 3 times, but the first two attempts led to the yarn mysteriously vanishing prior to my arrival after teasing me for several visits that it would be there when I came to make it mine.

So, finally it is mine. But now the question - to Birch or not to Birch? I had always planned on this being Birch, but why not Kiri? I really like the idea of getting the worst of the work out of the way at the beginning. But there is something to be said about starting small and building up width. It gives me a chance to get used to the pattern before I have to repeat it 5000 times across the whole thing. More importantly it (hopefully) lessens the need to tink (or heaven forbid - rip) Kidsilk Haze which I have heard is a bit "sticky". So what to do? The girls at the Saturday knit group at Rebecca's think that Birch is the way to go. But are there any advocates for Kiri out there? I would love to hear your two cents.

And on an unrelated note - have I told you that I love my new camera? It has come in very handy. No longer do I miss a great photo opportunity, whether is be a chuby Boba Fet, a giant copper buffalo, or this:

I don't even know what to call this. But, in case you can't tell in the photograph, that is plush (yes, plush) tiger fabric covering the front and underbelly of that motorcycle. I know. And the best part is that this motorcycle now aparently lives across the parking spot from our own parking spot so we get to see it everyday when we come home. Sweet!