Monday 28 August 2017

End of Summer Things

In every way, it is the end of summer.  Gardens are almost done, kids are back to school this week, the days might be hot but it gets plenty chilly at night.    

I was looking at projects on the weekend.  I finished a thing and then couldn't decide what to work on.  The little red sweater that I knit for a family event was not needed because in the end, I did not go.  No rush to finish it's sleeves and knit it longer now.  The gray sweater?  I've been a little too faithful to it.  I fear I am a bit bored with only that texture in my hands.  I went through the vast pile of WIPs and didn't feel like any of them.  Of course that means only one thing.

I started something new!

A few months ago, I piggy backed a bunch of Brigg's and Little Sport onto a friends order. 



It did not get tucked away in the last stash dive.  I did not want to tuck it away because I meant to knit it right away.  And right away is now.

I bought it with a project very much in mind.  I may have bought it with 2 projects in mind, actually.  it's a lot of yarn.  One project, will be out of the leftovers of the first and will be for me.  The main project is for Olga's grandmother.    

Olga's grandmother is a woman who understands a shawl in a way that is hard to imagine for me.  She was born in a place and a time when shawls were worn regularly particularly by older women.  I knit one for her a few years ago, and she loved it.  Sadly it has been worn and worn and is getting a little ratty and moth eaten.  That happens when you wear something almost everyday.  This is such a honour, to have something you knit be worn out because it was worn so well and enjoyed so much.

I have known about the need for another for a few months and took some time to think about what I would enjoy knitting and what she would enjoy wearing.  I wanted the shawl to be square again, and the Brigg's and Little Sport was a given because it is so lovely warm and it is a purely Canadian yarn from sheep to mill to me.  It also has this marvelous range of gradient heathered greys.  How could I not?

Pattern was a little more difficult.  Originally, I thought about one of the lovely Icleandic patterns from the iconic Þríhyrnur og langsjöl / Three-cornered and long shawls by Sigridur Halldorsdottir.    I hemmed and I hawed, but couldn't settle.  One of the problems is that I would have needed all the gradient browns to do the ones I like, the way I wanted and gosh darn it, even I have to cry 'uncle' sometimes.  

The pattern I decided on is Hansel by Gudrun Johnston .  I love the way she sets the colours in her border and while gradient is more what I am interested in for this project, it will look wonderful with the in and out flow of dark to light.






I am using the Sheep's Gray, the lightest grey for the centre and keeping the darker greys for the lace border.  It hardly seems like I started, though I did a fair bit of knitting on it over the weekend.  I have all day today and really nothing other than spinning, going on till Wednesday, when my wee kiddies are coming to me.

And closing off on that point,  kiddies!  Because I love them so.



My Superheros each and everyone of them.






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