Juniper

I finished spinning my 4 oz of Spunky Eclectic Merino/Silk, just in time to take it to Australia!

It has a really nice sheen, and bright light shows off the tonal color variation.

The colorway is called juniper, but I’m not sure that’s what I would call it. The light teal color with streaks of white reminds me more of the water here than juniper bushes. Either way, it’s a lovely color. It has enough tonal variation to be interesting, but is a solid enough color to let my 4 oz challenge design show (once I think of something…)

I got about 700 yards, and it varies between lace and fingering weight. The overall result in terms of yardage is similar to what I got for Cairns, but with less variation. As you can see, it’s not perfectly even. Some parts are more tightly plied than other parts. But, I think it’s pretty clear that I get a bit better every time.

Pasha

One of my best friends from law school is a guy named Jon. Jon has a thing for penguins, so Pasha (Knitty, Winter 2004) was the perfect farewell present.

The knitting was super easy, and while the seaming was a bit fiddly, it wasn’t too bad. I would highly recommend Pasha for any penguin fans in your life.

I hope Jon and Pasha like their new home down in DC!

Summer Spinning

I’ve been chipping away on my projects, but not as much as I would have thought. I’ve been reading for pleasure for the first time since I started law school, which is very exciting. I loved the John Adams biography by David McCullough, and have enjoyed the first 100 or so pages of The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. Any book recommendations?

But, of course, I can’t NOT play with yarn. I can’t swear that I spun every day of Tour de Fleece, but I did spin most days. After I finished on Cairns, I started on BFL dyed in “Shadow Walker” (black and gray) by Natural Obsessions. I have 8 oz of this stuff, so I’ll be chipping away at it for awhile.

In honor of the mountain stage of the TDF, I taught myself how to Andean ply.

(Andes Mountains, get it?)

The main event lately has been Spunky Eclectic merino/silk in Juniper, for the Four Ounce Challenge.

It will be a two ply, and I’m starting the second bobbin now.

While there is a lot of color variation in the roving, the singles are coming out a fairly even, heathered silvery turquoise.

I think it will be really pretty.

Hollyhock

Pattern: Citron, Knitty Winter 2009
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Hollyhock, one skien

Thanks to my neighbor’s talented gardening and a stroke of good timing, there actually is a hollyhock blooming in our yard, in almost exactly the perfect color. I love how the ruffles on the shawlette mirror the ruffled petals.

I’m pleased with how it turned out, even if it is quite small.

It works nicely as a scarf, and Malabrigo lace is deliciously soft. This is the first time I’ve used it, and I can see what the fuss is about.

This would have been a very tedious project if I had been in a better place, emotionally. I cast on just two days before the bar exam started, when I desperately needed zombie knitting. It was one of those times that I really leaned on my knitting as a coping mechanism rather than just a hobby. Now I’m done with the bar, and I have a lovely little shawlette as a souvenir!