Falling in Love with Silk

Meadow Flowers Shawl is finished and drying on the bed in the guest room. I'm glad I finished it although I still think the wool is a bit busy for the pattern. The actual color is something between that depicted in these two photos.

The yarn I am using for Lace Ribbon Scarf is by Oasis and is aptly named "Seduction". The 100% silk (colorway Ruby) feels so good it could be x-rated. This one silly and extravagant skein is surely going to spoil me for a long time. I cast on only 35 stitches and the scarf seems wide enough to me. (It is being modeled on the sofa arm, which I suppose is a good stand in for my neck.) Although I haven't measured it (the scarf, not my neck) lately, I am guessing it is about 3/4 finished. The finished length is supposed to be 80 inches.

I took a computer vacation over the 3 day weekend and it felt good. The band played a parade on Saturday and a few of us played a gig yesterday at a posh country club on the river. That scenario looked like a vignette from Europe or another era, with men wearing navy blazers and white pants. Other than those two events and church on Sunday morning we had no commitments. I sat on the deck with my knitting and an occasional cup of tea, watching the birds flit about the feeders and in the treetops. The wild turkeys come up from the woods to eat the seed that has fallen on the ground. A nuthatch flew within two feet of me to grab a rather large insect and carry it off. I suppose that big bug would be like a steak dinner for a nuthatch.

Another project for the weekend was cleaning my closet and shifting my winter/summer clothing. Instead of tackling that project all at once I did it in spurts with knitting as reward. We took a load to Goodwill this morning. A lot of woolen items are in the process of being washed and put away until the weather turns again in the fall. True to our area of the country we had temperatures about 81 yesterday and in the 40's this morning.

If you didn't read the comments on my last post, check them out. Mrs H and I have an interesting connection.

The Changing of the Guard

I finished the Meadows Flowers Shawl last night. I still have to sew in a few ends and block it so when that is done there will be photos. I can't say I'm 100% thrilled with the result at this point but I know that blocking will improve the drape of the fabric. I had 1+ skeins left over from the 4 I purchased. I would just can't stand that feeling that you might run out of yarn while knitting a lace border. My new motto is "Beware Mohair". I fell in love with the colors of the yarn and I guess I'm not crazy about mohair. The word "hair" isn't in there for nothing. It has that furry scratchy feeling to it, even though this blend is 60% mohair and 40% wool.

Although Meadow Flowers is still hot off the needles I have already cast on the Ribbon Lace Scarf by Veronik Avery on knitty.com. While I should have been working in my office today i sat on my porch with skein and needles in hand and a cup of tea on the table. The skein of silk yarn I bought at my local yarn shop, Ewe-nique Yarns, didn't even make it into my stash. It went straight from yarn shop to needles in just a few days. The scarf pattern is so fun and the silk yarn is luscious to work with. I cast on 35 stitches instead of 53 because the yarn was rather expensive and I wanted to avoid purchasing an extra skein. I would rather have plenty of length and not as wide.

I practiced my pipes today while walking through the woods and admiring the wildflowers and new spring leaves. It doesn't get any better than that.

Meadow Flowers and Mothers

Last week I nearly ripped out my Meadow Flowers Shawl just because I wasn't thrilled with it. I decided to give it another day and somehow it began to grow on me. So now I'm committed. I am starting skein #3 out of 4 skeins so there really isn't much more knitting until I start the lace border.

We had a great Mother's Day weekend. On Saturday I went to tai chi in the morning and then puttered around the house. I love puttering around on a Saturday: tidying up, watering my plants, doing a little laundry... Bob was at the university all day. I took a long walk with my I-pod. I've really gotten into audio books. My latest book is "A Seaside Practice" by Dr. Tom Smith. If you have ever read or seen the Jame's Herriott series, this is very similar except it is in Scotland and the doctor is a general practitioner, not a vet. The author himself reads the book so just listening to his Scottish accent is great. He practiced family medicine in Scotland in Ayrshire, which is an area where I have visited several times since I have a friend who lives there. When he mentions "Ailsa Craig" I know exactly what it looks like from the road looking out to sea.

Mom and Dad arrived on Sunday, on their way home from visiting my nephew in Des Moines. Dad helped Bob get his lathe up and running. Then we had an impromptu wine and cheese party in the sunroom followed by a simple dinner of soup and garlic bread. The weather was windy and rainy, so we were pretty much confined to the indoors.

Another Shawl on the Needles

Saturday was a day spent with community projects. It was "Take Pride in Washington" Day, when groups and individuals come together to pick up litter. I arrived at the park shelter at 9 a.m. and signed in as an individual. There were lively cubscouts roughhousing, as boys will do; church groups; science classes, and then, individuals like me. It was very well-organized. I received my orange "Take Pride" t-shirt, a pair of cotton gloves, two big orange trash bags, and my assignment. My route was the recreational trail, which suited me perfectly. It was a very chilly and windy day, though the sun was shining. As I picked up trash along the trail my garbage bag kept blowing around, making it difficult to get the trash in. At one point, the wind caught the bag and all the trash I had picked up (about 15 pieces) blew OUT of the bag, littering the trail and making a worse mess. I chased after it and got most of it. What I didn't get, I figured I would pick up on the way back. I filled the bag 3/4 full on my journey. Mission accomplished. I also brought home my second bag with the intention of de-littering my neighborhood on a day that is not windy and cold.





In the afternoon I joined with my fellow pipers to play a charity event at The Goose Pit, a bar in Banner. Banner is not a town, but a fork in the road. The event was to raise money for medical expenses for Doc Holloway. I don't know the man but apparently he loves bagpipes and has been a supporter of our band. We were received well by a motley crew of pleasant folk who said they could listen to us until midnight. Uh, 30 minutes was enough!





Now to my knitting...having finished my Clapotis, I was momentarily stunned and without a project. Usually I am planning the next project while finishing the current one. Unlike many knitters I do not work on multiple projects at the same time, preferring to finish one first unless it is very difficult work. Then I like to have something mindless on the needles also.

Who could resist this beautiful yarn? It is Mountain Colors "Bearfoot" in the colorway called "Pheasant". If you have some of Knit Picks Harmony Needles, this yarn has the same colors. In the photo below my needles practically disappear. For that reason I changed to regular needles.





Apparently I am in shawl mode, as this is now the third shawl/stole in a row. First, the Truly Tasha Shawl, then the Clapotis, and now Meadow Flowers Shawl from The Knitter's Stash. The construction of Meadow Flowers Shawl is similar to Tasha only with a small and easy pattern sprinkled throughout, just to keep me on my toes. The yarn is a little too busy for this pattern but I'm going ahead with it. I leave on Wednesday for a business trip to Ohio and I need a project to take with me. I am driving myself so there won't be any time to knit in the car but there surely will be moments between meetings and in my room at night when I can pick up my needles and relax. A basket in my car holds several audio books from the library and I'll make sure my I-pod is charged and full of knitting podcasts.

I also began a pair of Jaywalker socks by Grumperina. More on those later.