preparing for winter …
2009
It would be nice to report that summer is drawing to a close here in Brisbane; that autumn winds are creeping through the cracks of our old house; that the leaves are changing colours and beginning to fall …
Hang on! They are! We have an enormous Frangipani in the back garden – actually, it’s in the neighbour’s back garden, on the fence line but we feel a strong sense of ownership and keep meaning to ring the Council and have it listed. Come summer’s flush of green fertility, our house is hidden from the neighbours by the Frangipani’s rubbery leaves and sweet flowers. But despite the March temperature’s remaining around 28 celsius, the Frangipani has sensed that I long for autumn and is dropping its leaves, now looking more like dessicated water dragons, at a frantic pace.
And I too am preparing for chilly mornings and cosy nights – with a wee bit of shawl knitting. Inspired by Soulemama and the delicious colours nestled on the shelves of Threads and More, I have spent the last week knitting my version of CosmicPluto’s :: Simple Yet Effective Shawl ::
I say my version because despite my very best efforts – and Mum’s and Nanny’s (both of whom are champion knitters) and the charming assistant at Threads and More – we could not produce a shawl from one 100g skein of Noro’s Silk Garden. Well, we could. But it would only have fitted Toph (the dachshund). And only whilst she is a wee puppy. I throw my hands up in defeated puzzlement.
So – I have used three skeins, not one. And after devouring the first ball of bright, I decided to throw in some rich winey-reds and then a poisonous greeny-pink. Yum!
The shawl has also afforded me the opportunity to knit on a round needle. I tried my hardest to avoid this but there is a limit to how many stitches one can squish onto a ruler-sized straight piece of bamboo. Believe me, I tried.
I confess, I find the round flimsiness of the round needle somewhat unsettling. And my poor fingers on my right hand – well, no, they’re not poor yet, just a bit cash strapped – initially struggled to cope with supporting the heavy knitting without becoming frozen into arthritic aching (yep, blame Nanny and Mum for that too). A bit of practice, and the strategic use of the opposable thumb soon fixed that.
Now the shawl is finished except for the tassles. That’s right. I rushed back to the store on Tuesday (picked Abigail up from school at 3.25 and had to have her back for cello rehearsal at 4 – and had to cross 4 suburbs and buy wool – truly I did!) and bought another skein of poisonous green for tassles. Oooh they are nice. Very folksy. And I’m not trimming them – I’m leaving them :organic: :-) But I’m not showing until it’s done and there’s some sunlight to take a nice photo. Ha!
So, bring on those chilly mornings and cosy evenings – I have a beautiful shawl ready and waiting.
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Sweet! I love shawls. It’s hard to believe that you are preparing for winter, and we are waiting impatiently for spring!
Looks lovely and cozy, Lily! I really, really, really (!) like Noro yarn and your colors are yummy. And I completely understand the fitting in of picking up a ball of yarn so a person can finish a project. Is this unusual behavior??? :-) Will there be leftovers for a wee kerchief for Toph?
What a lovely wish – I too am waiting to feel the coolness in the air. Perhaps there is just enough time to make a shawl/kerchief for Toph.
Like kaholly, it’s funny to me that you’re headed into winter (and that Christmas is a summer holiday!)
Those snazzy colors will help get you through the cold and gloom of winter!
Hi Lily :)
I was feeling inspired by the shawl on Soulemama’s blog too (must be all those cloudy skies, fooling us into winter thinking). Then I remembered that I had been crocheting a ripple rug (also blog inspired) last winter, so I pulled that out and did a couple of rows. I really need to finish a couple of projects before I start any more.
Threads and More is a delightful shop. I took my knitting fanatic Mum there, and we had a lovely time fondling all the pretties.
It’s been a busy time at our place, but I wanted to get in touch and see if you’d like to meet up for coffee sometime. My email has been out of action, but should be on track again when my hubby gets home tonight.
You’ve got to love those Noro Yarns, don’t you? I knitted a scarf last autumn (October in my part of the world..), but it was way too short (or too wide) as I had only two skeins. I think I’ll have to find some more and make a bigger one this year! Oops, sorry: Here I am, going on and on about myself as usual – I really meant to drop by to tell you that I love the colours of your shawl. I’m looking forward to seeing it in all its glory!
It is a lovely shawl. It does look rather small, though. I think if I made it, I would want more yarn in it to make it bigger, too. And I love the yarn that you chose.
Beautiful colours!
Hi…..I am wanting to start this pattern, but am only a beginner knitter. How do I incorporate 2 skeins from the beginning, alternating every other row? The 2 skeins I have are from the same dye lot, but look drastically different. Please help! I can’t wait to get started on this pattern! Thanks for any help, Erin :)