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?

Stash Down!!

Has been a beautiful day today - nice and temperate. We had a short thundershower this afternoon that watered the plants, filled the bird baths and cooled the air. 

All day, from the time we got home from church until 7:30 pm, I worked to finish the Cornerstone Prayer Shawl knitted on size 11 needles.  It is finally done. All the prayers have been said. It will now be blocked and stored until it is needed.  It took 4 skeins of heavy worsted acrylic in a linen colorway - 680 yards. Why do I mention the number of skeins and the yardage?  Mmmm.

The Knitgirllls have a summer stash dash going on for the fans of their videocast that ends tomorrow. The goal was to knit and/or spin 5468 yards - the equivalent of a 5K race in yards.  In order to make this goal, I had to pull out old unfinished objects, including the prayer shawl.  As of now, I have knitted 5547 yards since May 27th.  YEAH!! Never thought I would make it.

Dramatic Knits also has a stash down going for the fans of his videocast. The goal is to knit as many skeins as you can from your stash from June 1st until September 1st, 2011.  So far, I have knit 33.6 skeins of yarn.  Woohoo!

The nicest part of these stash downs is all the wonderful projects that I get finished. The stressful part of these stash downs is the pressure to finish high yardage projects even when you just want to knit socks or ....hats or ....cowls or ...anything small! ;~)

Now I can get back to my new sock design and a cowl I want to knit. But for tonight, I think I will read a book or watch Leverage on TV and give my poor wrists and hands a rest. Working on large needles is not much fun. Give me my US size 1s or 2s any day.