ruffles!

It's hot all of a sudden! My office is sweltering. Last week it didn't feel like spring at all, and now I feel that I am way behind on the spring fling thing! Here's my humble beginning:

the bottom back ruffle of the Alice Cardigan. Because the green I chose for the sweater is a rather neutral color, I opted for a natural-colored ruffle, rather than zingy yellow or flashing pink, thinking that this will make the sweater more versatile. The ruffle technique is rather neat-- you knit a few rows of a very wide piece of stockinette, then knit 3, cast off 5, knit 3, cast off 5... so when the remaining stitches are drawn together, it creates a series of loops. It's somewhat laborious, but whimsical and I like it.

And why Alice? Well, I'm still ruminating on the color scheme for Tipsy. Here's another incarnation of ruffle:

Last week I got enough done on the Orenburg shawl to consider that I've really begun. That's the bottom border, and just over half of the bottom frame. Just to show that I really am working on it. This shawl will be over a yard square when blocked, and here it is all bunched up softly on one short needle... I adore fine lace.