Clapotis--Fini!

I finished Clapotis, and she is more gorgeous than I could have imagined. The KnitPicks Shimmer I used is unbelievably soft and luxurious. And oh-so-affordable!

I did notice from my last post that no one likes a post without pictures. And, really, I should have known. I'm the same way--if I stumble upon a blog with no photos, I just keep moving.

So, to make up for my lack of pictures last time, I've got lots of them this time. Not to mention a freshly made blog button for those of you who might like to link me.

To the left is Clapotis, glistening in the sun. I think the bright light really brightens the colors. In person, they're more subdued.

But only slightly. This is certainly not a quiet, retiring Clapotis!

Obligatory close-up:

Here she is after her bath, stretched out across my dining room table, which is not big enough to accomodate. So not the best blocking job in the world, but it certainly did help smooth it out and straighten the lines.

And, yes, those are leopard spots on my dining room wall. And, no, I did not put them there.

So....what to knit next? This is really a dilemma for me because I am leaving for vacation July 8th, and I will need something to take along with me. I am still working on Cozy...

...which is a fabulous knit, and I love the soft puffiness of the KnitPicks Andean Silk, but I'm not sure it's quite the right thing to work on at the beach.

There's always the long-neglected Pomatomus. Perfect theme for a beach vacation, too. I feel guily for having abandoned this project, but I got frustrated when I had to rip it out and start over, then I just got sidetracked by other stuff. But it's still hanging around, and a definite contender for vacation knitting.

Or I could just take it nice and easy and make the Jaywalkers I have been wanting to make for myself out of this lovely, lovely Koigu:

I do plan to start these soon since the only thing I have on the needles (besides the dreaded Poms) is Cozy. And, since I have already done two pairs of Jaywalkers, the third should be a snap!

The last two photos don't have anything to do with knitting, but I was so thrilled when I saw the following in our backyard:

We planted four grapevines in our backyard when we moved in four years ago. Three of them, our rambunctious dog Annie ripped out of the ground. This one is the only one to survive the rampage, and I have never seen grapes actually on it. So that's exciting.

And I leave you with the miniature rose my husband has finally managed to coax out of the dirt. He's so proud.