Wednesdays Are for Knitting: A Walk in the Woods

August 15, 2018 By Carole

I’m so excited today to finally show you the finished A Walk in the Woods shawl! I bought the kit back in February. I cast on in May and I finished in early July, after which there was the usual avoidance of blocking. But a couple of weeks ago I finally blocked it (and seriously, why do I avoid this? It doesn’t take that long, especially with a simple triangle like this one) and took some photos.

Turns out the pergola is the perfect spot for photographing hand knits. It provides lovely filtered light and the wood is clingy enough that the wool sticks right to it.

The pattern is really enjoyable and easy to follow. It looks like a very complicated design but trust me when I say that’s not the case. If you can follow a simple chart you can knit this with ease.

The yarn is Ball and Skein Providence, a very squishy worsted weight that has absolutely gorgeous stitch definition.

Those pergola rocks make a great back ground for the hand knits, too. Finding multiple uses for this space is fantastic considering it that it was rather . . . spendy.

The final reason for the delay in sharing this project with you is that I had to wait for the recipient to get it. Yep, I gave this one away. To KYM. Remember how she helped me so much with our front garden design? I couldn’t think of the proper way to truly thank her for that help. I considered just sending her a check – too impersonal. I considered a gift card to White Flower Farm – but couldn’t decide how much would be enough. And then one day, as I was pondering and knitting, I truly looked at this shawl and thought – this doesn’t belong to me, this belongs to Kym. The color combo . . . the simplicity of the design . . . even the name of the pattern . . . they are all just her style. I mailed it off last week and when she (finally!) came home from Up North it was waiting for her.

Word is she’s pretty happy with it. And I’m pretty happy about that.

Unraveling

July 18, 2018 By Carole

A Walk in the Woods is finished and blocking on the bed in our guest room as we speak. There will be glamour shots and all that fun stuff, hopefully by next Wednesday. Today, though, I’m joining with Kat to share my new knitting project and current reading with you.

That’s True Colors. It was a strong contender in the Mason Dixon March Mayhem, making it all the way to the Final Four. The original pattern uses 10 different mini skeins but I’m using a gradient kit that I bought from Kim at Fiber Revival a couple of years ago. There are only 5 colors so I’ll just repeat each once twice. I honestly have no idea if I’ll have enough yarn or not and I’m winging it which is totally outside my comfort zone but it’s summer and I’m taking a relaxed approach to my knitting. #thatsmystoryandimstickingtoit There has been some unraveling, mostly when I forget to do the yarn over between the first and second stitch of the wrong side row. It’s suggested as a way to keep a good stretchy edge and I like the way it looks but it’s not charted and I keep forgetting it.

As for reading, if there’s one benefit to a summer cold, coupled with heat and high humidity, it’s forced time inside on the couch. On Monday I finished Every Note Played and started Housekeeping. On Tuesday I finished Housekeeping and started Kindred. Those are three very different and very excellent books resulting in lots and lots of feelings. #cryingisnotgoodforaheadcold You can expect a Summer Book Bingo update soon since finishing those two books got me another bingo.

And that’s what I have for you today – plenty of knitting and plenty of reading, along with resting and healing. #ithinkimbetterthanks

Unraveling

May 30, 2018 By Carole

Knitting and reading are two of my most favorite hobbies (journaling comes in close behind them) and today I’m joining with Kat and friends to talk about both.

I’m currently working on two knitting projects:

Socks. Very Halloween-ish stripes from Knitterly Things.

And A Walk in the Woods. I haven’t made a ton of progress but I do have this pattern section memorized (finally!) and the rows are getting long and I’m enjoying the process so much. The yarn is squooshy and wonderful and I’m taking my time with it.

Speaking of taking my time, I’m currently reading An Echo in the Bone, book number seven in the Outlander series. It’s long. It’s also wonderful. But long certainly isn’t setting me up for a quick start for Summer Book Bingo! Still, Jamie and Claire are like old friends and I always love reading about what they are doing – which is sort of how I think of them – as real people who are frozen in time.

And there you have it. What are you knitting and reading today?

Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Islington Shawl

May 23, 2018 By Carole

This shawl. Oh, this shawl. I love it and yet it has been a long long fezzle to get to this blog post. I started it on January 1, 2017. 2017. And then I finished it in November 2017. You know when I blocked it? Last Saturday. May 19, 2018. Good grief.

It’s lovely, though, and I’m so very glad it’s done.

The pattern is Islington Shawl by Kirsten Kapur and, like all of her designs, it’s well written, fun to knit, and really beautifully designed. Seriously, her shawl patterns get me every time.

The yarn is Woolen Rabbit’s Opal in the colors Chimney Sweep and Daddy Steelbucks and to me this section looks like stars on a night sky. It looks like a very complicated stitch pattern but it was really quite entertaining and simple to execute.

All in all, it’s lovely and I’m so very glad it’s done!

Wednesdays Are For Knitting

May 16, 2018 By Carole

On Monday night our town held Annual Town Meeting. This is something I always attend, many years ago as a Department Head and then for the last twenty-one years as a town resident and registered voter. I always sit with Dale and our friends in the same general area. And I always knit during the meeting.

You know where this is going, right?

Now that I am a selectman in town I sit up on the stage with my colleagues on the board and various other town officials. And I can’t knit, of course. You all know that I can absolutely pay attention while I’m knitting but the average non-knitter doesn’t know that and, let’s face it, I’m there to do a job and knitting just isn’t part of that gig.

Can I just say, of all the things I considered when I decided to run for selectman . . . the things I knew would be challenging . . . the sacrifices I might have to make . . . not knitting at town meeting never even crossed my mind. You know when it finally dawned on me that I couldn’t bring my knitting? About 30 minutes before the meeting. I can’t help but wonder, if I had considered this particular sacrifice back in January when I made my decision to run, if I would have chosen differently.

You know I’m kidding. Mostly.

If I had actually been knitting, I would have been working on these socks.

Halloween colors, yes, but at the rate I finish a pair of socks these days, well, I don’t think it’s too early to be working on them.