Wishing I was HERE!

We spent a day at the beach last weekend. It was lovely. The above photo is a shot of where we sat as we gazed out over the ocean. Nope, it doesn't get any better than that!

There was a wicked rip current, so playing in the water was dangerous and difficult even in the shallows. After getting exhausted fighting the pull of the currents, my youngest and I contented ourselves just hanging out at water's edge and letting the water gently wash over us.


Here's what happens when teenagers get a hold of my camera:



We walked around a lovely, old historic seaside town and enjoyed the sunset there.



(((sigh!)))

One day was not enough. I want to go back!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a short video from our day. (Sorry, I can't figure out how to center the silly thing!)

Finished and Blocked!

May I introduce to you my Twilight Sonota (yes, that IS how the designer spells it) which is knit using a new yet-to-be-released pattern by Kay Meadors.


This is my first time knitting with beads, and I must say this pattern was a good introduction to the technique. There are beads scattered throughout the body of the shawl, which are lovely to see in real life, but don't seem to show up well in my photos, so here is a closeup.


And beads dripping from the lace border.


I am so thrilled that the weather is finally cooling down a bit in the evenings and early mornings. Twilight sits delicately over my shoulders right now. The beads add just the right amount of weight and the drape is lovely.

I applied the beads using, of all things, Oral B Superfloss! Romi Hill has great tutorial demonstrating how to do this on her blog: Rosemary-Go-Round.

Once things turn colder, I will probably wear it over sweaters or turtlenecks more like this:



I wish the colors were showing truer in my photos of the finished project. Here is a more accurate picture of the yarn:



Please use your imagination and picture the colors of the shawl looking more like that! ;-)

All the project details can be found on my Ravelry project page for Twilight Sonota. Here are the basics:

Yarn: Serenity Sock Yarn - 2 skeins in Amethyst colorway (almost 460 yds.)
Needles: US size 7 (4.5 mm)
Beads: approx. 19-20 grams size 6 round seed beads in a assortment of purple shades