Surprise FO

Today it's my sister Jenny's birthday. Happy birthday, Jenny! Now I can finally show you the gift I made for her:





Pattern: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, by Sivia Harding
Yarn: Oh So Fine fingering weight superwash merino, in Deep Forest, from The Periwinkle Sheep
Needles: US5 and US7





Isn't Sivia Harding a wonderful designer? Every element flows perfectly into the next; it's a pleasing shawl to knit, to look at, and to wear. She says to block it "severely," and I am glad I did, because it went from 44 inches wide to 59 1/2 inches - a very nice size. Light and airy, perfect for transitional weather. (Don't worry, Jenny, the Missouri heat and humidity will be only a memory soon!)





The yarn was unlike any other fingering weight merino I've used. It's composed of numerous very fine plies, and is a little heavier weight than some other sock yarns. It's smooth, with very little woolly fuzz, almost as if part cotton. I really enjoyed working with it.

I don't think I've ever finished a shawl and then immediately cast on the same pattern again. But I loved this pattern so much, I immediately began another - for me! The yarn is Periwinkle Sheep's silk/merino fingering weight in a colorway named Memories of Summer:





I also swatched with Dream in Color Smooshy in the Chinatown Apple colorway (right), but decided to save that yarn for either socks or maybe mittens.

So yes, I'm back from Kripalu, where I did lots of yoga, learned lots of useful stuff in a program on digestive health, had great food, spent time in the whirlpool every day, and met some really nice people. I brought my camera, but then decided not to get it out - instead I drew in a sketchbook. You see the world in a slower way when you draw, and I was definitely in the mood for a slower pace.



This is a sketch of the view from the lawn in front of Shadowbrook, the main building. At first I was preoccupied with the evening light on the hills. Then, as it changed, I shifted my attention down to the lake. I had to decide then - use creative license and draw the lake as if the crabapple tree partially blocking the view weren't there? Or, attempt to draw the gnarly, twisty, complicated tree? I decided to take on the harder task and do the tree, but didn't get very far with it. One of my fellow participants in the digestive health workshop came and joined me; we got to talking while the sun kept on setting, and so the sketch remains forever unfinished.

I walked the labyrinth at Kripalu early in the morning on my first day there, and then again on the afternoon I left. In the morning, the pampas grass planted along the path was cool and wet; in the afternoon it was hot, dry, and scratchy--the contrast is one of my favorite memories of this visit. At the center of the labryinth there's a fat Buddha; people leave all sorts of offerings there (somebody with a sense of humor left a ticket for a free meal at a restaurant).



My contribution was the green whale catnip toy that I knit a couple of years ago for Ida. I'd been carrying it in my purse since she died last January and finally decided it was time to let it go. I figured the Buddha might like to gnaw on a little fibery whale blubber, or maybe would find the catnip calming (not that he needs help achieving calm, of course).

Well, this has been much more time at the computer than I've spent in days; my eyes are feeling buggy and I'm antsy to get up. So ciao - hope you are well and enjoying August!