1) Martinique Shawl in Liana from Berroco Yarn.
This from a photo shoot last September, when we soldiered through dozens of spring yarn designs in autumn, and tried to give a summery feel. At the time, with fall winds whipping, I wasn't sure we hit the mark fully.
Months later I go online and see the release, and I fool even myself! Summmmerrrrrrr. I am so ready for summer beach life, even 6 feet away from my friends. We did a trial last weekend and it worked .
This yarn is a water-color-y linen in dk weight, this is exactly how I'd want to use it.
Also, I adore the model, Frances.
2) I've left this MDK Field Guide coin project as my Zoom knitting. That's a category I never thought I'd need! I don't do a tremendous amount of Zooms, thankfully, maybe 1-4 a week. And when I do, this is my happy-inducing companion. I look forward to the end of quarantine-based Zoom calls but I do not look forward to ending this addictive tubular scarf......it may be really really long by next winter. That's all I'm saying.
3) That ShannaJean Cowlette is fini! In the home stretch I surprised myself with two realizations. First, I was not tired of making bobbles*. Not even in the very long bobbled bindoff. Something about the stabbiness of creating them matches my mood during Covid stay-at-home in a lovely stitch-to-moment ratio. Enough said on that topic, eh?
The second realization? It's so not my style! I don't know when/where/if I'll wear this.** Somewhere along the last third of it, still enjoying the process, I had the cold clear light of day realization that it isn't me, at all. I love the colors and the yarn. I have no regrets about the making. Maybe for teaching at a knitting event? I'll let you know....
* bobbles: I knit backward to make them, if I had to turn the work around, that'd be the dealbreaker.
** Above, I tried styling it in the only way I can imagine wearing it, with a denim or chambray top. I didn't notice that I flipped the edging in every shot. I am never too professional to make rookie mistakes!
The surreal beauty down the street this month boggles my mind. How is nature drumming up crazy storms with brilliant light and rainbows at the same time as the misery of a pandemic deadly virus ?
Thing # 1 my so called mind itself: I don't know about you but this whole quarantine situation has me so scattered, I can't get to everything I intend to in a given day hour minute .... I’m halfway through one effort and COMPLETELY lose focus before I finish it. I was going to give you some examples but....can’t remember which I was thinking of....
Let's talk knitting.
Thing 2 After 6 weeks of weird comfort in bobbles and mohair,
I'm ready to return to my true love, garment knitting. First up will be
Lavallette by Mary Lou Egan.
She's so friggin' clever, that Mary Lou. This looks like lace on top but it's that 80's throwback, condo knitting. I'm going to make mine in a yarn that's a Mary Lou fave, Holstgarn Coast. It's 50/50 wool cotton, very economical and so many colors.
I chose Fig, thinking I was stepping away from my usual palette. Then it arrived and I took a look at my sweatered arm, shown above, in Malabrigo Rios Pearl Ten-- and at the Fig right out of the envelope from The Yarnery. Ha! Not so different! Tomorrow I swatch it, my reward for making it till May.
Thing 3) Using a new app My lovely client Berroco
asked me to do a guest blog of photo tips for shooting your knits on an
Iphone/Smartphone. I am always seeking distractions from my
distraction! It was a great chance to play with the Jumprope app, so I made this little piece.
It's 5 minutes long. I learned a lot making it. Let’s just say it took a lot of takes to come up with passable narration. I am a long way from comfortable in front of the camera. The sequencing and editing is fun. It may not be the last instructional I make this year. Let me know what you think of the paper cup trick!
* if that's hard to watch small, you can click on a little icon in it that looks like a window as it plays and it'll open larger in another window---or you can go see it on IGTV, linked from my instagram account*
