When in doubt ... try a hap

I don't really like variegated yarns for clothing...but sometimes I succomb to a purchase, because it's so lovely, and then I sit and look at it and think..."that would be lousy in a sweater but I LOVE it".

So in recent times these have wound up as square hap shawls...based on my center square pattern, minus the cat's paw lace.

for example, this fabulous stuff from Mountain Colors River River Twist, lovely soft merino.

Here's the evolving diamond-which-will-be-a square

And then there's this one:  my sister  bought yarn several years ago when she was in Skye (she beat me to Scotland by a couple of years). She doesn't know where she bought it or what type of sheep ...  it is very pretty, natural I'm sure, in natural white with brown mixed in...way too itchy for a sweater which was her original plan.  I am wondering whether it was Scottish Black Face.

 (I took this photo in Scotland).

 After she gifted it to me it sat at my house for a couple of years.  Sometimes, I have to wait for inspiration for what-to-do-with-stash yarns...and of course it  finally hit me...another hap. As a blanket it won't need to be next-to-the-skin soft. Using it in a traditional Scottish pattern would only be right.  This hap blanket will be a gift to my sister.

These projects tend to be car knitting for me. I work out of my car and sometimes must sit at traffic lights for 5-8 minutes.  In the afternoons particularly I am antsy to get home, and just grab the garter stitch project such as one of these that stays in the car. 

Both will wind up with an old shale border whenever they get done.

Spain: Knitting Inspiration

Back last week from a Globus tour of "Spectacular Spain."  Recommended!  Lots of knitting time but nothing finished.  This was not my usual purchase-more-fiber-than-I-can-carry-and-go-to-foreign-post-office-with-boxes-to-mail-home type of trip, rather, it provided knitting inspiration.  I loved the tiles and lacy stone patterns   in the Moorish style mosques and elsewhere. 

Have a look and enjoy!

Ending up with rooftop bar knitting in Seville...

Wild Salad and new children's projects!

 Once upon a time, I lived in the Bronx.  I was interested in foraging for wild food.  My friend Lois and I went on a foraging outing in Central Park with Wildman Steve Brill.  At that time, we had to dodge the park police!  We had a blast.  His specialty was "Five Borough Salad"! Another friend's little son and my husband at the time formed a movement called "Men Against Wild Salad" or "MAWS"!!  Today, my sister sent me a clip to  a bit of video from youtube with Steve Brill that's current:

In knitting news, here is the start of two small people's items:

This will be a Tomten jacket for a wee one, I know not who...

 I saved the copy from an ANCIENT copy of Vogue magazine!! 

from 1988...note I wrote "bad directions" the first time I knit it, probably 18 years ago...

 And this will be a Fabled Cardigan for my niece

Here are some garden photos...

I am going on vacation on Friday to, well, somewhere in Europe. I look forward to sharing with you some fibery finds from my trip!

Another former UFO!

One of my goals this year has been to complete some long unfinished objects.  Here is one, finished a couple of months ago.

This month, I completed an item that was supposed to be a felted backpack. I bought a kit for long ago, then decided that I didn't like the colors, and used the yarn for something else.  Then, I decided to use some more colorful yarn that was in my stash. (All this was seven years ago). Here it is, in progress

I just finished it, had to tweak the size and also altered the bottom a little, it's a cute little flowery mandala

  Had the glorious exploratory fun of the washing machine felting experience.  Once it was out, I decided that it would make a too small backpack. 

 I am toying with the idea of just adding handles for a shopping bag.  Opinions, please??

Easy jewelry thing

I decided to try a bit of knitted jewelry

This was fun and easy,  Laura Nelkin's Butin Collar.  

In other news, I have a cherry tomato plant growing out of my compost.  Bonus!

Pine Tree Shetland Shawl done

It's done and so is the preliminary pattern.  More stories about the development of my first shawl design here.

Two extremely nice friends are test knitting the pattern. Let me know if you roo would like to test knit, before I set it free on Ravelry!

Shaker Grandmothers and a dishcloth

My five great-Grandmother lived with the Shakers.  Her name was Molly.   She lived in the Shaker community in Canterbury, New Hampshire, then later moved to the  Shaker community in Enfield, New Hampshire. Her daughters Eunice and Bella also lived in the community in Enfield. I have been lucky to visit both communities, as well as the one in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, all of which are now museums.

In my limited efforts to search for personal knitting history (of which there is little) I located a Shaker washcloth pattern.

  This design is from a description of a Shaker washcloth in the book  Shaker Textile Arts

by Beverly Gordon, c. 1980, University Press of New England. As of April 2012, this book is still in print. On p. 203, Gordon states “the standard design…for washcloths [was] a checkerboard-type combination of knit and purl stitch.” On p. 93 she states “washcloths, at least in the later days of the nineteenth century, were knitted or crocheted of cotton or linen, and typically had a simple checked or striped pattern. They were both sold as fancy goods in Shaker stores and used by the Believers.”It’s difficult to know if by “washcloth” Gordon means something that one might wash oneself with, or something more like a dishcloth. Either way, this simple pattern would serve, and frankly it looks more like a dishcloth to me. This pattern is free as there’s nothing particularly original about it. See my free patterns at right to access this.