I have a lot to tell you, but I have to get this out of the way first. I miss Purl. Every second of every day. However, for the first time, I’m admitting to myself that her care was overwhelmingly the focal point of my life for a very long time. I cried when I deleted all her eyedrops alarms, but it’s kind of nice not to have to hurry home from my weekly grocery-shopping trip (and that was the only trip I made most weeks) because she needed something or I was just worried I was taking too long and she would be searching for me, or lying next to the garage door in the cold basement or whatever popped into my head to worry about. That’s over, for her and for me, and although I may often feel at loose ends, it’s also a relief when I feel that clutch of anxiety to realize I don’t have to worry about her anymore.
So, on to knitting and yarn and all that lovely stuff. I really have no idea what I’ve posted about, things have been so rocky. We’ve gotten in some beautiful yarn and I have been knitting in between crying jags. And I’m so grateful to have this wonderful thing to do! The yarn is lovely and fit for purpose, the motion and rhythm are soothing, and the result is useful and productive. It means a great deal in times of trouble.
I’ll show you this pretty thing first.
Karen knit it using one skein of hand-dyed sock yarn. It’s called Leaflette and is a beautiful version of the neat little scarves that are so popular right now (like the Sophie.) Karen will be teaching this in June (yes, we’re working on a summer schedule already, since spring is here and will be gone before anyone realizes it.) It’s a fun first lace project and a beautiful gift. Karen is modeling it here
(and notice the gorgeous half-brioche vest she’s also wearing!)
Below is the second sock that Deb is including in her sock camp. Those darling little one-row stripes are the result of helical knitting, which Deb will be explaining. Such a pretty sock but I think I’d go for a contrasting self-striping colorway that would jazz it up even more. There are spaces available for this session, which starts on April 22, so sign up soon!!
I made this nice little pullover
because of the lovely stitchwork on the yoke (and at the hem and cuffs).
I made it from Soft Lino, a linen and cotton blend, but it would be just as lovely in a wool such as Patagonia, and I may just do that, too. Anyway I’ll be teaching it this summer beginning in early June
We received this beautiful yarn, called Illusion, from Lang.
It’s a cotton blend, mixed with rayon from bamboo, so the colors are muted and the color changes are subtle. I wanted something that would be a sort of blank canvas show it off, so I made this simple tee.
Because of the bamboo, the drape makes this tee more flattering than you would think. Beginner level, all one piece, knit from the bottom of the front, up and over the shoulders and down to the bottom of the back, with side seams sewn up. (Yes, I actually did a seam. It didn’t kill me.) The pattern will be free with purchase of Illusion or another yarn to make it.
I made another summer sweater, you can see it in the background above, and the yarn is quite nice, but I definitely chose the wrong colorway. I’ll have to find something else to make with the yarn, unless I feel differently about the colors when the weather brightens up. (Well, I can hope!) But after all the summer yarn, I needed something else in my hands, so I’m making a scarf from a new yarn just received from Madelinetosh. I’ll show you soon, but it’s reminding me that knitting with wool is magical!
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