Hooray, Hooray, Needleworker's Day

Okay, okay, for anyone who is not into needlework this is a Big Whoop. But for those of us knotty ladies who love to keep our hands busy, tomorrow is the beginning of our third needlework season.

Leslie Wind organized this group and we have been meeting once a month in Rockport’s Community House during the off-season ever since. We come bringing food, needlework and lots of gab, and spend the day eating, yakking, and working on our projects. It’s a lovely way to spend a cold - or mild - day. I’ve finished a couple projects since our last meeting in April which I will bring to show and have a few more on the needles now.


I posted a photo of this shawl but took some more pictures which show it off a little better. This is a variation on Meg Swansen’s Snowdrops and Snowflakes Shawl knitted in a 80% wool, 20% angora lace weight yarn. I still have not blocked it but once the weather cools down it will be my first priority:


I also have been putting the final touches on this shawl made of a mixture of cotton and rayon yarns purchased from eBay. It is absolutely lustrous - the photo doesn’t do it justice. It is long - 90" and about 24" wide. All I did was knit lengthwise in garter stitch, changing fiber whenever I felt like it:





This is my favorite project of the moment. It is intended to be a long, fairly flamboyant scarf made of KnitPick’s Shimmer which is deliciously soft and lustrous alpaca/silk blend. The yarn is lace weight and I am knitting it double on size 7 needles, alternating the yarns as I feel like it and knitting in a Little Leaf pattern. It is very soft and warm and I am eager to see how long it will be using the 7 hanks of yarn I have at the moment.


This is made of KnitPick’s 100% Pima Cotton called Crayon and is absolutely the softest fiber I have ever touched. It is actually a little difficult to work with because of the softness. I started it on steel needles but had to change to wood to have more control. I am working it in a lovely, old fashioned stitch I found in a Barbara Walker book. Right now it measures 30" wide and I will probably keep working on it until I run out of yarn. It is delicious to hold.


My last project has been languishing a bit. It is made from a double strand of lace-weight 50% silk/50% cashmere ins a soft, shimmery color called “pollen”. The more I handle it, the softer and more lustrous it becomes. I am working it in the Arabesque pattern in Marianne Kinzel’s Second Book of Lace Knitting and it is wonderful stitch definition.

So that’s what is in my knitting bag. Now I just have to figure out what goodies to take and I’m ready to go.

Thanks for reading.