All Souls Day / Knitting Day

Do you know how hard it is to photograph your own right hand? Well, it is. Today is All Souls Day, the third day in my annual inward journey, but today I am just thinking about knitting. Mainly because I have 2 projects going right now that I’m really in love with.
I have never before tried to knit gloves and I’ve never owned a pair of those gloves with half-fingers but I always thought they sounded extremely practical so I decided to try and make a pair. And I decided to use that Pearl Silk Chenille from Webs that has been nagging at me for years. I have just been making up the pattern as I go along but I think I like them. I am working on size 3 needles and I think next time I will go down a size or two but, even though these don’t photograph as well as I would like them to, I like them a lot.

In fact I like them so much that I placed an order with KnitPicks for three more sets of skinny wooden dp needles and more yarn. I decided, since the gloves only take 2 skeins, to indulge in luxury yarns --- silk and cashmere and superfine alpaca. I can’t wait for my order to get here and start knitting.

I also ordered quite a few skeins of their Wool of the Andes in Cranberry and Wheat. I am going to make a couple of Gryffindor house scarves for a couple of favorite little people for Christmas. That should be easy fun. I found a design online at NiceKnits.com and think I can wing it without a pattern.

And, FINALLY, after massive ripping out, I am back at work on my Shawl of Falling Leaves and Shooting Stars. I worked a few inches of faggoting and am now beginning the shooting star pattern and I think it is going to be lovely. The pattern will be more apparent once the shawl is blocked.

I am also working this in KnitPic’s Wool of the Andes in the color they call Tulip. I think it is just beautiful. And warm! I have no idea how big I want this shawl to be but I want a few more repeats of the shooting stars so I may have to order more yarn! Oh no!!! I’ve sort of been lusting after their Twirl in the Moss color. I’d love to make a vest for winter and I think Twirl might give the look and the warmth I want. Alpaca is such a delicious fiber to work with and to wear. The first alpaca thing I ever made was my Mermaid Shawl and I still love it more than any of my other pieces.

So that is it from Gloucester today. Throughout the Caribbean it is Día de los Muertos and people are dancing and picnicking in the cemeteries of their ancestors. My workroom here overlooks an old cemetery but it seems pretty quiet and peaceful out there.

It always is.

Thanks for reading.