FishyKissKnits

The Waldorf Fair

I just got back from Calgary, visiting my daughter Belinda who has been working diligently at her art producing gorgeous paintings, card reproductions, magnets, lazy-susans, picture frames and a spice rack - all of which we carted and set up at the Waldorf fair.  It was a wonderful, though exhausting experience.  I helped her set up the day before which took several hours; sat with her through the fair, selling her wares; and finally helped her with the tear-down.  We treated outselves to a wonderful dinner of Vietnamese food at Lemongrass when everything was over, and boy did we ever deserve it.  She wound up doing so well.  A definite 'yes' for next year.  Here is a photo of the 2 of us behind her booth, along with thumbnails of some of her paintings.  The links are for her flikr site as well as her etsy shop.  In addition, this link is of gallery of Bel's art put together by someone who is inspired by her work.  If you're looking for something interesting and different, take a look.  You won't be disappointed.

 

GIFTED

Eileen looks great in her new shawl.  I gave it to her tonight before we all went out for dinner.  She spent a lot of time figuring out which way she likes to wear it.  Looks so nice on her whether over a jacket or coat, or just over a t-shirt.  I'm sure she'll get a lot of use from it, and the colour works for her so well.  Here are some shots of her wearing it, along with one of the 2 of us (me in my Clapotis (Ruby Port, Sundara ASM).

TWO ON THE BLOCKS

Here's a couple of photos of the Citron shawls I've been posting about.  They are both drying as I write this.  The purple one took quite a lot of effort because I added a row of picots during the cast off.  This created a huge undertaking for the blocking, as I wanted them to be prominent in the finished shawl.  Took about an hour to pin them prior to soaking the whole thing.  The red one was very easy to block.  The ruffle was a piece of cake compared to the purple one - I just used my fingers to crimp the folds into place.  Neither shawl is stretched in this process.  I wanted the fabric to be as close to the way it was during knitting as possible.

Citron, Citron, Citron .... gotta love this pattern.

Another Citron, by Hilary Smith Callis, almost finished.  What attracts me to this pattern is:

a.  It's simplicity and beauty.

b.  It's dummy knitting - great for watching TV, or reading a book.

c.  Looks great in almost any yarn base.

This one for Eileen's birthday gift.  Hopefully it will cheer her up, as she hasn't been feeling very well lately.  I worked on this during vacation, and ran out of yarn.  Checked my online stash and found out that there is another skein somewhere hiding out in my stash.  Gotta wonder when the stash gets so huge that there is no way to keep track of it mentally.  Anyway, it's a relief that I can complete it this week, block it, and give it to her on the weekend.  Photo shows project still on the needles, just before the final cast off row.  Worked in Sundara sock yarn, Limited Edition colour That's What I'm Doing.  I'll be just touching the 4th skein to finish up.

INSPIRATION - A RAINBOW OF SOCK YARN

After visiting Great Balls of Yarn, the local yarn store here in West Palm Beach, during our vacation,  I came across this wonderful group of sock yarns called Denali by Pagewood Farm in so many gorgeous colours that I just couldn't resist the temptation.  I've been thinking about making something along the lines of the Barn Raising Quilt by Shelley Machie & Larissa Brown from their book Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together.  Here's a photo of the skeins of yarn in some sort of colour order, and also a photo of the quilt that I just cannot stop thinking about, knit by SenoraFuerte (RavID).

ABC123 BABY BLANKET - Complete with Baby Block

The project has been complete for a bit, and sent off to Sundara awaiting the arrival of her first baby.  I heard from her today via email, and she was thrilled to receive it.  I now have to finish writing up the final draft of the pattern before I put it up for sale.  All proceeds will go to The Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.  Pattern will include the baby block as well.

I enjoyed this whole process so much.  The enthusiasm which it generated in our Ravelry group, Sundara Yarn Love, was tremendous.  Everyone was so generous with their time and their yarn.  Without the 39 women who participated in the blanket (I was the 40th) and the 6 women who contributed to the baby block, the whole project never would have happened.  I was encouraged by everyone from the start, and that kept me going, especially when the assembly began to be overpowering.  I would definitely be up for another group project at some time in the future.  It was a wonderful experience.

A Citron Shawl for Wendy

I took a short break from the finishing of the ABC123 Baby Blanket to make a Citron Shawl by Hillary Smith Callis for my good friend Wendy.  She is about to go on a cruise, and I thought that this would be good for her to throw around her shoulders when it's cool.  I used Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino, in colour Viola (1 skein) and Sundara Fingering Merino Cashmere in colour Plum (1 skein) to make 7 complete rounds of the pattern, which is 2 more than the original pattern calls for.  I love the way it turned out, and am posting these photos prior to blocking.