I finally finished my latest lace shawl project, a Norwegian inspired pattern called Block Lace, from a pattern book called “Folk Shawls.” This is the first thing I’ve knitted from that book so far.
Here it is all crinkled from the needles, and just draped over the stair railing. At the top of the railing you can get a hint of the pattern lurking beneath the crinkles.
I covered the upstairs guest bed with some rigid foam boards and covered them with an old flannel sheet. The shawl had been soaking for several hours in a tub of cold water and Eculan wool wash. This yarn is a blend of 70% alpaca and 30% silk, so it is very soft and has a beautiful shine.
A couple of hours later, the rigid blocking wires are threaded through the edges and the shawl is stretched out tight, and pinned to within an inch of its life.
Dan helped me with a tape measure to make sure this shawl is as close to square as possible, and the edges were pinned straight. Without his help I’d have taken more than twice as long.
A slightly different angle showing how the color changes with light.
The view from the upstairs window shows how white things are getting outside now that winter seems to have arrived. We have about an inch of snow on the ground now, and it may stay there for a while.
The pattern is very geometric so it was important to try to get it square and the lines even.
What is really neat to me is how the variegated colors of this yarn look like waves in the ocean. So, now I wait until the shawl is completely dry before unpinning it. It is safe from Mishkin, who seems to really like this yarn. I have to watch him like a hawk or he starts trying to eat it. Bad kitty!
Another successful gluten free bread - Cranberry-Orange-Walnut
Back last year when I was still making normal breads, this was one of our favorite combinations of flavors for the fall. It was neat to see this recipe in one of my new books, and when we were in town last week to pick up my new glasses, we stopped at our favorite health food store where they had some fresh organic cranberries. The fates decreed it was time to try this recipe.
A great success! Can’t tell it from the old recipe. Hurray! Time to start seriously exercising so we can eat more of these good breads.