Suzon Shawl -- Finito

 I finished my "Suzon Shawl" a couple of weeks ago and am quite satisfied with it. I blogged about it here .

 

 I finished the shawl with my favorite edging. Details are here.  This is the first shawl I've made for myself. I look forward to wrapping up in it with a good book when cooler arrives, though I'm not in a hurry to do that!! Lovin' summer and green, green, green.

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I sent 10 wash cloths and 10 bars of soap to the Batesland School on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation in SD. If you are interested in charity knitting, visit Giving Artfully for a list of charities that may draw your interest. There is a Ravelry Group, as well.

 

 

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

 

 

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Color Help!

 

 

 

 

 

 These squares are my "off the grid" knitting project. I knit these when I want a break from another project, when I'm at Coors Field watching the Rockies, when I'm at the lake and relaxing on the boat.  They are for this afghan which I plan to make as a smaller throw.

 

 True to form, I wandered off from the pattern and am using various designs for the squares including, of course, some from the pattern. This color of light brown-gray is truer than in the first picture, although it is still a bit too dark.

 

This is as far as I've gotten with color selections for this neutral palette--cream and beigey-ness. I'm thinking of adding one or two more colors, but can't settle on anything. Tried a couple of shades of gray--nope, nope, nope. Tried a rich burgundy--also, nope. Not sure about green. Muted? Medium? Rich? Uh...help?

 

**What colors would you add for this throw? I really am interested in any suggestions you offer!**

 



 

I am reading This Town by Mark Leibovich, which I blogged about here. I am skimming sections of the extended gossip in some parts. However, it is interesting and disconcerting to read about the many barnacles attached to the ship of state.

A Blingy Bag for a Walker

Front View

My stash yarn came in handy for this project. The pattern is called "Helping Hand Walker Bag" and is available at crochetme. I used a G hook and WW to make a sturdy fabric to avoid as much sagging as possible. After a bad fall, a friend has to use a walker so why not add some bling? Hope she will like and use this button-on bag. The three buttons on the pocket are not functional, just some extra bling!

All of the buttons are from my mother’s button jar, possibly from the ’40s or ’50s?? This was fast and fun to make.

Back View

 

Details are here.

 

 



Scarf & Hats for Charity

 

 

 Finished on Friday! The beige/gray hat is now completed and ready to be sent with the other two hats and scarf to Knitted Needs in Denver.

The green and red hats are knitted;the scarf and beige/gray hat are crocheted. The scarf is crocheted length-wise with a couple rows of mesh, then shells, then mesh--as many rows to achieve the width you want.

 

 

The beige/gray hat uses a different shaping than I have used on other projects. The hat is worked flat from the bottom edge to the top in single crochet. The shaping for the crown is achieved by crocheting across a row, leaving five stitches unworked and turning to work back across the piece. Then turning and working the next row including the five left unworked, turning and working across. This is repeated until the hat is the size you want. Sew the seam and cinch and fasten the top. I don't know if I'll use this pattern again, but it was interesting for a one-off. It is designed for a beginner and seems to be a good first project.

 

Please don't try to battle your way through my description!! The pattern is here and my project notes are here.

 

 

This pink/red hat is made from bits of Plymouth Encore stash with the crown having a touch of mohair. This photo doesn't show the pretty stitches very well. The details are made with slip stitches. You can see my project notes here and see the pattern too.

 

 

That brings us to this hat that appears to have a basket weave texture. The angle of the light in this photo washes out the neck section, but the texture continues over the entire hat. This pattern is fun and fast. See my notes for details.

 

Do you have any FOs this week? Wishing you a happy and blessed weekend!

 

 

Wednesday WIPs

 



http://www.gsheller.com/caption

 Here are a couple WIPs that are receiving my attention which means the afghan is set aside for the moment so I can work on some gifts.





The first is a mystery KAL dish/face cloth that I plan to use in a swap. If you squint your eyes and tilt your head at exactly the correct angle...there..can you see it? There are two small garter stitch hearts in the center, one positioned above the other. This is the first time I've used "I Love This Cotton" by Lily from Hobby Lobby. This cloth is soft enough for a face cloth and feels like a brushed cotton. I wonder if the fibers would withstand scrubbing dirty dishes.                        

The other is called Christian's Hat a quick and charming knit hat that I will add to my donation to Knitted Needs in Denver. The yarn is Ella Rae yarn is 100% wool which is perfect for this frigid weather. I want to get it along with a scarf and the pink/red hat into the hands of someone who needs it ASAP!

 

 This Slip Stitch Stash Hat was indeed knitted with stash, Plymouth Encore and Bucilla Melody.

 

My current read is Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini, an interesting historical fiction that opens just before the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

 

So...what are you knitting and reading?

 

Lap Blanket and Baby Blanket

 

This lap blanket went to the Prayer Shawl Ministry at church. I started it as a stash buster but, of course, had to purchase more yarn to finish it. I used 'Loops and Threads" yarn and a size H hook to make block 97 from Jan Eaton's book, 200 Crochet Blocks, with the diagonal pattern as the basic block. I then made a few different patterns to break it up a bit.

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Here's my grannified baby blanket for great nephew Benjamin with a peek-a-boo owl in one corner--just for fun! Another stash buster that required a purchase or two is a collection of basic granny squares in white and shades of blue and green with some variegated here and there. Most of it is Bernat DK weight worked with a size G hook.

I'm now using more stash to crochet a shawl for our Prayer Shawl Ministry. How did I acquire so much blue yarn?

Is this stash busting?

The thing about working through stash is that one, that is I, cannot do so without finding the need to purchase more yarn to complete a project! Let's say that someone (me) decided to make a version of the beautiful "Misty Autumn Morning" seen at Little Cotton Rabbits and here. 

So someone merrily begins crocheting stash DK and works in a bit of Cotton Ease which decidedly is not DK, but--as we all know-- is WW. Someone then tries a final round with a too dark yarn that completely destroys the desired color palette thereby deciding that light gray will work beautifully! Alas, someone has a bit of gray DK cotton in the best possible shade, but it is only a bit, which would necessitate a purchase, you see?

Then again the stash DK cotton is of a small quantity, too small even for a lap ghan. In addition to the gray yarn, someone must also purchase complementary shades to complete the project.

And that is the thing about working through stash..."must purchase".

Is this stash busting?

The Afghan

In the late 70s, I crocheted a Christmas gift for my parents. An afghan made of left-overs yarns. I made it extra large for no apparent reason. Dad was diagnosed with cancer shortly after that Christmas. He was 57. By the grace of God, he lived for 9.5 years through struggles with experimental treatments and the tortuous side-effects. Covered with the afghan, he told me it was so warm--just what he needed.

After Dad's passing, Mom told me that the nights were the loneliest time. She'd wrap herself in the afghan late at night and mourn my Dad. It has been two years now, since Mother passed. Yes, she was soothed by the afghan during her final illness.

I didn't want the afghan back. I told my sister No. My husband put it in a box for me. I could not deal with that afghan. It stayed packed for over a year and a half. I recently brought it out. I did not wash it. It had the scent of my Mother. Now, as I deal with chronic illness, I wrap in the old afghan. Warm in the arms of my parents.

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I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. Leviticus 26:12