Off the Needles a Lonnnng Time Ago: Shawl of Squares

I was digging through unfinished projects with the plan to either finish them or wind the unfinished pieces back into balls of yarn for future projects or for donating to other knitters. A lot of what I found fell into the "what was I thinking" category of projects...projects so old that fashions or my tastes or my body had changed enough to make me wonder why I even started them. Out came my ball winder and back went the yarn into my stash.

While all this digging was going on, I came across this shawl which was completely finished but never worn. I think the yarn is Lion Brand's Jiffy in cerise. (I also found an afghan in the same yarn that was not quite finished. I'll post a photo of that later) I can't remember where I got the pattern, but I'm sure it's from some book in my library.

Apparently, at one time I was quite taken with this yarn and color. Not sure I'll keep the shawl, but it might come in handy for snuggling in during the winter months since it is so long.

Off the Needles: Summer Petals Stole

The pattern is from A Needle Pulling Thread, Summer 2007 issue. I bought the yarn this month from Warm n' Fuzzy, a yarn shop in Cary, NC, at their 1st Anniversary Party sale. The yarn is Blue Moon's "Socks that Rock", a 100% superwash merino lightweight wool; the colorway is "Queen Rock." The stole is knitted lengthwise using a picot cast on and a picot cast off--two techniques I'd never used before, but will definitely add to my knitting repertoire.

Off the Needles: Color Affection Shawl

The pattern is Color Affection, a shawl in all garter stitch using short rows. The 3 yarns are lace-weight wools from Knit Picks and Webs. The project knits up very fast with an interesting final effect.

Off the Hook: Cactus Pincushion

My sister saw a photo of this little guy somewhere on the Web, posted it on my Facebook page, and said if she had one, she would be inspired to take up sewing again. I couldn't resist the challenge and set out to make her one. The pattern is from Ana Paula Rimoli's November 10, 2007,  post in her blog "Amigurumi Patterns & Random Cuteness."

I used odds and ends of acrylic yarns from my stash. The pattern works up pretty fast; I think I spent barely a couple of hours on the whole project, except for the trip to Joann's for the pearl head pins. The only change I made was to the filling of the planter. Ana used poly-pellets, which I didn't have. I stiffened the bottom with a round piece of heavy card. Then I thought I'd substitute dried beans for the pellets, but didn't have any on hand. Instead, I used white rice wrapped in a scrap of fabric, which gave enough weight to keep the pincushion upright.

I think my sister will be pleased with the results. Can't wait to take it to her.

Off the Needles: Shizuku Scarf

Now that the big doubleknit project is finished, I'm going through my bags of unfinished projects. Just finished knitting and washing this scarf which I started sometime last year. The pattern is Shizuku by Angela Tong. It's all garter stitch except for the short-row dangles that create the fringe.

The yarn is a ball of Schoppel Wolle Zauberball that I bought a while back at a knitting show in Greensboro, NC. It's fingering weight 75% wool/25% nylon singles. The yarn felt pretty scratchy while I was knitting it so I've washed it with a fabric softener. I've lost the label, but a Web search indicates that the wool is superwash. If that's the case and if the scarf dries still scratchy, I'll try machine-washing it.

Off the Needles: "Happy Dots" Doubleknit Scarf

This is what I've been working on for the past 3 weeks. The pattern is "Happy Dots" and the technique is double-knitting. I took a 3-week class at Warm 'n Fuzzy in Cary, NC, to learn how to do it. The multicolored yarn is  Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Stärke 6 and the hand-dyed silver is SweetGeorgia's  CashLuxe Fine. The length is 60 inches, but, since it's double-knitting, it's really like knitting two 60-inch-long scarves. My next double-knitting project will probably be a coaster!

Front side of scarf:

Reverse side of scarf:

Vintage Textiles at June Twisted Threads Book Club Meeting

The topic for this month's Twisted Threads Book Club meeting was vintage textiles. I brought (and wore) my vintage embroidered butterfly apron. Maker unknown, but I think she must have been a woman who enjoyed whimsy.