On the Spice Market Shawl from Blazing Needles -- Done!

Done!

This is as gorgeous a piece as I’d hoped it would be.  I love the dramatic graphics and the lush, rich colors.  You know you love a shawl when you immediately start planning which tops and dresses go with it, or you get the urge to go shop for more.  As I’ve said before, people often remark that I have a shawl for every outfit, but the truth is I have an outfit for every shawl.  Quick, somebody host me for a book signing so I can wear this beauty in public!

The texture is perfect for Chicago’s finicky weather.  50’s one day, 70’s the next.  Or for those of us who bring our own “personal summers” with us wherever we go thanks to finicky hormones.  It’s got enough heft to offer warmth, but not so much that you can’t throw it over your shoulders to keep off summer air conditioning.

One bit of advice: I do wish I’d adopted the strategy I did for the Leftie shawl and wove in the gazillion ends as I went.  With all these color changes, it took me nearly two hours to weave in the ends.  It was tempting to get sloppy as I neared the end, but I dug in my heels (or, in this case, my craft needle and scissors) and kept at it.

All in all, a truly exquisite piece, and one I’ll wear as often as I can. Thanks, Blazing Needles, for one of my favorite new shawls this year! 

Tofu Baby Sweater from Flying Fingers - Done!

Two things I know for sure now that the Tofu Baby Sweater is done:

1) I have finally mastered seaming.  If nothing else, this project was worth it for that accomplishment.

2) This sweater contained an excruciatingly large amount of ends to weave in.  Tedium!  Not much is worth that.

No question, this was a lot of work.  But the cuteness is a pretty big payoff, especially in such bright, energetic colors.  The yarn is lovely to knit, and I upped my skills in several areas while making the sweater.  

Someday, some little baby is going to be decked out in this adorable cardigan—I just have no idea when.  

It’s the adventure of knitting…sometimes the project needs to find its recipient, and you never know how that will happen.

Thanks, Flying Fingers, for a true fiber adventure!

Leftie Shawl from Knot Just Knits - Day 3

Working within my limitations...

I am not known for my ability to get things finished.  When clearing the table, I always, always leave "one last thing" that my husband has to clean off.  I leave cabinet doors open, I get the wash done but fail to fold it, and a dozen other things that seem to showcase my inability to do the last step of any task.  It's why writing is such a good profession for me--God gives me editors to clean up my final drafts.

This shawl goes right to the heart of my problem.  There are a boatload of ends to weave in.  As I began this project, I realized it'd be a huge problem if I left the weaving in of the ends to the last step.  Knowing me, this lovely piece would sit in some basket for months on end waiting for me to accomplish the one final task.

I opted for a pre-emptive strike:  I made a promise to myself that every two stripes, I would stop and weave those sets of ends in before going on.  So far, this has worked, and I'm proud of facing up to my limitations.  It helps that the dangling ends are annoying, so that provides incentive to stop and weave so I'm not constantly pushing them out of the way.

Who knows where this will lead?  Closed cabinet doors?  Hey, it could happen...