Knitting Knotes - Autumn is Upon Us

I've been a baaaaad knitter!!! I do this every summer. I buy a bunch of cotton, linen and silk yarn for cool summer knitting and then I never do anything with it. I had a tough summer. Between still feeling the loss of my father, a design project-from-hell, some personal issues (including the worst allergy season I can remember), and other "stuff", I didn't get much done. I did knit three very cute little purses --- or as they say here in Gloucester, "pokkabooks"--- and finished a beautiful fushia colored rayon bed jacket. I'll post pictures later. But now that autumn is in the air, at least in the evenings, I am back to knitting again.

My first project is a new variation on my Mermaid Shawl which I am calling a Shawl of Falling Leaves and Shooting Stars (left). Because a few knitters have had difficulty with the beginning of the Mermaid Shawl I was careful when I began this shawl and photographed every step. I will post the pictures with the updated instructions. What I intend to do is redesign the instructions for the Mermaid Shawl (in Suri Alpaca and a Rayon/Angora blend) and include the Gypsy Variation (in Tibetan Silk) as well as the Shawl of Falling Leaves and Shooting Stars which I am knitting in Knit Pick's Wool of the Andes in the color they call "Tulip" which is a lovely fushia color. I love that color.

Once the instructions are re-written I will make the complete instructions available in a high-quality PDF file that can be downloaded. I am planning on offering it free to anyone who purchases my novel, The Old Mermaid's Tale, from Amazon. I think anyone who reads a book about mermaids should be wearing a Mermaid Shawl when they do that!

The second project I started is also made with Knit Picks yarn. This time I am using their shine sport in Aquamarine which is the most gorgeous color! I intended to just make a scarf but I love the color so much I am now thinking about another bed jacket (right). The sisitches I am using are a lace pattern called Rowan's Leaves which I downloaded from the internet and a little zig-zag lace to separate the leaves. I cannot tell you how lovely this yarn is to work with. It is soft beyond belief and has such a lovely drapey quality. Plus it is Pima Cotton so can be worn year round. The stitch definition is just beautiful (right) and --- well --- I love it.

Since I have made three bed jackets now, all in the same haphazard manner (beginning in the back and knitting down then picking up stitches to form front, arms and hem) and all of them look pretty good, I am continuing in that technique. I made a blue one last winter that my sister Lisa fell in love with when she was visiting me in June so it now lives with her.

My final project is a little bit of zig-zag lace that will eventually widen into another jacket back. I am working it in that Haitian Silk I bought on eBay that is called "Monet" (left). I swear that for every stitch I knit, I tear out a stistch. I try a lot of experiments to see how things look and if they are going well than I keep working. But if I don't like them - out they come. That has been the fate of this Haitian Silk. I rip out more than I knit but I think I am getting closer this time.

I was sorting through my stash trying to decide what other things I want to try this winter. I have several skeins of Knit Pick's Ambrosia - an alpaca/cashmere blend - in a lovely light blue and think it might be time for me to use that to take a try at that lace pattern called Rose Trellis that has defeated me in the past. The other thing I found was some lovely lace-weight Alpaca Cloud in pale blue and lilac. I think that is destined to be the Forest Path Shawl now that my Lady Eleanor is nearly finished. I'll post photos of that when it is complete. I didn't like the edges of it - they looked too raw to me. So I am working all around the edge in a fine I-cord. What a pretty finish! I was working on it at the art association the night of the big auction and several people stopped and oooh-ed and aaah-ed over it. I bet I could have sold it as a work of art that night!

So that's it from me on knitting for now. Thanks for reading and Happy Autumn Knitting!!!