Aloha-hai, until we meet again

View from the hotel just before sunrise - Kohala coast

Photo Album at the Big Island of Hawaii

Coconuts on our way to Hilo

Koi pond at the hotel

Yay! Glorious Kona coffee cherries

Even chickens like good coffee

Akaka falls plunge 400 ft in a lush tropical garden

Falls in the even lusher World Botanical Gardens

Giant Heliconia plants and their alienspawn flower

What's Shakin' has the best smoothies from homegrown fruit

 Kilalua Volcano in Volcano National Park. Ollie was disappointed with the lack of fireballs

The real Tiki room - at the National Refuge

Honu (the protected Hawaiian green turtle) were a frequent sight

A few photos of the fabulous orchids and exotic flowers. I probably brought back over 50 pictures of orchids, all different!

Cliffrose KAL kickoff!!!
Just like that, the Cliffrose KAL is upon us! After being inspired by the Hawaiian orchids and lush gardens, I fully expected to come up with a glorious pink or purple for my choice of shawl. However, once I was ankle-deep on lace stash, I had a change of heart. I thought I would make a shawl as a Christmas gift to my mother. With practical eye, I picked up two lace samples on the brown range, which should go great with the Autumn and Winter favorite color this year, the Camel, and I made up for the lack of color with drop-dead softness.

 Rowan's Kidsilk Haze in Goldenrod should give a nice punch of color to a camel sweater or coat.

I am also quite partial to this Gaia Lace DK from Sanguine Gryphon. It is a one-off color, a taupe with highlights of green, which is supremely soft and has a lovely, silky sheen.I believe SG does not carry DK any more, but the lace weight is available.
The Kidsilk however was the winner of the Husband Petting Test, so I will probably start with this one. However, time permitting, I would like to use up the Gaia as well, and make two shawlettes. Pretty ambitious, considering that my FO drawer overflows with unfinished stuff again.

Sock-bsession!
I feel like a dolt. After packing my knitting bag carefully for the trip, I forgot the needles for one project and the other project needed needles two sizes smaller. So I ended up working exclusively on the Cuban Cockroach Bugga! wrestling it into socks. I was hooked. Grab the basic stitch of the Talinay gloves, mix in some of the September clue, and give it a twist, and out came the most gorgeous sock. I was so obsessed I had to knit it all the way to the tip even though it was too big, just because I HAD to see how the pattern unfolded. Then, (anathema!) frogged back to the heel and fixed the size, refined the flow of the pattern... I am an inch from the toes, and I MUST finish it, because I have it in my head I need to have this entered for a submission. I am even going to buy me a sock blocker for the occasion!
So between the sock, and giving my just-finished secret project the last finishing and packing, the poor KAL is a bit abandoned. But - an idea has already caught fire, coming from one of your suggestions. As soon as the sock-bsession is over, I vow to commit myself to getting this clue out on time.

And just a parting thought... just when I thought I had more projects I could manage, along comes this fabulous Blue Moon Fiber Arts Traveling Sweater. Just the most interesting construction and it would show off a variegated yarn so beautifully. I bought the pattern immediately, but darn it, I don't have just the right yarn... there goes the yarn diet again!