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Dear Ellen,

I am happily putting off work on larger projects (like my top down sweater and Hanami) by finding a variety of small projects that just must be completed before I can do anything else.  I think I’m suffering from a bit of AADD.  Regardless of the source, I’m rather pleased with the by-product of this small project startitis.  I’ve already told you about the Easter Anklets, now I’ll tell you about the scarf that I’ve started for Ava H., our near niece and daughter of our very good friends John and Katie.

I asked Katie if Ava would like me to knit something for her and (after consultation with Ava) she responded that Ava would like a scarf — purple, orange and pink with sparkles in it.  I considered a number of different possibilities for pattern and then decided I should just see if I could find suitable yarn first.  I went to Fibre Space, my favorite local yarn store and found some wonderful Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted that is purple, orange and pink (and a bit of orange-yellow).  It’s awesome…but not sparkly.  So then I went around the corner to the Potomac Bead Company and found the perfect seed beads to go with the yarn.  Then I went home to think…still couldn’t come up with an answer.  Made the trip to Rome.  Still no answer.  Then serendipity occurred.  I started thinking about entrelac with beading on some of the squares, but I really didn’t want to fiddle around with edge squares and knitting back and forth, so I set that idea aside.  Then I wrote the post on the Easter Anklets and added them as a project on Ravelry.  When I realized I didn’t have the name of the colorway that I had used I went to the SWTC web site to figure that out.  RIGHT THERE was the answer.  On the Karaoke page is a free pattern called “Not Entirely Entrelac.”  It mimics the look of entrelac, but eliminates the fiddliness.  It was perfect.

I started last night — after threading some 350 beads onto my yarn (3 per times 104-116 planned for squares).  That bit was somewhat tedious, but we were watching Inglourious Basterds in the meantime, so it gave me something to focus on whenever Tarentino got a bit too gorey.  I got a bit of actual knitting done (modifying the pattern to add a bit more width), and more today.  I am LOVING the yarn and the pattern is turning out very cute.  (Who knew Shepherd Worsted was SO soft!)  I think Ava will really like it — and it may still be cold enough in Japan for her to use it if I get it mailed off this week.

I still have a post on Rome to come…but I’m going to spend the remainder of the afternoon with Marie and Heidi.  They spent the weekend with us and it has been so nice to have them here.  Marie performed last night (while we were watching the movie) and Heidi had been in town for some work at the home office.  I’ll give them your love.

Love to you from me,

Jan