Lotus Blossom
Oh, how I adore this pattern. A lot. I have at least two versions on the go at the moment, in various stages of finished. The first one is in Baby Silk, a pretty aubergine. I'm just about to start the second part of the shawl on it, the "blossom" bit, having finished the stems. It is soft and lovely, and I can't remember why I stopped knitting it. The second version of it is an adaptation I've been playing with, knit in very soft Aussie Merino birthday yarn. It's...not nearly as far along, as my interest has been recently stolen by....
Kiri Shawl
Beautiful falling leaves, so perfect for October knitting! My in-laws were kind enough, on a recent trip to the Maritimes, to pay a visit to Baadeck Yarns, and pick up some beautiful Fleece Artist for my wife and I to molest knit with. Hers is a lovely green merino/silk, and the skein I got was the DK weight Bluefaced Leicester, in a stunning autumn palette. It's definitely hit the black hole stage, but every time I finish a pattern repeat, I get this giddy high that makes me lay it out, pet it, and demand it recieve the admiration of whoever is unfortunate to be around me at the time. Usually my lovely wife, who, bless her, is even more of a knitting addict than I am (we debate this).
There may be some cashmerino somewhere about the house that has also snuck onto needles in this general pattern as well. It may well turn into something else, though...
Flower Basket Shawl
Having finally found a copy of this shawl in my LYS, I clung to the copy I found, refused to put it down, and snarled at anyone who came too close jumped at the opportunity to bring it home. I've discovered that there are some patterns that just strike me as beautiful, and this is definitely one of them. Having played with the cast-on (which I think is nifty) for about five different "versions" of the shawl, I finally settled on knitting it in dove-grey Lacey Lamb, an incredibly soft lace-weight lamb's wool that would make cashmere blush with envy. It will be my first foray into knitting laceweight, and I think it's a good yarn to ease me in with. The hand is incredible on it, and it is only my wife's wisdom ("It'll tangle!") that keeps me from cuddling it like a teddy bear when I go to bed each night. Not very far on this one, since I've only been playing with it for a week or so, and then, only when I'm feeling patient.
Mohair Purgatory
Each time I take up a project, I learn something new and valuable, not just for knitting, but for life. Last Christmas, I recieved the book Folk Shawls from my lovely wife, and in a fit of optimism, offered to make her a shawl from it. Not just any shawl, the Irish Diamond shawl, which is, I have discovered, more of a blanket than an article of clothing. Furthermore, when we went to pick out the yarn for it, I foolishly generously declared that I would make it out of whatever yarn she liked, knowing her taste tended to be close to my own.
Stop laughing. I realize that this was opening myself up to the mocking punishment of the Yarn Gods, that pride goes before a fall, all that. To be fair though, when she held up a ball across the store, I almost danced with glee. A beautiful deep crimson, my own favourite colour. No worries about hating the colour.
Then I got closer. And realized that the ball she was holding was, in fact, mohair.
I have since discovered several things about mohair:
- It is not a good yarn to knit your first openwork project on. The finished product looks stunning, but it is merry hell to tink.
- It creates a very warm fabric, and makes one's hands sweat while working with it in warm weather. Which leads to...felting!
- While I like the appearance of the finished product, I would rather spork out my own eyebals, than knit with mohair.
Despite this, I love my wife enough that I nevertheless intend to finish her shawl.
Regardless, with the advent of cooler weather, this one deserves some attention, neglected as it's been, the poor dear. Because, once it's finished, I will never have to work with mohair again.
You may be noticing a bit of a trend. While I'm not in the habit of wearing shawls, I am very much in the habit of starting them. They are fun to knit, I don't have to worry about gauge fairies sneaking into the house at night, and they show off handpainted yarn to nice advantage.
But, I have a confession.
I don't actually wear shawls. I want to, I'm trying, really....
...but I want to make a sweater. And cables fascinate me.
Every time I build up enough courage to try this pattern, which I've owned since February, something thwarts me. I'll be unable to decide on a colour, finances will be a bit tight, a new pattern will catch my attention or the perfect yarn for another project will whisk my attention away.
Someday, Rogue....
Someday you'll be mine.
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