Flagel Knitting Files

This is round #2 for my post today.  There is something about my new laptop that simply erases entire hunks of writing without any advanced notice which is irritating to say the least.  This time even the kittens cannot be blamed.  So if this seems a bit brusque, let's just say I am miffed because the first post was a couple of clicks from being published! There was a deadline beating in my head the entire time I knit Waiting for Rain ; it was to be a part of my wardrobe for a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.  It had to be done because it perfectly matches a comfortable pair of walking shoes purchased specifically for this trip.  The picot edging was finished late on Friday night, on Saturday the shawl went for a quick plunge and then was stretched to its limit to show off the wavy lace and by Sunday it was ready for the photos.  These were taken off the second story deck as I stood in the snow.  Yes, it is still snowing in March in the Lower Mainland, much to the chagrin

If you knit the odds are good you know about Knitted Knockers, but in case I have a few non-knitters reading this let me explain.  Knitted Knockers is an organization supporting and promoting breast prosthetics to cancer survivors.  The organization also encourages knitters to create the prosthetic so they can be given to users for free. Mom introduced me to this and I wrote about it here in November 2011.  It was in conjunction with the good works Mom does by knitting baby caps, prayer shawls as well as knitted knockers for her local hospital. From Knitted Knockers website The PBS station out of Seattle does short local interest stories and one recently was about the person who turned the knitting of breast prosthetics into an organized affair, Barbara Demorest.  Barbara had a complete mastectomy several years ago and due to complications during surgery was not able to have reconstruction done.  Her local doctor suggested she check out a website where a free pattern was av

The class at my LYS caused me to start my own Waiting for Rain shawl.  My stash held 545 yards of Meadow Rustic Luxury by The Fibre Company in the colourway of Fennel.  The yarn is 40% merino, 25% baby llama, 20% silk and 15% linen.  This means it is soft yet has good stitch definition. I love this colour, but there was not enough yarn to make the shawl.  The idea of doing the short rows in a different colour and adding the stripes was not only a feature I wanted to do, it was a feature I had to do.  At the start of the class I already had the first garter stitch section completed and could get help from Sylvia McFadden, the designer, with them.  She also helped me locate a yarn to work the short rows since I had nothing in my stash.  We decided Juniper Moon Findley Dappled in the colourway of English Garden would work, even though it was lace weight rather than fingering. I had some skepticism about this lighter weight yarn, but once I finished the first short row

What it is March 1, 2017 already!  Boy time does fly when one is having fun, and by fun I mean applying for Canadian Pension Plan and Social Security (arrrgh) plus preparing for my 2016 taxes for two countries (double arrrgh).  Then there was a trip to Los Angeles and a cruise from there to three ports of call along the Pacific coast of Mexico (yeah).  Finally those kittens, Mike and Mara aka M&M, fill up tons of time. (photos of them later, they are growing)  But that's not to say knitting hasn't been taking place while I have been away. For example, I have been working on a shawl designed by Sylvia McFadden called Waiting for Rain .  There is a personal story behind this selection, with three related segments. Photo by Softsweater Knit When I returned from Minneapolis in December my friend, Jami, had purchased a shawl pattern book for me, Shawl Joy.   The book includes patterns to make six different shaped shawls, including triangular, circular and square.   Some