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.

:::::::::

 

 

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.

 

 

http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/

http://annemarieshaakblog.blogspot.com/





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.

Suzon Shawl in Silk

It's time to pull out the Rowan Summer Tweed again for yet another project. After a couple of incarnations, said yarn is becoming a beautiful summer shawl. Luscious to knit, Rowan Summer Tweed is 70% silk/30% cotton and feels a bit stiff at first. It softens as I knit and transforms into this lovely shawl. The cream and nutty brown colors are Summer Tweed combined with the soft green and purple stash yarns for the stripes.

 

I loved this pattern from the first moment I saw it! It is knit from the neck down is alternating sections of stockinette stripes and a simple lace pattern. The sizing can be adjusted by the yarn weight and needle size that you choose. This WW and size nine needles is yielding a nice shawl size, but would probably be too heavy for a neck kerchief. It would be lovely with DK and a smaller needle size. The pattern pictures show gorgeous striping with variegated yarn. I wanted to use only stash yarn and didn't have suitable yarn in variegated so my stripes are solid colors in cream, soft green, and purple. The pattern is the "Suzon Shawl" by Cecile Berne.

What do you have on your needles??

Knit Ski Lodge Cap for Charity

 

 This cute "Ski Lodge cap is a quick knit with bulky yarn and size 10.5 needles. The pattern is available here and would be a fantastic project for a beginning knitter.

 

 I used Tahki "Jackson" bulky yarn. Neither pictures captures the correct color which is black with green. Obviously, my skills at photography are narrow and limited! But, it's all about this easy, fast, attractive pattern.

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?

 

Yarning and Reading



My newest book and project are pleasing

and interesting. The book is Reading Jackie by William Kuhn, which reviews personal reading by Jackie Kennedy Onassis as well as the 100 books that she edited. The author attempts to gain insight to Mrs. Onassis through these books.

 

The "Simple Lace Shawl" from the Lion Brand web site is the new knitting project. The center section is knitted first. Then stitches are picked up on each side for the right and left panels. Since I haven't yet made this construction, I decided it would be fun to try even if I don't relish picking up stitches. We'll see how that goes!

 

What are you stitching and knitting?http://www.gsheller.com/http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/

Dish Cloth Mystery KAL

  

Do you enjoy mystery? Intrigue? The vast unknown? Well then, the mystery dishcloth KAL is for you! Get a few lines of the pattern each day and have a new square in no time! I save some to use as afghan squares.
                                         Details are at the bottom of this post.

 Partridge in a Pear Tree

(He's looking over his back. See his little beak?)

 

 

Snowman

 

Are you interested in mystery Kals or CALs?

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/monthly-dishcloths-knit-a-long

http://monthlydishclothkal.blogspot.com

http://monthlydishclothoverflow.blogspot.com/

Chemo Hat and a Good Book

 The chemo cap that I mentioned here is finished and ready to send off to our nephew's wife. I hope that this little cap will bless her with comfort and love.

 



This is a great pattern, which means that it is both pretty and quick! Grab your size 8 needles and some worsted weight--I used "I Love This Yarn"--and get the free pattern at Head Huggers.

Here are a couple of funky owls for her little ones when Mommy gets her pretty hat. These were from my brief owl period when I was making hats and toys. If I ever remember where I found the pattern for these, I will add it later!!



 

My book beginning quote is from Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Opening line:

When he emerges from the bathroom she is awake, propped up against the pillows and flicking through travel brochures that were beside his bed.

Sooo, that could go in several directions, couldn't it? Is he going on a trip and doesn't want her to know? Will they be traveling together? Did one or both recently return from a journey? Not exactly compelling, is it? Of course, I must read on! There's not too much to glean at this point other than they must have spent the night together.

 

 

And, from page 56:

 

Rupert's voice broke in. "Look, we're only telling you now because we both care about you. We didn't want you to hear it from someone else. But, you know, life goes on. You must know that. It's been two years, after all."

Would you continue reading?









First Book of 2014

Sheila at Book Journey invites us to share our first book of 2014. It's interesting to visit her blog and see the books and people starting 2014 together! My first book is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I'm curious to see where my first book will lead!





And my first knitting project of the new year is a chemo hat for our nephew's young wife. She has stage 3 breast cancer. Sad news that is being met with a positive attitude and courage. Their children are one and three years old. They are in their early 30's---so young to have to face such a challenge. This simple pattern yields such a pretty hat. You can see a completed hat here that I had made for a friend quite a while ago. You can get the free pattern at http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt20.htm

Join Ginny at Small Things to see more projects and books.

A Mitt and A Square

Hello to Ginny, Tami, and all the "Yarn Along" yarnies. This week I am knitting the Number Nine block designed by Lily Chin in the pattern book "Great American Afghan". I've been doing so much crochet that I have yearned for more knitting recently.

The yarn is Plymouth Encore (as usual!) in beige with gray undertones and size 8 needles. Love this yarn and have used it for many years.

http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/



Also in the WIP department is the second fingerless mitt. Apparently, second sock syndrome applies to second mitt! Maybe the calendar will keep me on track to finish this quick knit side-to-side mitt?!

I'm cruising along with size 7 needles and could complete it in a couple of hours if I quit putting it
down and typing!
Still reading The Photograph by Penelope Lively. I just haven't been reading as much lately--too much happening so that I'm too tired to concentrate on a book. Sad.

So what is happening with your needles, hooks, and books?