They weren't kidding...

I finished stringing all the beads for the Brenda Franklin choker I bought in kit form. The seed beads are a bronzy pink, and the dagger beads are a deep bronze. I'd love to have this done for the end of September - It's my FIL's 80th birthday, and there is a party of sorts, so it would be nice to have this to wear.
So, I did the stringing and counting (1,210 seed beads!), grabbed my size 0000 needles and started the knitting/ As much as I love the silk thread, it's a pain! Slippery beyond belied, and it's made up like a loosely (very loosely!) twisted single. Can we talk about splittiness? And on needles this tiny and sharp, I seem to have developed a hole in my left index finger. The cast on is basically an e-wrap style, so it's hard to get the needle under the stitches and keep them tight. The instructions even say, the first row is the toughest (and they weren't kidding!) but to persevere, keep it tight and it may take several tries. The first row took me about 1.5 hours. You'd think I'd be frustrated, and throw it down in disgust. (and pain.)
But I didn't. It's beautiful, and worth every finger poke, and curse when I split the silk yet again. I'm partway through row 2, and I love the way the light catches the colour of the beads, even when squished onto a needle. I hope I can keep with it to make my deadline.

And how cool is this? Yesterday, while moaning about what to do with my Sheepstrings yarn, Karen (edited - Her name is Karen - for some reason I typed Linda. Where's that idiot stick from yesterday...) from Sheepstrings leaves me a comment! She and I are basically on the same page - I'm thinking about a lacy pair of sleeves, attached at the back for a shrug. (Maybe the sleeve pattern from the Mosaic sweater from No Sheep for You...) Karen also mentioned that it's the perfect amount for a kid's sweater, but as much as I love my son, this stuff is all mine!

Pictures next week - Son and I are planning a trip to the Toronto Zoo this weekend - the weather will have cooled sufficiently for the animals to become more active. Unfortunately, the polar bears are gone - moved up north while the polar bear exhibit gets a total refurbishment. But there should be lots to see - including the dinosaur exhibit!