Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl

Dear Mom,
One of the knitting goals I'd set for myself this week was to finish knitting this shawlette.
MelissaWhoSpinsButDoesNotKnit purchased this lovely NightFall yarn at SAFF last month, and in exchange for a delicious home cooked Stir Fry dinner for my family of four, I've had the pleasure of knitting this shawl for her.

The Pattern is Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl. The only modifications I made (and the pattern includes instructions for this) was to increase the body of the shawl to make it a little bigger AND to use up as much of this yarn as possible. The yarn is hand dyed to create this gentle, magical change from light to dark within the skein.
Melissa also brought home some Nightfall sock yarn. Again the colorway works itself from a lighter shade to almost black and the sock yarns are packaged with two identical skeins making it easier to create an identical, rather than fraternal, pair of  socks. Those socks are the next on my list of knitting goals for the week- they'll count as my November socks, and the first of that pair is already finished!

I've added SAFF to my bucket list. After seeing Melissa's show and tell and hearing about her trip, I wondered if I would have noticed this wonderful yarn. I would have been attracted to the color, but may not have taken the time to notice how special it is. I tend to get completely overwhelmed when I shop and can easily shut down to the point of not seeing anything. It's like I need extra time to become acclimated to the sensory overload and to quiet all the ideas in my head that squawk for attention like a nest of hungry birds. On a previous little fiber excursion, Melissa and I discovered that we each gravitate to very different colorways. We helped each other see more of what is really there. While Melissa was disciplined enough to "shop outside her comfort zone" while she was at SAFF, I am pretty sure I would need someone there to physically point out what I was missing.

Keep warm! It is definitely feeling like November out there today!

Love,
Kim

6 comments:

Vivika said...

YOU KNIT THAT GORGEOUS SHAWL FOR A DINNER???? She really got a great deal! That is one absolutely perfect piece of needlework.

I need to find a friend who will be so generous with her time and talent. Lucky Melissa. I hope you had caviar and champagne!

Me and My Stitches said...

I'll be happy to make you dinner...what would you like?

Christine said...

Well you and I should never shop together then because we are two peas in a pod. I find fiber festivals completely overwhelming.

I would absolutley let you knit me a shawl like that though! Just tell me where to order the yarn online! ;-)

csndyrn said...

SAFF is a must for me and my daughter. This is our second year going and it is overwhelming. Three full days of classes. Two areas for vendors and the animal show. Tractor show next door for the men in your life if they don't "appreciate" fiber like we do. Love,love the shawl. I actually have a Gingko tree and the leaves are so pretty. She captured it in this pattern so nicely.

Estella said...

What a gorgeous shawl! Love it!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I am actually trying to knit this shawl for my grandma and am so frustrated! The lace pattern does not look like it is supposed to increase sts a bunch, but the yos suggest an increase! Help! What am I doing wrong!

gmgano (on ravelry)