Hemlock Ring Life Cycle

I’ve always thought that the finished Hemlock Ring Blanket looks a bit like a sea creature or a microbe.  Now that I’m actually working on it, it definitely reminds me of a creature with a wacky, complicated life cycle.

Here it is in the urchin phase.

And here it is in the anemone phase.

The true color is closer to the bottom photo, but difficult to capture.  I’m loving this pattern so far!

Beginnings

Today, March 1, we awoke to yet more snow.  I can’t wait for spring to come.

I finished the design project that I’ve been alluding to, but I decided not to submit it yet.  It doesn’t really feel finished to me.  I want to make a variation on it and submit them both, like I did with Foliage.  I’m a teensy bit sick of the pattern, even though it’s my own, so I won’t start another quite yet.

I did start something new though.

This is the very beginning of the Hemlock Ring Blanket.  It is intended for a special someone whose birthday is in April, so I’ll have to be relatively monogamous on it. That’s fine with me though, a big purple flower is the perfect thing to work on while waiting for spring.

I’m relieved to hear that many of you don’t really like socks either.  Now I know that I’m not alone.  As much as I love sweaters, I won’t be working on those for awhile either.  I have declared a moratorium on all new clothes for myself, actually.  My weight has been creeping up steadily for several years.  That was fine when I was growing and I was a teenager, but it needs to stop.  A couple of days after my 25th birthday I had a record-breaking weigh-in that convinced me that I need to change my habits.  Since my goal is to establish a healthy lifestyle, not achieve a certain size, I’m not sure what size I’ll settle at.  I’m quite sure it won’t be this one, though.  So until I do settle somewhere, I’m not going to start any sweaters for myself.  Wish me luck.  It’s a new beginning.