Finished Objects!

I really have been knitting through it all, and today I finally have a few FOs to show for it. Of course, I appear to keep casting on just as soon as I cast off, but that's the nature of the beast, right? So, some flower pictures, an update on this weekend's feis, and knitting are all on the agenda.

I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of what I see when I sit in my knitting chair on the back patio. The jacaranda is starting to lose its flowers, so it's all purple snow out there.
But there are still plenty on the tree.
I can also see all the greenery from the shady corner of the house.
And here's the chair itself, tucked away in another shady corner (less shady since the wisteria was hacked back this year, but it's working hard to grow more shade quickly).
That's my favorite place to sit outside and knit, and that's where I got most of the last-minute knitting done on this, in time to wear it out to dinner for Rick's birthday on Friday night.
That's a pretty accurate representation of the color, actually. This is Lacey, from a Louet pattern booklet, knit up in Louet Euroflax sportweight. I used size seven needles, and three skeins of yarn.
I have to admit that I really don't enjoy knitting with this yarn at all (hence the speed-knitting; this is all about product rather than process), but I love the results. I washed and dried it twice (gentle wash cycle, low heat dry), and it's now draping beautifully, completely unlike its original stiff self (like knitting with kitchen twine, really). I'll probably wash it another time just on general principles. Softened like this, the hand that linen develops with wear really shines through.
And I adore the color; next to purples, it looks purpley (for example, it really works over the henley redux, if you can believe), but near blues and denims, it appears more blue. Between the color (do I love denim, or do I love denim?), and the washable nature of linen (no blocking needed), it will be a workhorse of a piece. I can tell I'll be using it a LOT over the summer.

The other project I finished was smaller and easy. I knitted myself a pair of the Turkish Bed Socks that I made for Older Daughter, out of the same yarn. My pictures of the socks on my feet are glitchy for some reason, but they're perfect in clogs, which is exactly why I knitted a pair for myself. I have a lot of skein ends from socks I've knitted for myself (I have small feet) that would be just enough yarn for more of these.
(Excuse the clogs; those are my oldest and most beat-up pair, but you can't beat Danskos -- I've been wearing these constantly for more than nine years now.) These went quickly once I buckled down and worked on them. They're knitted out of Sockotta (Plymouth), on size two dpns. The construction on these is fun, and keeps them from being boring, without being weird and overthought.

Last but not least, Younger Daughter had a very good day at Sunday's feis.
She's been practicing madly for months now (since our last abortive attempt to go to a feis, which ended when she got the stomach flu in the middle of the night before), and it really paid off.
She clanked when she walked. Heh.