The Bright Green Shawl

Last week I finished my Samba Simple Shawl using Katia Samba yarn in colorway 8660 which is a bright green multi-colored cotton yarn. 

As mentioned in a previous blog, I prefer autumn colors. However, this yarn was on sale at my LYS when the monthly sale was “green yarns.”  I bought 8 skeins of the yarn and took it home planning to make a summer short sleeved Tee. The yarn sat on the kitchen table for weeks and would taunt me every time I walked by. The weather turned hot and I looked at the yarn but still couldn’t bring myself to knit it into the Tee.  There was just something wrong with the yarn.  Well, probably not .... just something not right for me about the yarn. Should I return it to the LYS? That seemed wrong too. I mean, what had the yarn done that was so bad that I would send it back to the store? Should I just toss it into the closet of stash? I think I would have heard the taunts through the closed door.

Finally there came a day this summer when the taunting was too much.  I grabbed a skein of the cotton and pulled out my copy of LaLa’s Simple Shawl pattern. This yarn was going down! 

So for the next 11 days, I knit skein after skein after skein of this bright green yarn. The shawl was easy and quick to knit up using LaLa’s pattern. But I wasn’t liking the color any better. It is just too bright a springtime green and I am concerned that since it matches nothing that I own (and I own a lot of green clothes!) that I will not use it or enjoy wearing it. 

People were no help either! I got compliments everyday on the shawl and its size. (It finished out at 84 inches by 42 inches. It will never be confused with a scarf!)  Some said “what beautiful colors! " Others said, “You wear a lot of green, it will go with everything you wear.”  NOT

I knew it was not for me.  But I had spent so much time knitting it and so much money buying the yarn. What to do?  Then someone said “Why don’t you overdye it with tea?”

Hmmmmmmmmm..............

Before

Left overdyed, Right orginal

Overdyed yarn drying

It's A Shawl!!!

Finally, after many hours and 882 yards of fingering cotton yarn, Samba, IT’S A SHAWL!!!!!! 

This project has been to the doctor’s, the Maryland and Virginia and South Carolina shores, the Smoky mountains, the dentist’s, my mother’s, book club, restaurants and even my sunroom. It was a well travelled garment before it was even finished. 

The shawl blocked out at 84 inches by 42 inches.  No one will mistake this for a scarf! I plan to wear it to the TKGA Knit and Crochet Show in Greensboro, NC in a few weeks. 

Too bad this was finished too late to count for the KnitGirllls’ Stash Dash 2011 or for Dramatic Knits’ Summer Stash Down 2011.  I did complete each of those this summer by knitting 5547 yards to make the Stash Dash goal of at least 5468 yards and and knitting 38 skeins for the Summer Stash Down. I won a gift certificate from Keegan Lane Yarns from Dramatic Knits.  Thanks, Steve. All in all, a very productive summer and the stash is a little smaller.  Next year, I will have to think long and hard about participating. Both were loads of fun at the beginning, but toward the end the pressure to overachieve was exhausting! 

Now that fall is here,  I intend to concentrate on lots and lots of little things . . . . socks, hats, baby sweaters, gloves, etc.  Also, my promise to myself is . . . . no Christmas knitting this year. The time constraint takes the fun out of the knitting. And why knit if it is not fun?

End of Summer

We survived Hurricane Irene. We were at the beach when she hit. Lots of wind but not too much rain. Five to six foot waves. Overheard a resident the next morning say that it was a nice summer storm. Those who live in other states weren’t as fortunate. My prayers are with them. 

Since we were on the road most of last weekend, I got a little knitting done.  The Baby Boy Stocking Cap that matches the Baby Boy Surprise Jacket is finished. Now to await the baby boy. He’s due the first week of September.

Also worked on and finished is the Rosebud Trellis Cowl. It turned out very well. It is extremely soft. I’ll try to get the pattern written up soon.

I realized that August is almost over and I have not knitted a pair of socks. So I cast on my go to pattern - Wendy Johnson’s Sport Weight Gusset Heel Basic Socks on size US 2 with Lorna’s Laces Honor in the colorway, He Who Must Not Be Named. The sock is patterning delightfully.  I need to get cracking! I won’t be finished the August socks this month. :~(

I did, however, cast on and am a third finished the LaLa’s Simple Shawl in Katia’s Samba colorway 8660. A cotton yarn that is mostly green with splashes of red, pink, purple, teal, mint,  and blue.  Hope it doesn’t end up looking like clown barf.

We are pretty busy as summer winds downs and fall is soon to be upon us. (Yes, I know that summer goes until the third week of September) It is still rather warm here, so sweaters, jackets, shawls, gloves and hats are still a few weeks away.