Shawl-tastic. Also, weather.

Shawl number 1 of my 12 Shawls in 2012 project is officially complete. :D

As I said in my last post, I wrapped this project up around the 20th, but didn't get around to taking proper photos until this week. I'm not terribly fond of pictures of myself, so I usually have to work myself up to taking modeled shots. Thankfully, my lilac armchair is more than up to the job.

As mentioned previously, the relevant info is located on my (exhaustive) Ravelry page. I'm really happy with how this project turned out. It's been my go-to scarf lately because of how well it wraps around my neck/shoulders without getting loose; this is important if your bicycle is one of  your main modes of transport. (It's also why my Doctor Who scarf doesn't get a lot of love in the more temperate portions of the year-- I'd rather not go all Isadora Duncan in my attempts to get from one place to another.) Though, speaking of which...


What in hell is going on with Buffalo's weather? We've gone from 15 F to over 50 F over the course of a week, with temps jumping all over the place in between. There was a 16-degree temperature difference from when I left the house this morning to when I came back home tonight, jumping from 34 F to 50 F.

In January. In Buffalo.

*facepalm*

I know that I should be grateful for the mild weather, since it means I can bike as opposed to having to trudge through snow, ice, and slush, but it's weirding me out, man. I'm concerned that the trees will think winter has broken early and start to leaf. For those of you not familiar with recent Buffalo history, back in 2006,  Arborgeddon occurred because trees hadn't started to shed their leaves before an unseasonable storm hit. About 90% of all trees in the city were damaged as a result, and hundreds of thousands of people were left without power. I'd really rather not see a repeat of that this year. *sighs*

Other than that, not too much else to say tonight. I'm considering posting a recipe tomorrow, if I can find time to squander writing blog entries instead of doing homework. Oh, what am I saying-- of course I can. Heh.

And now for something involving wool.

I've been working on a flurry of projects since December. The knitting bug is back, for better or worse. The spinning bug, on the other hand, sits in the corner and looks forlorn.

The project taking up most of my time right now is Willamette, a pattern by Star Athena from her Stumptown Knits collection. Willamette is a narrow, fingering-weight scarf featuring both linen and herringbone stitch. The scarf is built around slow increases and decreases, not unlike Baktus.

Overall, I think it's a fairly easy, attractive pattern. The herringbone stitch can be awkward at times if you're a tight knitter (ahem), but it becomes easier once you remember to loosen up (heh).

The yarn is Dashing Dachs Dach Sox, which is a light-fingering-weight superwash merino 2-ply. The colors, as you can see from the photo, are the opposite of subtle. The name of the colorway is Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, which is one of my favorite words ever. (Mamihlapinatapai is also up there, but sadly not relevant with regard to yarn.) The humuhumunukunukuapua'a is the proper name for the reef triggerfish, A.K.A. "the triggerfish with a snout like a pig", Hawaii's state fish.


I just finished working on my Oana shawl this past week, but I don't have a FO pic yet. Both the weather and my face haven't been cooperating with cameras lately, so getting an action shot hasn't been on the top of my list. Still, there are always the blocking photos.

This may have turned out a little bigger than I was expecting. That's my bed. The entire length of which is covered by that shawl.

And of course, the lace close-up shot. Aww, yeah.

It’s a large-scale, worsted-weight, fringed lace scarf. And yes, that was a mouthful. Knit from the point up, the lace repeat is simple and not frilly in the least, the latter being a huge plus in my book.

It was a fairly quick knit for something over 500 yards. Compared to Willamette, which is also over 500 yards, it flew by. I made the fringe (which you won't be able to see 'til I upload an FO shot, sorry) a little too short, which worked out to my advantage, actually; if I'd cut the yarn to an 8-inch length vs the 6.5" I seem to have wound up with, I would have run out of yarn entirely about two-thirds of the way through. 


The yarn is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes in Fairy Tale. It is an insanely loud magenta, slightly darker/bluer than the pictures show.

One last project on the go, though this one seems to have gotten stuck In the early stages:

Highland slippers, from Interweave's Accessories 2011 issue. Yarn is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes Bulky in Masala, and fiber is Spunky Eclectic Shetland top in Swimming pool.