I finished the pink shawl… FINALLY! Geez, it took me six months. I’m so happy that it is completed ’cause now I can gift it!

To celebrate it’s completion, I joined a knit-a-long … sort of. The SpinDoctor podcast is having a knit-a-long – Maine Morning Mitts using handspun. My ‘kinda-sorta-maybe-in-a-way-but-not-really’ participation is to make fingerless mitts with my handspun … but not use that pattern but more making it up as I go along.

But you can’t see ‘em until I’m done.

Really.

Don’t look at me like that.

Well…

Ok … here’s a peek.

I happily cast on for the Show Your Colors/Lavalette shawl a few weeks ago.

When I got to the lace section, things took a turn for the worse. I mean, this is the simplest of lace patterns, but I had to rip out the lace section three time before I could get it to work. If this hadn’t been a gift, I might have just let it go at the second try.

Now it’s going slowly but surely.

I’ve been fighting it. Casting on for more shawls, I mean. It’s not that I’ve been taken over by all the wonderful shawl patterns that have been published recently, it’s that my yarn is being noisy again. It all seems to want to be shawls. I generally try not to cast on TOO many things, but now I think it’s beyond my control.

I have at least four shawls that I want to knit next – all from my stash. So … if I listen to my noisy stash and cast on for these shawls, I will have a total of about six shawls on the needles. I think juggling that many projects would make my head explode. … but all the potential projects that I want to knit are already driving me crazy(er) …

Ok … let’s see…

1. Simple Yet Effective Shawl – on the needles – stalled again because I need the spin more yarn for it. It’s still not big enough.
2. Ulmus – on the needles – almost to the lace edge
3. Show Your Colors Shawl – in that pink Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton. ‘Tis a gift, just took a while to settle on a pattern.
4. Attabi Wrap – Some handspun yarn I just bought cried out to be part of this shawl. I will have to buy some yarn to be a contrasting color.
5. Daybreak – Use the ‘Doesn’t Want To Be Socks‘ Handspun and maybe the purpley ‘Yummy‘ yarn I have.
6. Impatience – A beautiful pattern, perfect for the Dream In Color ‘Starry’ I just bought. … What? It was Romeo Blue. I couldn’t resist.

*looks at list* Omigosh!

Do you see my dilemma? *thinks for a moment* Maybe I will cast on for the ‘Show Your Colors Shawl’ and that will drown out the noise from the other three. But alas, I know that in the end, Resistance Is Futile.

And finally… you didn’t think I’d mention stash in the list above without showing it to you, did ya?

‘Spectrum’ – spun by DebbieB. I’ve admired her spinning for awhile and I finally had to buy a skein.

Dream in Color ‘Starry’ in the colorway ‘Romeo Blue’. Oooo… Sparkles!

Ta ta for now!

I am so happy how my handspun shawl is progressing. I’m pretty much done with the blocks of color and have started the black section. Here’s a peek at the knit-y stripe-y goodness.

There has been a major shift here at saffronknits. But, before I get to that, I want to you show the last yarn I finished.

I had 4 ounces of ‘Cotton Candy’ mini batts from Spincerely Yours

I chain-plied this yarn, being very conscious about the amount of twist I was putting into it and I am very pleased with the results. I’d say this is a pretty woolen yarn as I spun this with a supported long draw. I call it ‘Pink Parasol’. (Inspired by line in The Sound of Music).

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But back to that ‘major shift’. After finishing that last yarn, my spinning mojo went on vacation but an obsession with knitting has taken it’s place. Want proof?

I bought that Dream in Color Smooshy – Visual Purple and made the ‘Simple Yet Effective Shawl‘.

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I saw someone knitting an Ulmus shawl (designed by Through The Loops) at my LYS and went home and started one of my own. I’m using Claudia Handpainted Yarn fingering in the colorway ‘Carousel’ and Koigu Premium Merino in Black, both from my stash. I’m so glad to finally be using this yarn.

My issues with reading patterns reared it ugly head and I misread the chart so my Ulmus is more of a stockinette version. I really like it!

I’ve had to rip out about 16 rows to fix a mistake, but that hasn’t really slowed me down. I still love knitting this shawl.

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And finally, a shawl made out of my own handspun. The very first time I’m knitting with my own handspun. I’m so in love with knitting this, I almost can’t stand it!

Once again, it’s the Simple Yet Effective Shawl. It’s completely in stockinette and I completely love it! (The picture shows the shawl upside down – The navy is the top of the shawl.)

I’m going to knit all of color blocks then add black at the bottom. I’m still deciding if I want the garter stitch edging to be in color or in black.

Ok … enough blogging … gotta get back to my knitting.