Santa Fe Shawl Update!

For anyone who read my old blog, you know that the Santa Fe Shawl has been an ongoing project for some time now.  It was a knit-a-long with Bron (see her link on my sidebar -- Bron's Blog II).  The knitting stopped for a while in March when my life took an unexpected "detour."  Bron graciously agreed to put the project on hold until I was ready to pick it back up.  If you read her blog, you will realize that she has lots of other projects to keep her busy!  Recently, I dug the shawl back out of its knitting bag.  It is a birthday present for my mother-in-law whose birthday is this month.  I really wanted to get it done.  I contacted Bron who gave me the nod to go ahead.  Alas, she is not completely happy with her Santa Fe Shawl  and is not sure if she will complete it or send it to the frogpond.  I await the verdict on its fate in one of her future blog entries.  I finished knitting the shawl yesterday.  I gave it a bath an stretched it out on the blocking board.  Easier said than done!  The directions warn that there will be a bit of a battle with this shawl, and they are not kidding!  But I won, and the largest piece of the shawl is blocked to a perfect 24" X 48".  Today it is the smaller piece's turn.  Once blocked, I will sew the two pieces together in an "L" shape and then crochet on the beads along the edges.  I promise pictures of the completed shawl!  So, there will be another finished project on my sidebar soon!

My "Start-itis" is Acting Up Again!

Now that Conner's Prayer Blanket is in the completed projects column, it is time to maybe start another project???  I know, I know.  I already have 3 incomplete projects in the WIP column.  But still, why not add another!  I have been thinking of knitting a tank top (seems I've bitten by the same bug that the rest of blogdom has).  I just want something kind of plain with a "v" neckline -- something simple and mindless that I could work on at lunchtime.  I decided on the tank top in the FCEK Spring/Summer issue on pg. 27, but decided to omit the triangle design in the middle.  I already had several balls of a yarn in my stash from Reynolds called Sedona, a variagated egyptian cotton.  It is shades of puple and teal and very silky and pretty.  I am having trouble with the gauge swatch, though.  It seems I have to go down a couple of needle sizes from the recommended one.  I tend to knit very loosely.  Unfortunately, it makes my hands ache to use small needles so we will see if this project actually makes it past the "beginning stage" or gets sent to the "frog pond".  Speaking of the rest of blogdom, I have been struggling to resist the lure of the fabulous "Charlotte's Web" shawl that so many other knitting bloggers seem to have fallen prey to.  Those Koigu colors are simply gorgeous!  I fear I am beginning to lose the battle!  I can already come up with more reason to knit this than reasons not to knit it!  Maybe as a reward!  Yesterday I went into Michael's for some paints and of course I had to check out the yarns.  They have some new stuff there, and it was tempting, but I ended up leaving with the paints I went in there for, and nothing else.  Then I went to Walmart for some groceries.  Of course I had to look at the yarns, and they also have some really cool new stuff!  But I left with the groceries I went in for and nothing else.  All that self-control deserves a Koigu reward, don't you think????  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm............

The Finished Prayer Blanket

Here it is, as promised!  The picture of the finished Prayer Blanket for Conner.  Cindy (Conner's grandmother) came by the hospital this weekend to visit, and I presented her with the blanket to take with her when she leaves for Florida on June13th.  She has had to resign from Lynchburg General for awhile until it is certain that Conner's surgery has been successful -- at which point she plans to return to us.  We miss her.  Conner's surgery is set for June 15th.  The blanket was finished just in time.  Her son's mother in law is an avid knitter, but had never heard of Prayer blankets or Prayer shawls.  She is very interested in finding out more about them.  I told Cindy about the book, "Knitting Into the Mystery"  and asked her to pass along the info.  As I said in my previous entry, knitting one of these was a very uplifting experience for me, but that was nothing compared to the feeling I got when Cindy opened the bag and I told her what it was.  She hugged it closely and cried and said that it was the most beautiful and comforting thing that she had ever heard of.  Now, I believe that that is because these blankets (or shawls) are visual, tangible objects that someone can hold and they are visual reminders of the love and prayers that the knitter has poured out for that person.  It is something that the person can wrap around themselves and "feel the love." Now maybe that sounds overly sappy, but the fact remains that that was one of the most powerful spiritual moments I have ever had.  Knit (or crochet) one for someone, and see for yourself!