In case you need a little bit of Christmas cheer, read Stephaine’s post on her blog, Yarn Harlot. If you don’t read her blog already, you should. She’s smart, she’s funny, and as this post demonstrates, her heart and her priorities are in the right place. Stephanie is convincing knitters (again, she did this previously and encouraged $120,000 in donations) to donate to Doctors without Borders/Medecins sans Frontieres. I think if you read her post, whatever your faith, it will remind you of the true reason to celebrate the season and give you just the lift you need if you are feeling stressed out, overshopped, or otherwise blue.
There is no art news today. The husband, who has been elevated to demi-god status due to his decision to wrap all presents for four children, has turned the studio into a holiday gift-wrapping extravaganza site. I have big plans to felt and work in precious metal clay once he relinquishes the space.
Instead, I did some late night dying. Those bags of organic merino have been calling my name. Loudly. I’m sorting through all the colors that have been swirling through my head and plotting some some different colorways in this yarn. Here are the first few skeins out drying, yes OUT drying because it’s in the 60’s here. The picture is not too spectacular, but I’m in love with both the muted purples and grays in the yarn on top and the more vibrant jewel-toned blues and greens in the yarn on the lower rungs.
I have always wanted to knit lace but based on my research, I have suspected it isn’t the right project for a woman with small demons who haunt her every move multiple young children. Some of my silk yarn, which had been lingering on my dresser, pushed me over the edge. I decided to try a simple feather and fan pattern scarf. I’m double stranding it with a very fine, laceweight super alpaca, for a little bit of fuzz. This scarf feels absolutely divine — it’s sort of cushy and incredibly soft. If you look carefully, you can probably find a number of mistakes, but I’ve decided to let this be and relax and enjoy the process. I have never knit anything that felt so wonderful passing through my fingers! If you are interested in the silk yarn, you can find it here.
