More WIP Work

 Hi all -

It's hard to believe Christmas is just a little over a week away! We got a foot of snow last weekend, so it's a white Christmas for us! It really is so beautiful! I've got all of my Christmas knitting done, so I've been finishing up some old WIPs (Works In Progress) before starting some new things. I'm never short on projects!

The first old project I finished is my Prismatic Poncho designed by Rachel Raden:

Prismatic Poncho - front

Prismatic Poncho - back

This was an old Jimmy Beans Wool Knitting Club project from 2019. It was a lot of knitting so I would work on it for a while, then put it aside to work on other projects. It is simply made as two large rectangles that are connected along the back half of one long side. My corners on the rectangles aren't square because I didn't use a loose enough tension on the edge stitches, but it still all works. I think this will be wonderful on cold winter evenings when I'm using a blanket but I still want to do some kind of handwork. I can cover my shoulders with the poncho for added warmth without hindering my arms at all.

The other WIP I finished are my Kickshaws designed by Shanel Wu:

Kickshaws

Kickshaws in use

These were another Jimmy Beans Wool Knit Club project from 2019. I put these aside at the time because I didn't understand the directions after knitting the soles. The second part of the pattern was called "right insole" and you started by picking up 3 stitches from one of the short ends of the sole. Since I couldn't picture where on the slipper we were working, I couldn't figure out the proper 3 stitches to pick up. So I put them away for another time. Well, I picked them back up and tried a few things until I figured out that these instructions were for the "right side" of the slipper and we were starting at the toe and only working half of the toe stitches because of the stitches going along the center top. Once I figured this out, it was easy to finish the slippers! They fit my feet perfectly so I think they'll be a welcome addition to my winter home footwear.

Finally, I took the yarn left over from my Arabica Cowl and made a Robusta Hat designed by yellowcosmo:

Robusta Hat

Robusta Hat - pattern close-up

This yarn was from a kit that I bought from Jimmy Beans Wool several years ago. The kit was for either the Arabica Cowl (crochet) or the Robusta Hat and Cowl combination (knit). I decided to make the Arabica Cowl to practice my crochet, but ended up with a lot of yarn left over so decided to make the Robusta Hat with that. The Robusta Hat has a really cool slip stitch pattern on the body. I really like how it turned out -- the picture doesn't do it justice! I wasn't sure if the quantity I had of each yarn would be enough, but I figured that I would make it work. As I got into the knitting, I also decided to do an extra repeat of the pattern using the red/tan color combination because the hat was going to be a little short for my taste. I had to use some of the shorter scraps, but I was able to get almost all of the hat finished with the colors as specified in the pattern. I just ran out of the tan yarn as I neared the top of the hat, so I switched back to the red yarn at the very top. I thought that made the color change look intentional since it matched the brim color. I ended up using absolutely all of the red and tan yarns and have about 25 yards of the gray yarn leftover. Pretty good use of the yarn! I really like this hat and will be keeping it for myself. And I'll probably add a faux-fur pom-pom since I think it's screaming for one.

That's it for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!!

Nancy

Working on WIPs

 Hi all -

It's been a busy and exciting couple of weeks! The biggest thing that happened is that my neighbor's house burned down last Tuesday. It was discovered by another neighbor who saw smoke when he drove by in the morning. It was one of those things where he didn't notice it at first, but his subconscious alerted him and he turned around and went back. It was really scary because nobody knew if there was anybody in the house and we are in the forest so there's always the chance of a forest fire. The guy went home to call 911 then went back and broke a window to see if he could warn anyone inside, but he couldn't get in. This house was just bought by a young couple a couple of weeks ago. They had been working on the floors and my other neighbor thought she had seen the guy there the night before and there was a car in the driveway so we were really afraid that he was in there. Some neighbors had the couple's cell phone numbers and were trying to call them, but didn't get an answer. The fire had already gotten into the attic and it was too hot for the firemen to open. the bedroom door to check for anyone. After an hour or so, one of the couple answered the phone and let us know that they were okay. They hadn't heard about the fire, but were coming up now. It was really sad because, with the attic catching fire, the entire house was a loss! But on the lucky side, nobody got hurt, they had only brought a few of their things up (unluckily, part of that was family memorabilia) and the fire didn't spread. The emergency response was amazing! There were trucks here from 7 or 8 different fire departments. Along with police, medical and the Red Cross. They did an amazing job keeping things contained! I didn't watch the whole thing, but stuck around home so I could get the dog and cat out if the fire spread. My neighbor said it was incredible when the windows broke from the heat and the fire spewed out! I could hear the fire crackling from my deck for several hours in the afternoon. Even though the house that burned is on property that backs onto the back part of my side yard, our yards are large enough (1-acre lots, I have 2 lots) and the terrain is rough enough that I didn't have a good view of the house from my house so I couldn't see much without heading over there. We walk by there every morning on our daily walk and it's really sad to see the small pile of rubble that remains! The fire chief said that they are still investigating the cause, but they think it was either from a pile of rags from working on the floors or something electrical. So sad for this young couple!

The other fun we've been having is a normal part of living up here. We have a couple of moose living in the trees near the trailhead of our daily walk so I've been working on getting Grace used to them. Moose will sometimes attack dogs so she has to learn to leave the moose alone. Luckily, this pair (a mother and an older "baby") are tolerant. On our first encounter, Grace went running towards them barking her head off. Luckily she came fairly quickly when she was called and I leashed her and we left. Then I started keeping her leashed as we went by that area and treating her when she ignored them. We've since been able to walk by with her off leash and me shoving treats in her mouth, so that's great! Today we had a little set back. It was very windy which had Grace overexcited. I expected the moose to be further in the trees to get more protection from the wind, but they were in their usual place. She went running in to them, but didn't bark. I called her and she came back pretty quickly, but they started walking towards us so I had to leash her and go back home. Discretion is the better part of valor, as they say! I could just leash her through that part of the trail to be pretty safe from these moose, but we get a lot of moose up here and we could encounter them anywhere, so I really need to get her to not react to them to be safe in the long term. That's why I'm taking chances with these moose, in case you were wondering about that.

The other thing that's been keeping me busy is getting ready for Christmas. I've been wrapping everything and listing everything that I have so I don't accidentally skimp on anyone. I've also ordered gifts for all of the family pets (we're up to 5 dogs other than mine and one family has I don't know how many cats, so there's a lot). I have the main presents finished and wrapped for everyone and am just adding in small things where needed. I might have to make some more shopping bags, but otherwise I think I'm done making things.

Since I've had a little extra time, I've picked up some WIPs (Works In Progress) to work on. First, I picked up my Juno Throw again. This is the Jimmy Beans Wool 2023 Blanket Club project, where I receive a new skein of yarn and bit of the pattern each month and will have a finished blanket at the end of the year. I had kept up with the club through August, but then got behind in September when we got a skein of yarn that I didn't think would look right with the rest of the yarn in the blanket. I was trying to decide if I would use this yarn or replace it with some other yarn. Since I was now behind by 3 months, I decided to just move ahead with this yarn and catch back up. Here is the blanket through the November installment:

Juno Throw through November

It's hard to see in a picture from this far back, but the September yarn crochets up to look blotchy. It's not my favorite, but it's not terrible either. Here are the close-ups of each month's section:

Juno Throw - September

Juno Throw - October

Juno Throw - November

I can't wait to get the December installment and finish this blanket up! It's really heavy and will be nice to use when watching TV on the couch on those cold winter nights!

I also pulled out one of my old Lola's Choice projects. Lola's Choice is the bimonthly club from Laura Nelkin, one of my favorite designers. This project is called Engaged and is a knitted kerchief with a beaded ring. I had gotten about half of the kerchief finished before, then noticed that I had dropped a couple of stitches. The stiffness of the yarn and the lace pattern were going to make it difficult to pick those stitches back up, so I put it aside to decide what I wanted to do. I picked it back up and decided to unravel it and start over again. I put in lifelines while I knit it this time, but didn't have any problems so didn't have to use them. I finished the kerchief:

Engaged

I still have to start on the beaded ring. This is one of the fun things about the Lola's Choice kits -- she included a lot of fun stuff to learn. In this case, I'll learn odd-count flat stitch peyote for the ring. There are also a couple of options for how to place the different color beads or I can design my own bead placement. I haven't started that part yet.....

I also picked up a crochet cowl that I was making for my sister. It's the Hannah's Starlight Cowl designed by Joy Clements:

Hannah's Starlight Cowl

I don't remember why I put this aside. I think I just got busy with other stuff and forgot about it. But now I've picked it up again and it is finished. I think it turned out really cute and I like the size of this. I think I'll be making more of these! This one was a bit hard to crochet because I picked a yarn that is 30% silk. It's really beautiful and soft, but silk doesn't stretch so it's a bit harder on the hands when crocheting. I'd like to make one of these from a pure wool yarn to see how that feels.

Finally, I picked up my Arabica Cowl designed by Ann Wicker. This was a kit that I purchase a long time ago with the yarn and patterns for either a crocheted cowl or a knitted hat/cowl combination. I decided to make the crochet cowl to practice my new crochet skills. This cowl is crocheted flat, an embellishment is added and then the ends are sewn together in a circle. I had put this aside before because I was figuring out how to do the embellishments. They were a bit tedious to do with a lot of ends to weave in, but I think it really turned out nice:

Arabica Cowl

There's a lot of yarn left over, so I'll probably make the knitted hat with my leftovers. I really like the feel of the yarn and will be keeping these for myself.

That's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying celebrating the holidays!

Nancy

Good-bye to Wesley

 Hi all -

It's been several busy weeks since I last posted. Part of that time was spent with my family in Florida where we attended a family wedding ceremony for my nephew. It was a fun trip and a beautiful ceremony! Unfortunately, when I returned home, I let the cats outside as I usually do and Wesley has not returned. He has been known to disappear for a couple of days, but it's been a week and a half so it's unlikely that he will return. As you can imagine, I'm very sad. But at least he had a wonderful 15 years of living up here with full access to the great outdoors. That gives me a lot of comfort! I hope you don't mind if I share some pictures of him with you!

Wesley and Buttercup when they were adopted

Wesley playing as a kitten

Young Wesley enjoying the great outdoors

Yin-yang

Wesley

At a friend's house during fire evacuation

Up close and personal

With Lance towards the end

With Grace soon after her adoption

Wesley was an incredible cat and he will be sorely missed!!

When I haven't been traveling, I've been knitting. I've continued to work on projects for the Joji Locatelli Fall Knit-Along, which ends at the end of this month. Most of these projects are also Christmas presents, so I'm almost ready for the holidays, too!

I've made a bunch of hats as Christmas presents. For my nephews and brother-in-law, I decided to make hats using Joji's Upper East Side pattern in different yarns:

Upper East Side in Berroco Ultra Wool DK

Upper East Side in Cloudborn Fibers Alpaca Wool Silk DK

Upper East Side in Knit Picks City Tweed DK

I think this is a nice pattern for a hat for a man with a lot of nice texture. It's always fun to see how the different yarns change the look and feel of the same pattern! I'm not sure yet who will get which hat.

I made Joji's Field of Wildflowers hat for my sister:

Field of Wildflowers

I made this pattern once before in a solid yarn. I wasn't sure if the texture of the knitting would get lost in the changing colors of the yarn, but Joji's sample used a multi-colored yarn so I decided to go for it. I really like how it turned out!

I also made Joji's Lantern Lights hat for my new niece (my nephew's new wife):

Lantern Lights

This hat also has a nice texture and I made a slouchy version that I think will be very comfortable and will look good.

Finally, I just finished my At Dawn shawl also designed by Joji:

At Dawn

This shawl will be a gift for one of my other nieces. Grace is doing her first modeling gig with this shawl, sitting under the hammock as I took the picture. She's a little too hyper at this point to do more direct modeling for me, but I think you'll be seeing her in knitwear soon!

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Nancy

Grace's First Birthday!

 Hi all -

Yep, Grace turned a year old today! She's no longer a puppy so I'll be expecting big things from her! 😆 Sorry I don't have any new pictures of her! I need to find my small camera that I used to take on walks with Lance. It's been probably 5 years since I've used it so it's hiding somewhere. I don't carry my phone on walks since we don't have cell coverage up here and I don't want to lose it, so the small camera is great. But, Grace did get her long morning walk with a ball, got more ball throwing in the backyard, got a little brushing and ended fun time with catching meatball treats. Definitely a good day for her! She's napping now....

I've been working away at cowls for Cowltober. I finished the Peeping Cowl designed by Joji Locatelli. This cowl will be a gift for my sister for Christmas:

Peeping Cowl - full length

Peeping Cowl - like it will look when worn

This will be a great gift for my sister who takes her dogs to the dog park every morning at 5:00 in Kansas City. It's going to be getting cold there pretty soon! I ended up having not quite enough of the purple yarn to finish the cowl. I could have used the dark gray for the last section rather than the purple, but I really liked the look of the purple on both ends so I ordered another skein of yarn instead. I ordered several colors of the yarn to get the free shipping, so I'll have more choices available when looking at other projects like this in the future. It's nice to be able to start some new projects on a whim without having to wait for yarn to arrive!

I also made a To infinity and beyond cowl designed by Joji Locatelli:

To infinity and beyond

This is a cute little cowl made with some beautiful yarn. The picture doesn't do the colors justice! The top edge is a little wonky in the photo because of my bad blocking job. I haven't decided what I'll be doing with this cowl so I won't bother reblocking it at this time. If I keep it, I won't care about the top edge.

Finally, I made a Fringed Denim Cowl designed by Joji Locatelli:

Fringed Denim Cowl

I don't think you can see it in the picture, but this is a really pretty sparkly yarn. And it knitted up really soft. I've decided to keep this one for myself! It's a little shorter than the pattern because I only had enough yarn for 4 full repeats rather than the 5 called for in the pattern. I could have put in a shorter fifth repeat, but I liked the length that it was already. I haven't blocked it yet, but blocking will make the cowl a bit longer and will open up the lace pattern. For the knitters out there, I knew that I didn't have enough yarn for 5 repeats without wasting time knitting and then frogging (unknitting - rip it, rip it) by using a scale. I measured the remaining yarn after each repeat so knew how much yarn it took for each section (just over 22 grams). Since I only had 19 grams left after the 4th repeat, I knew I couldn't knit another full repeat. Another tip for knitters is that this cowl started with a provisional cast on so I could graft the beginning edge to the ending edge to get a clean, invisible join. I used a trick I learned from Laura Nelkin to create the provisional cast on and the first row of knitting easily using a length of 2mm silicon tubing available from Amazon. This tubing is great for knitters! Here you can see it on the cast on side of the knitting in progress:

Fringed Denim Cowl - progress photo

This is wonderful stuff for the provisional cast-on because it's quicker since you can provisionally cast-on directly on the cord. The cord has stability so it holds the stitches just like a circular needle cord would hold it and it's really easy to to put the stitches back on the needle because the tubing is hollow so you can just push the tip of your needle into it and the silicon material will hold it in place while you move the stitches over. This stuff is also wonderful for using instead of scrap yarn so you can try on a sweater in the middle of knitting to see if you need to make adjustments as you go along and to see when you have things at the desired length, etc. And it's cheap! Only $12 for almost 55 yards of tubing.

Well, that's all I have for now. I hope everyone is doing well!

Nancy

Cowltober Begins

 Hi all -

I hope everyone is doing well. We're doing great here! Grace is settling into her new home. She has plenty of toys (mostly left over from Lance, but she doesn't care):

And she is getting along fine with the cats:

Of course, she also tries to play with the cats, but they aren't fans of that. But they are working things out. We've started going to a weekly dog class to help us learn how to keep her attention when there are other dogs around. She's doing better at that, but still has a long way to go. She's still a couple of weeks shy of her first birthday, so that's understandable. She's doing great on walks and I think we've made some progress on the car sickness. She doesn't throw up every time we go to town anymore, but still does sometimes. We haven't made much progress on the separation anxiety. I need to work on that more, but I feel like we're working on so much stuff that some of these things will have to wait. She's very sweet and smart. And she's also very fast! It's fun to watch her streak through the forest, jumping over logs as she goes!

As far a knitting goes, October is Cowltober. Every year, one of my favorite designers, Laura Nelkin, celebrates October with a Cowltober knit-along. This year is no different. All of her cowl patterns are on sale all month and you have a chance to win a prize if you post pictures of any cowl (by any designer) that you are currently working on. This fits in well with my Joji Locatelli fall knit-along since October has a special mini-challenge where you two chances for a prize if you are working on a one-skein cowl or shawl project. I'm doing a lot of double-dipping for prizes, while making a lot of progress on my Christmas presents! Laura also has a mystery cowl knit-along starting on Oct 13. I have purchase my yarn and am ready to go when the first part of the pattern drops!

My first cowl for this month is the Paris in Berlin cowl designed by Joji Locatelli. I've already finished this one:

Paris in Berlin

Paris in Berlin side view

I love how this turned out! You can see the texture of the knitting better in person. The construction of this cowl fooled me a little. You start by knitting a triangle, then join two of the points of the triangle and knit the rest in the round. 

Paris in Berlin beginning triangle

So, in. my mind this meant that we were starting the cowl from the bottom point, but the shape of the triangle didn't work for that. It turns out that you are starting at the top of the cowl and the beginning triangle pushes the rows to be at a diagonal as you move down the cowl. It gives the cowl a very nice shape! This cowl will be a gift for one of my nieces.

I also started another one-skein shawl for this Joji mini-challenge. This one is the To Infinity and Beyond cowl designed by Joji Locatelli:

To Infinity and Beyond

I've just started this cowl and have made it through the first of the five repeats of the pattern. It's made with a beautiful yarn from Malabrigo. They have such beautiful colors! I'm not sure who will be getting this cowl.

Finally, I've also made a lot of progress on my Peeping Cowl designed by Joji Locatelli:

Peeping Cowl

This has been a background project for a while, but it's getting close to being done. I have one more striped section and the final border to go. As you can see, this is a really tall cowl that is worn bunched up around the neck to provide a lot of warmth. And it can also be pulled up over your mouth, nose and ears if it's really cold. This will be a gift for one of my sisters who takes her dogs to the dog park every morning at 5am. It can be pretty cold in Kansas City in the winter at that time so cowls like this can be very useful! And the yarn is a superwash merino/nylon mix so it should survive when she puts it in the washer and dryer, which she inevitably will do even if I tell her not to. So this should be perfect for her!

I also started the Stephen West mystery knit-along. I don't have any pictures to show because some people thought that the geometric design reminded them of swastikas so Stephen appropriately redesigned the first part. I had started on the original design, so need to start over with the new design. I'll share that once I get restarted.

That's all I have for now....

Nancy

Several Shawls

 Hi all -

We're moving into fall here with the aspen leaves turning. The leaves are dropping now, but I've really enjoyed their beauty! We've been having some unusually warm weather, but it's supposed to cool down a bit next week. We even have our first chance of snow for the season on Tuesday night. We usually have a small amount of snow sometime in September, so it looks like we're having a late start. I'll have to get my winter tires soon!

I've been furiously knitting away on my project for the Joji Locatelli Fall Knit-Along. I finished my Echoes of Color shawl. This isn't a very good picture, but it shows the shape of the shawl and you can see the fringe on the bottom edges:

Echoes of Color

This picture shows the color and design better:

Echoes of Color close-up

And this one has the best representation of the colors:

Echoes of Color close-up

I really love how this shawl turned out! I think the colors are gorgeous! This is from my favorite color palette -- caramel with jewel tones. It's going to be a gift for one of my sisters.

I was also able to complete a second shawl -- Pure Joy:

Pure Joy

Again, not the greatest picture, but the close-ups show the details better:

Pure Joy close-up

Pure Joy close-up

Pure Joy close-up

I wasn't sure how these colors would work together, but I really love how they turned out! For those of you who are knitters, I didn't quite make this shawl correctly. The pattern uses short rows for the shaping and I misunderstood what method was supposed to be used, so I used German short rows instead of wrap-and-turn. While each method is valid for short rows, there a bit of a difference in how you count the stitches so my short rows ended up a little shorter than they were supposed to be. That means that the wedges are a little narrower and shorter than they are supposed to be on the end where they all come together. But I stayed consistent in how I did things and nobody will know about the mistake but me. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this shawl or give it to one of my nieces. I love the color combination, but I'm not sure if any of them will.

I've also started a third shawl -- At Dawn:

At Dawn

This shawl also uses short rows for the shaping, but this time I'm doing it correctly. It's hard to visualize what the final shawl will look like at this point, but it will end up as a mirror image where the mirrored side will be the darker color with light colored stripes. This will be a gift for one of my nieces.

In the background, I've also made progress on my Peeping Cowl:

Peeping Cowl

At this point, I've pulled in all four colors that will be used in the cowl. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the darker color in the stripes on the top is a dark gray and not the purple that is used below. I have two more solid sections (in each of the grays) separated by two more striped sections, then there'll be some ribbing in the purple to finish off the cowl. This will probably be a give for my other sister.

That's all of the progress I've made so far. October has a mini-challenge for making one-skein cowls and shawls so I'll switch gears tomorrow and start another cowl that uses a single skein of yarn. I also have a couple of mystery knit-alongs starting up next month. First, Stephen West starts his annual mystery shawl project on Oct 5. He's an incredible designer who specializes in very modern designs with an incredible use of color and interesting techniques. This will the first time I've joined in. Also, Laura Nelkin, who is my favorite knit designer, has a mystery cowl project starting on Oct 13. I'm really looking forward to both of these! We'll see what I have time to get done with all of this going on. My biggest priority is that I'll work on whatever projects bring me joy!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Nancy

Echoes of Color Shawl Almost Done

 Hi all -

Things are going well here. Grace is adjusting to her new home. We're making good progress with her separation anxiety and her fear of the car. She's really settling in well to her new home!

The Joji Locatelli Fall Knit-Along (FKAL) that I talked about last time has started. It lasts for 3 months (Sept-Nov). The basic rules are that you sign up for a list of projects before the knit-along begins. Then, you work on those projects during the 3 months. Projects must be started and finished during that time. Anything you finish gives you a chance to win a prize. There are also monthly "mini-challenges". In the month of September, there's a work-in-pogress (WIP) challenge. If you finish a Joji project that you started before the FKAL during the month of September, you get a chance at a prize (this is the only exception to the "must start 9/1 or later" rule for the rest of the FKAL). All of my prior Joji projects were already finished so I couldn't do this challenge. October has a single-skein shawl or cowl challenge. If you start and finish a shawl or cowl that uses only a single skein of yarn, you get a chance at a prize. These projects also qualify for the regular FKAL prizes, so these will get you two chances at a prize. The November challenge is a holiday knitting challenge. If you finish anything in the month of November that has any relation to a holiday, you get a chance at a prize. So, this could be holiday gifts, something made with holiday (any holiday) colors, whatever. You can start the project in any FKAL month (since it has to be one of the regular FKAL projects), but you have to finish it in November. I'm using the FKAL to make my holiday gifts, so this is the perfect mini-challenge for me! Now I just have to decide if I'll get some projects mostly done then save the finish for November for the extra prize chance or if I'll finish things.....

The first FKAL project I've started is the Echoes of Color shawl designed by Joji (of course):

Echoes of Color

I chose some beautiful Malabrigo yarn for this in my favorite color palette (caramel with jewel tones). I'm making the large size of the shawl, so this is a LOT of knitting, but you are changing colors a lot so it keeps your interest. I'm almost done with the main body of the shawl, then there will be some rows that are knit along the top of the shawl. This is going to be a Christmas present for one of my sisters. I'm thinking that the large size will make it nice to keep by the couch to put over her shoulders on those cooler winter evenings when you need a little extra something while watching TV.

I realized that I also needed a small project to work on outside while playing ball with Grace. Grace loves to play ball and she knows how to do it, but she has some trouble giving up the ball. I play with two balls so I can pick up the one ball while she's chasing the other, but now she likes to drop the ball where I can't reach it from the deck so we have a lot of time where I'm waiting for her to decide to put the ball where I can reach it so I can throw the other ball. A small project is the perfect thing to work on while I wait! So I've made a small start on the Peeping Cowl:

Peeping Cowl

This is a cowl made with 4 colors and has sections of stripes mixed with sections of lace. Here are the yarns that I chose to use out of my stash:

Peeping Cowl yarns

I think this will be a fun cowl! I haven't decided what I'll do with it when I'm finished. I could keep it or give it as a gift or donate it to the homeless shelter.

Outside of the FKAL, I also finally sat down and added the August installment to my Juni Throw designed by Katy Petersen:

Juni Throw

This is the project for the Jimmy Beans Wool Blanket Club, where we get a new skein of yarn and a new piece of the pattern every month. It's hard to believe we are 2/3 of the way through this project! Here's what the pattern for August looks like:

Juni Throw close-up

That's it for my progress this time. It'll be interesting to see where my knitting takes me this fall! Along with the Joji FKAL, Stephen West has an annual mystery shawl KAL every fall. He's a really interesting knit designer from Amsterdam. He makes really colorful modern designs with really interesting construction. I purchased the pattern and ordered some yarn, but will have to decide if I have time to participate. For the mystery KAL, you don't know what you're knitting when you start and you get pieces of the pattern at regular intervals until you have a surprise finished shawl at the end. And now Laura Nelkin, another favorite knit designer of mine, is having a mystery cowl KAL for the month of October. I'd like to participate in that, too. So we'll see where I end up spending my time....

I hope everyone is doing well! The aspen are on the verge of changing colors in my neighborhood so I'm looking forward to some incredibly beautiful walks with Grace!

Nancy