Wednesday's Yarns - Rushing to Finish My Welcome Blanket

I'm pushing myself to get my Welcome Blanket done in time to mail it for the November 4th deadline.  I just couldn't afford all the yarn till last week.  So I'm making this short and posting a few pictures of what I have done at the end of the day and pushing on.

     I changed my color scheme after doing a few skeins of red and white (these pictures did not pick up the perfect red of the Lion's Thick & Quick Cranberry).  While beautiful, I needed some pizzaz, some change.  So I got more blue yarn and thought of a multicolored yarn but it was too busy looking in the mix.  I also had an unplanned change, Michaels had run out of their creme color and only had off-white with gold threads around it and I thought - Stars!  So the blue squares have sparkly white sides.  

It's turning out really nice and patriotic looking and I think an Immigrant new here would appreciate that!

PS - If you still want to do one they will be accepting more blankets into mid-December, yours just would be distributed and not on display at the Smart Art Museum in Chicago.

 Welcome Blanket

I'm onto another Lynn Kurland book - All For You.

From the Author's page -

"Falling through time is dangerous…

Peaches Alexander is thrilled to receive an unexpected invitation to a weekend party given by the handsome, eligible Duke of Kenneworth. The only problem: Stephen de Piaget, a stuffy medieval studies scholar who seems determined to get in the way. Peaches has absolutely no desire to get involved with Stephen, until a quirk of Fate sends her hurtling through time…"

Unless there’s someone to catch you…

Stephen de Piaget has been leading a double life: respectable professor by day, knight-in-training during holidays and summer terms. When Peaches goes missing, Stephen knows he’s the only one that can rescue her from medieval peril. Little do they know that the greatest danger they’ll face won’t be the business end of a sword, but their own unruly hearts…"

Tis lots of fun!

Join us at Unraveled Wednesday

Wednesday's Yarns - Designing My Own Shawl, Or Trying To!

     I'm starting to tackle my own design.  I'm following a design course called "Initiate Knit Design Challenge" by Aroha Knits.  But, as is kind of my personality, I'm taking shortcuts and doing it my way.  I just didn't feel like I could figure it all out on paper first like I was supposed to.  I needed to put my yarn on and start.  I have a very simple design in mind, I just love simple.  But I have no clue exactly how it should go till I do it.  So, I just started.

As soon as I cast on some butterflies came to keep me company.  The sun shone, the cold wind was starting to come in as the sun was setting behind the mountain.  Sigh, a perfect moment.

     The first thing I discovered about the design I chose for this asymmetrical shawl is that it was giving me more of a crescent than straight lines.  

     I mean, did I say that I know what I'm doing?  I don't! But I scanned a lot of patterns that are asymmetrical and then I didn't want to copy, so I shut them down and chose the stitches that seemed like they'd work and arranged it in a way that I thought would flow well, for me.  I do like a rhythmic, relaxed knit.  So, it's crescent.  But I like it.  

Next, I want rows of eyelet holes spaced out, across the knitting.  Wide enough so it shows the flow of the fabric, but not too busy.  So I shall see.

The yarn is a Malabrigo Sock Yarn in Caribeno.  Pssst, any other details will be revealed later. 

    I'm reading another Lynn Kurland book.  One I found at the used bookshop.  It's published back in 1996, Stardust of Yesterday.  I had never found it before.  Previously I have encountered Kendrick, a knight, and Lord several times throughout her books.  I knew a few things about him.  In the most recent books, he is in the present, 40's or 50's, Lord of a manor and married.  He was also a 20 something knight in 1260 when he dies.  How the two facts meet up and make sense I never knew.  His story is revealed in this book and I just happened to read it after I read The More I See You, which mentioned Kendrick's death.  So, I'm finally finding out the mystery.  A sweet poignant love story between a medieval ghost and a young modern lady who inherits his castle and won't be scared away!

Come join us for Unraveled Wednesday.

Wednesday's Yarns - Finishing a Book & a Shawl

   

     My Garter Stitch Shawl is finally finished after ripping out days work last week, just before completing because I found an unrepairable hole.  I knew it had been, to my eyes at least, perfect up to that point.  To me, it was worth it ripping out, but it's made my work a bit edgy feeling this week.  I impose deadlines and schedule myself and I wasn't doing what I had planned.  An October Shawl's yarn called to me, a designing course for knitwear started regardless that I wasn't ready.  Sigh, it's done, only needing blocking.  Finally, I can....(you'll see in the weeks to come).

Project details for Garter Stitch Shawl

     I am also trying to finish an amazing book of biographies - Brave Companions by David McCullough. 

      One of the last chapters is an American photographer I haven't heard of, David Plowden and now I'm glad I have.  The writing evokes the truths that the photographer was trying to capture.  Mainly a swiftly fading vision of America as it was, in the small towns and country and off beaten track.  He captures this in beautiful poetic black and white shots.  Worth seeing.

Erie Lackawanna Railroad, Westbound. David Plowden

Golden Valley, North Dakota, 1971

 Post Office and General Store, Eldridge

 Girl in Window, Cresson, Pennyslvania, 1975 

Hostler, Canadian National Railways, Hamilton, Ontario, 1959

David Plowden: An American Master

The Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, OR, 1968

 "Requiem for Steam" book by Plowden, review

Abandoned House, Cropsey Township, McLean County, Illinois, 2008

East of Las Vegas, New Mexico, 1971 

Draper, South Dakota, 2008 

Abandoned Barn, Barns County, ND.

From the article "Heartland"

Come join us for Unraveled Wednesday.

Wednesday's Yarns -Garter Stitch Shawl and Medieval Time Travel

I'm finishing up my Garter Stitch Shawl, knit in KnitPick's Stroll Tonal Sock Yarn in Pacific.

     I'm also re-reading Lynn Kurland's time traveling Medieval Romances.  I have most of them somewhere, in storage, between two 20 something kids' stuff, consisting of books and stuffed animals they don't want to part with, but they are 2,000 miles away, so I'm stuck with all of it.  So I visited my local awesome used bookstore, found out I have a mysterious amount of credit from turned in books (my husband said he brought some books, I gave up all my Janet Evanovichs, but still the amount of credit I have surprised me).  So I got one I read a long time ago and I found two I hadn't read of Kurland's. 

     The More I See You is an old book, 1999, but a great read.  And I'm having fun!  Ever need a break from real life?  This does it.  I'm immersed in the sounds of Medieval swords and the clash of two wills - a modern woman and a Medieval Lord.  Well, you can imagine what eventually happens, but 'tis fun.

Come join us for Unraveled Wednesday.

Also, I will be taking a FREE knitwear design course next week.  It's for 10 days and if you want to sign up to join you need to do it before it begins October 9th, Monday.

"The ever-so popular and wildly transformative knitwear design challenge is BACK. Starting up October 9th, take a journey with us as we discover how to tap into your creativity and magic to transform your yarn into designs of your own creation!"

Sign up -ArohaKnits