As you may recall, I had a major birthday a few weeks back. Wanna see what I got with some of my birthday cash?
(And before anyone asks, no, I did not buy the wheel with birthday money. I bought that just because I wanted it. Sometimes you just have to buy something just. because. you. want. it.)
But I digress. See that lovely wooden swift? And the nifty little ball winder next to it? I just love them! No more draping skeins over the backs of chairs or enlisting uncooperative children! No more tangled skeins! No more hours of winding messy roly-poly yarn balls. Now I can wind up my skeins whenever I want – and quickly, too.
And see that yummy yarn? That’s the koigu I got (on sale!) with Norma at Kaleidoscope Yarns. Look at these adorable little koigu cakes! Aren’t they just the cutest things?
I was so excited I started a shawl right away. Quick and easy was what I wanted and that’s what I got. Here’s Mason providing his technical expertise. You may note that he’s laying across not only the shawl but also the Trekking Feather and Fan socks. He’s an equal opportunity pest, that cat.
And here’s the shawl, which I finished on Tuesday and wore on Wednesday. No, I didn’t get an artsy photo shoot like some people. You’re just going to have to settle for the shawl draped over a chair in the dining room.
But isn’t it pretty? The colors are very neutral with splashes of orange and blue here and there. I can see myself grabbing for this baby all the time. It’s very soft and warm and I just love it. I used this pattern, only added some stitches on the edges and made it way bigger.
And now that I’ve told you my knitting tale, we will return to our regularly scheduled spinning.
My dad made me a swift when he saw how much they cost. (really an excuse to get me to make him socks) I love it. I can’t imagine not having it.
The shawl is pretty. I love the colors.
Love the colors (and the cat!)
It took me over a year to spring for the swift, and I haven’t looked back since. It sure was cheaper than couples therapy.
The shawl is beautiful, and does look warm. I need to get cracking.
The Koigu is beautiful! Aren’t swifts fun? 🙂
My swift is always at the ready.
LOVE your shawl. Who knew we’d enjoy grabbing one to keep the chill away.
The perspective of that picture made me think that the swift was larger than the table. Which immediately got my heart beating fast. But then reason came over me and I realized that perhaps knitters do not need a swift that big.
Cute kitty. Lovely koigu shawl.
The shawl is very pretty! Only three skeins?
Holy cow, that was fast! Love those little Koigu cakes. I have some sitting on my desk, too. Supposed to be a sleeve by now…but they’re…NOT.
Hi Carole! Now I will have to hunt you down to learn to make grape juice…all of those grapes plague me every year….new lornas yesterday – lots and lots of new sock yarn….about half is up…you are the first to know.
That shawl is gor-gee-o-so. I book marked the pattern.
Swifts are great. By now you’ve experienced the wonderful little puff of air that comes from the swift at the end of winding a ball. I’ve had one and a ballwinder for years, but I just learned to make a center pull ball by hand this year.
Did you design the shawl pattern? It’ gorgeous.
Beautiful shawl! One of my first purchases was a swift and ballwinder – with my SO’s blessing after he was enlisted one evening for skein-holding ;o)
Do I understand from this post that you knit that lovely shawl you were wearing last night in, like, two days?
**sigh**
*Sigh* So nice to see a Siameezer enjoying knitting. He’s a beautiful seal point boy. I miss my meezer girl all the more now–she was a great one for napping on the knitting. And she never, ever played with the yarn.
Swifts are fantastic. I recently purchased one, too, after 8 years of spinning without one. I can’t believe I suffered that long!