Thoughts to Weave

Last post I promised you a guest writer ~ someone very dear to my heart. I have known him my entire life. When I was growing up and other people would ask who my hero was, I always replied "My brother!" He has it all: he is handsome {when we were growing up girls offered me money for his pictures.. but I would not let them buy any. Naturally this made them want them even more!}, he is intelligent and he has a great sense of humor. {Sorry ladies, he is married!} When he sent me the following, I immediately shot back with an email asking, "May I please post your list?" Being the Dear Brother {DB} that he is, he wrote back granting his permission. Before you read his thoughts, take a moment and read my description of As the Wool Turns at the top of my blog and the quote I have at the bottom of my blog. Now without making you wait any longer, I present to you:

Thoughts to weave.....

1. The whole world is a ball of wool. Be careful how you weave it.

2. Life's tapestry waits for no man.

3. I was spinning and weaving when a bead got in my eye. I woke up and found I had pulled the wool over my eyes.

4. As the wool turns I sat on a knitting needle.

5. Wet wool is hard to love.

6. Every person has a thread to weave, discovering yours is wet can be the pits.

7. Every person has a thread to weave, discovering yours came from an ugly sheep stinks.

8. The spinning stops here.

9. Growing up as the Knitted Zebra's brother, I could always tell when she was mad at me. At Christmas I would get a sweater made from steel wool.

10. Don't weave while driving.

signed The Knitted Zebra's Brother

Thanks DB!!

I hope you will leave a comment to let him know you enjoyed his thoughts. I want to entice him to write more for us!

Carpe knitting,

KZ

Dishing up a Birthday Gift

I was all set ~ is that akin to "It was a dark and stormy night!" You know something is coming that changes your plans and you can almost hear the music playing.... My DIL (Daughter-in-Law) picked out a shawl for me to knit for her birthday. After much thought and deliberation, I chose Suri Dream Hand Dyed {74% Suri Alpaca, 22% Wool, 4% Nylon} from Knit Picks and cast on. I love the yarn but as I began to knit, I decided this was not the project for that yarn. I will find the right project for the Suri Dream, I promise. It will have a purpose in my yarn stash.

I had been eyeing Tapestry by Rowan and knew I had to make something with it. I decided this was the project. Tapestry is described as "a subtley self striping unique blend of 70% wool and 30% soybean. It is warm and soft and has a soft gentle drape." That sounded very cozy to me! I chose Colorway #171 Rainbow:

and planned to do the fringe in Venezia Color by Lang Yarns in Colorway #159 which blends so beautifully with the Tapestry yarn. {...notice the past tense.}


I was all set {there's that music again!}...


After playing with the pattern and becoming more comfortable with it, I decided perhaps the pattern was not quite what I should do at this time. Some friends from Naturally Needlepoint and Knitting (NN&K) had knitted patterns by




{Click on the Fiddlesticks logo above to go to the Fiddlesticks website.} It did not take long for me to decide to knit the Triple Mohair Triangle (two friends have knitted it). Here are some of Fiddlesticks' pictures of the shawl I am going to knit:







Raise your hand if you have ever changed your mind on a pattern and then you need ....drum roll please.... more yarn! ...insert trumpet sound!...



I was able to find more Tapestry in the chosen colorway, but previously had only needed one skein of the Venecia Color by Lang Yarns. Naturally there were no more skeins of that beautiful blue I loved so much. I do not even find that colorway listed on Yarndex {a clue to availability perhaps?!}


Never fear, Vickie is here! The wonderful owner of NN&K personally pulled some color schemes together for me for the fringe, then took a poll of her very talented and trusted sidekicks and they all approved the choice.



The fringe will be in a blue grey colorway of Lang SilkDream {a 50/50 Merino/Silk blend}




and GGH Soft-Kid Colorway #62.

Yarndex's description says this about Soft-Kid: "Ultra-feminine 'super' kid mohair helps you craft the lightest, most ethereal garments imaginable. Used alone or carried along with another yarn to soften and add a special glow to the finished piece. 70% mohair, 25% nylon & 5% wool. " The colors blend beautifully together. This pattern is more complex than the pervious pattern, but I really the shawls my friends have done. I know DIL will like it also.

I am eager to start on this shawl. Temporarily I have set it aside to work on a chemo hat for Leisure Arts and am running late on the hat. Changing departments at work and working overtime has eaten into my time. I was able to knit on the hat a little yesterday morning and hope to knit on it some tonight. I am using a pattern by a friend of mine. You can see the pattern if you go over to her website Pieceful Stitches, click on Free Stuff and feast your eyes on "Diagonal Rib Hat." I am using Magic Loop technique and having a lot of fun. From day one I have enjoyed using circular needles, so magic loop is "right up my alley."


Carpe Knitting,
KZ