Afghan and Lace Leaf Love

TA DA!! I thought I would share the progress of the Noro Silk Garden Afghan. It is currently 2 feet long. I will post it when it is finished. AND I will share the pattern with you on my blog at that time. It is mostly a "weekend" afghan in that it is my main weekend knitting. However, it did not get a chance to be worked on this weekend. Other things ensued.

It was mid 40's, rainy and windy on Saturday before the next cold spell hit. (Note: It is 10 below windchill today.) I was not up to par over the weekend to do much of anything while I was battling the sniffles. Besides that, I was just plain sick of snow, ice and winter. So I decided that I needed a bit of spring knitting. A shawl...hmmm...with a colorway named Herb Garden, who could refuse?
So I got out a skein of Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite and cast on for the Blue Jeans Lace Leaf Shawl. I wanted something that would fire the old neurons in my sluggish and stuffy brain but not put it into overload. The picture does not do the yarn justice. It is lovely, soft, subtle shades of grey blue, olive and gold. The pattern was fun but the yarn was too subtle of colors for my rainy day knitting. A handspun skein from my stash kept calling very insistently to be knit. I finally, no willpower at all, succumbed to this...
It is approximately 5 oz of Blue Face Leceister spun as a singles yarn at about 668 yards. It has been in my stash for a LONG time. Noticing the yarn was spun thick/thin varying from fingerweight to sport/dk, I know that I spun this in my early spinning days. It was from a nonrepeatable roving hand dyed by Lynne Vogel of Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook Fame. I loved the aqua, turquoise, tan colorway from the moment I saw it. It reminds me of a far away exotic beach filled with surf and sand. (Hey, give me a break. I live in NE Indiana where it is 10 below at the moment for heaven's sake. A girl has got to have a dream!)

I spun it as a single to get the most yardage out of the roving and to keep the colors vibrant. So being the very impulsive and fickle knitter that I am...Herb Garden was dropped like a hot potato and I cast on this....

It is soft, light, lofty and engaging. It makes me wonder why I don't knit EVERYTHING with handspun. It was just what I needed to perk me up! I am definately feeling the Lace Leaf Love!! :-D (Eventhough as all lace knitters know, it looks like nothing but a bunch of Ramen Noodles before it is blocked.) It is amazing that we can get excited over a bumpy lump of nothingness!

I think this will have to become a priority project. (SHHH...don't tell the others; they tend to get jealous!) I can't wait to see it finished and blocked!

Afghan Inspirations

We've been in the new house for a year now. It is interesting how many of the things we have "collected" (using that term loosely) over the years seem to have a place in this new house as if they were meant to be. For instance, my husband brought home this print one year and it sat in our old basement forever, never finding the right place. It was instantly welcomed in our new home above the fireplace as if it were purchased exactly for that spot.

Our living room is very neutral with tan couches and chair so I wanted to bring in a little more color into this room and emphasize the colors in the print. So last spring I happened to come along a colorway of Noro Silk Garden that I thought would be wonderful. It was one of those instances where the moment I saw it, it had to be mine. It was #245 ( last picture). I started blocks for the Lizard's Ridge Afghan but after completing two, it was stashed in the closet for later. I realized I did not want to do that afghan with this colorway.
So this January was a month for reading, looking over old "Spin Off" magazines, taking a break from spinning and very little knitting. It was like I was in hibernation mode. I didn't feel like working on anything in particular. However, that afghan wiggled it's way back to the forefront of my brain.
I tried several different patterns and ripped them all out. Then all of a sudden, last Saturday, I sat and played with a few stitch patterns. I knew I wanted something simple to make the most of the colorways. I knew I needed something simple because my brain still seems to be in hibernation mode.
So I cast on and ripped and cast on and ripped, until I found the right pattern for what I wanted. All of a sudden, I was excited about knitting this and I found myself picking it up at odd moments and watching it slowly grow.
And then...as it frequently happens with me...I find that I am working with the colors in my surroundings. Often I am knitting away and then notice, "Hey, that's like what I'm knitting!" My eyes focus on the "malachite" green tiles of the fireplace, the gold, copper, grey, black and touches of blue in the print above the fireplace. Looking out the window, I see the dark bark of the trees with touches of white snow and shadowy greys, along with the brown crispy leaves and the evergreens hinting a promise of the green to come. And...unconsciously, with the foggy, snowy grey days of winter, I wanted to bring more light into our home and I recently purchased simple candles. I found inexpensive glass containers and I added colored pebbles (anything to bring nature indoors)...but look at the colors...hmmm. Last but not least, is the quilt from my Aunt Marilyn which is the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning as it covers me while I dream.
So, I guess it's no surprise that this is the yarn I picked. Although it has been stashed away until recently, my subconscious has been working on this project for quite some time. Now I am off to curl up and knit my afghan and take comfort in it's warmth as it continues to grow. Hmmm...maybe a hot cup of tea and a good book would also be welcome.