Storm Cloud Shawlette by Hanna Breetz. I confess I bought Urban Silk while enchanted at Loop & Leaf when I was in Santa Barbara. Silk & cotton is perfect, just perfect for that charmingly temperate city, and this is my favorite shade of green. And, it was spring! Who needs wool in a world like that? It's like buying kickass cowboy boots in Texas, they are so right when you're there. Or big chunky turquoise & silver necklaces in New Mexico. Or shirts with flamingos on them in Florida. Then you get home to your east coast beach neighborhood and natural toned wrinkly linen clothes and say, huh, what was I thinking?
In this case, I was thinking I'd use it to knit Saroyan. Within a few inches I knew it wasn't working. With all the sheen and texture in the Urban Silk, the leaves disappeared into little crinkly sneezes along the edge.
So, I shifted over to the Storm Cloud, a simple semi-circle shawl.
yarn: urban Silk - 3 skeins
needles: size 9 us
modifications: I changed it up a little, increased sooner than suggested, threw in two bands of stockinette. All good, it's a rock solid design structure and you can't really mess it up by improvising on the stitches.
my thoughts: Lovely yarn, wonderful simple pattern. But I was not truly feeling it. I'm an animal fiber kinda gal. I like wooliness. 
A short way in I realized it was, in essence, going to look similar to my Clapotis . That is: green,non-woolly, voluminous neck wrap, open stitch pattern. I lost my zip. Until on a photo shoot for a dear friend. She loved it halfway done. I mean EL-OH-VEEE luuvvvved it and I am always thrilled to make something for her. I sped through the second half. So, happy ending, the Storm Cloud has been sent to New Jersey. And if I can remember NO MORE shopping under the influence of geography, I'll be A-OK.
A short way in I realized it was, in essence, going to look similar to my Clapotis . That is: green,non-woolly, voluminous neck wrap, open stitch pattern. I lost my zip. Until on a photo shoot for a dear friend. She loved it halfway done. I mean EL-OH-VEEE luuvvvved it and I am always thrilled to make something for her. I sped through the second half. So, happy ending, the Storm Cloud has been sent to New Jersey. And if I can remember NO MORE shopping under the influence of geography, I'll be A-OK.
Although this example of shopping locally? No problem!13 pounds of August tomatoes etc bubbling away right now, to be frozen as summer sauce.
The shawl is FANTASTIC, Gale! I love the drape, the color, the stitch, everything about it!! Your New Jersey friend is very lucky!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine just finished that very same pattern! She used something silky, I think. It is the perfect shade of green!
ReplyDeleteThat looks great and I'm sure your friend will be thrilled. You are so right about the geography shopping thing.
ReplyDeleteShopping under the influence of geography is great - snorting my tea. BTDT. Isn't it great when someone else loves it, though?
ReplyDeleteYeah, love the "shopping under the influence of geography" - but who wants to buy something that just smacks of home? Souvenirs...
ReplyDeleteI am very bad about "shopping under the influence of geography."
ReplyDeleteI just didn't know that my affliction had a name.
Lovely shawlette and I am sure that the recipient is a very happy person.
isn't that a great shawlette knit! I did it in a noro silk. Love that green though!
ReplyDeletemmmm, canned 50 pounds of tomato sauce this weekend, love local foods...even though my garden is slow to produce this year!
I came home from a trip up north with a funky, outdoorsy head wrap, the kind that looks so good on my Bohemian friend and so "you are trying way too hard" on me. I know your pain.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, that shawl looks fabulous and you have one lucky friend.