MS3, Kauni, Shrugs and Pugs

I can't write like the Yarn Harlot and I can't take pictures of my projects like Bonnie Marie,
But I did figure out how to label objects in my pictures, so, for all of you who haven't knit lace before, here's what I use to help me keep track of where I am on the chart. Click to make biiger. The clipboard with the storage compartment underneath is the best thing I ever bought. I can keep everything you see on top of it inside it, except the bowl and the skein of yarn. I'm into clue 2 of the MS3 shawl and enjoying every minute of it. I'm in no hurry, just enjoying the process.
Here's a closeup of the bead. I bought these from The Bead Wrangler and am now a new bead knitter! How fun it is to be knitting away, grab that little crochet hook and pop a bead right on the lace!? I've done it the other way and I didn't like it at all, just too much work trying to put 400 beads onto a skein of yarn. This way is much, much easier. Melanie, the Mother of MS3 used this link to show us how she did the beads but I've been reading Fluffy Knitter Debs blog for awhile now and had seen her tutorial before, and tried it, just hadn't made anything using it. I have now and I love it. I enjoyed doing last years KAL and enjoying this years even more now that I'm an "old hat" at lace.
I'm also doing the Kauni KAL and I have to say, I just love this sweater, the yarn, the pattern, everything. It is so much fun to knit and watch to see which color will come up next. This is what I've done in just 2 days. BTB, The Baby Girl and I are watching the Harry Potter Marathon this weekend and most of this was done last night during The Sorcerer's Stone. It's a great TV watching knit because you only have to think about what you're doing every few rows and to remind yourself which is color A and which is color B. And, I did the ribbing, then read that it was corrugated ribbing and didn't even realize it. I was just doing the ribbing in 2 colors, I didn't know there was a name for it. Loving this knit!This is my shrug. It's really a great little knit and I'm so glad I decided to make it. I got the pattern from a wonderful lady at A Good Yarn in Hayesville, NC that I visited while staying with my parents in May. It's knit with Berrocco Love It yarn. Bascically it's a long tube with the ends sewn together to put your arms in. I didn't think I'd ever wear it, just wanted to see how it was done and how the colors would work in that yarn and already I've put it on several times because of the a/c being too cold or the ceiling fan blowing too hard. It's just a little something to keep the chill away from your shoulders and arms. My oldest granddaughter saw it, tried it on and loved it so I'm now making her one in Popsicle Blue Cotton Ease. Great little knit. Here's the front:

This is the Baby Girls 19th Birthday cake. Her sister was nice enough to have us over to her house for the birthday party (Thanks kiddo). We had another cake that looked like a beach scene, you can see it on the bottom right of the picture. The hamburger cake was just too good - all that frosting! Yum!!!!
And last but not least, a pug picture, just a little different this time. Since the real pug looks so awful with whatever it is she has going on with her skin, and my Baby Boy sent this to me via his Baby Sister, I thought this would be a great ending to this long blog entry. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Knitting!