I am breaking my long standing one project at a time habit.  My socks have stalled and been stalled for months.  I just got all socked out I guess.

I picked up a shawl pattern, Sharon Miller’s ‘The Grey Shawl’, which used to be sold on her website as Project #2.  It is a Hap Shawl so I suppose it could be in her Shetland Hap Shawls; Then and Now but it doesn’t look like it… the really appealing part of it, to me, is the color Grey!, and the changing colors in border.  However there are many other similar patterns out there from various designers.  A hap isn’t supposed to be fancy schmancy after all. The pattern and yarn kit was a gift from my friend Mama Liz in 2004.  I recall starting it and then, after finishing the center diamond/square, ripping it.  I am either much more laissez faire about my knitting these days or I was just crazy.  I have moved past the center onto the border and cannot for the life of me imagine why I was dissatisfied the first time.

I have been working on it slowly, while watching Game of Thrones on DVD, Midsomer Murders on Netflix, and Vintage Dr. Who on Britbox.  Right now we are in the 2nd season of Dr. Who and I am looking forward to a new Dr.  This morning I spread out my shawl in progress in preparation of first color change and saw that I had a dropped stitch in the actual center part… the last row prior to picking up border and went back.  Despite this it is being a satisfying knit although I shouldn’t have started the border while trying to suss out who dunnit last night.  Here is my shawl after fixing my center and picking up for the border:

Redoing border pick-up

I recently joined Instagram.  Not because I have plans to share my pictures, which I have always felt lacked a certain something something, but because I wanted to be able to follow people. After redoing my border pick-up I took a break and bopped online to enjoy some pictures and did you know they have something called fairislefriday?  This of course, combined with my current Jamieson & Smith yarn knitting, had me hankering for some color work.  While I was eyeing the wee little hanks and balls of shetland around my husband asked me what I was doing.  I told him I was thinking of knitting a sweater for myself.

Dear hearts would you believe my husband unkindly scoffed?  Well he did.  Probably because, in all the years of my knitting, I have only knit three sweaters for myself.  The first I promptly gave away… literally off my back.  That was in 1986.  The second I knit while pregnant with Zoe in 1995: Rosemaling from Knitters Issue #32.  I never did get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and it just didn’t fit correctly since I had knit it for my pre-baby figure. The third sweater, my most successful, was knit in 1998, without a pattern out of pink Satakieli yarn.  The whole process, from picking out the stitch, modifying it to be worked in the round, figuring out sizing and design elements as I went along, even the yarn were a joy.  Unfortunately the style I had chosen, lacy, became impractical for my new life as a mom.  Tyler was born the following year and then Nece.  Of course I love my children but running after them in a dressy tunic just didn’t work.

Anyway my husband is unaware of my previous sweaters only my Strokkur failures.  I have knit it three times only to find my gauge has tightened between hem and yoke.  I am unsure if this is because it was winter time, and I was wanting a a hand knit sweater, or if it is just one of those yarns that my fingers want to be at a certain gauge.  It has been known to happen.

Regardless Instagramers, Instagrammers?, apparently tag anything stranded as fair isle and given my mistake during tv watching on shawl I figured some nice relaxing stocking stitch in the round would be good.  I pulled out Strokkur, which I had restarted for the forth time a while ago, from its knitting bag and have been amusing myself with my stitch marker.  Enjoy my lovely bunny:

Strokkur Restarted

There is my pattern in the background.  I think I have it printed out a dozen times at this point!

Bunny Tails

The pink ball along time is one of those jingly jangly balls that rings as my knitting gets shaken.  The bunny has a silver stand and the cutest little cotton tail.

Beribboned

Okay not quite beribboned but still!  We last saw Strokkur last November.  I have finished 2 sleeves, which are still on point regarding gauge, so I hope if I concentrate on staying slow and relaxed the body will also not tighten up.

Yarny days and knitterly evenings~

Elka