Just Shy of 6...years

Harvest Time Shawl 10/3/11 

I have had the Malabrigo yarn used in this shawl, since Aine was a wee one. It was purchased in October of 2005. I wanted to make a few pairs of longies for her, but I never did. I am not sure what other plans I had. In the past 6 years, I used some of the orange to make a hat and pair of mittens for Benton. I used the red for a hat for me. Some of the brown was used as well as scraps of the other colors to make a gift for my nephew. The rest I was waiting to use on the right project. I didn't have enough for anything large, but did not want to waste it on something too small.

Finally the right project came. While working on my single skein projects, I came across the Textured Shawl. I noticed that quite a few people had knit it in Malabrigo. It was perfect. The pattern could be customized to my amount of partial yarn skeins(approx 420yds). I also thought the simplicity of it would showcase the yarn well. The yarn is so very soft. If you have never used Malabrigo, you should. It will pill when used in some projects, but it is so deliciously soft.

The shawl came together very fast. I wasn't sure of the color combination, but I am so pleased. It seems perfect for cooler weather. The shawl was quite wonky when I finished due to the difference in the two stitch patterns. It definitely needed blocking. I soaked it today and set it out on the top bunkbed. It blocked beautifully. The lines are fantastic and it is still super soft on my skin. It was a success!

My next project is a stocking for Aine. It will be similar to the one I made for Benton two years ago. It is colorwork, so it requires a bit more of my attention. Since it won't work for park day knitting, I have cast-on another couple easy projects. I am working on a birthday gift as well as fingerless mitts for Eamon (thanks, Ginny and her Yarn Along, for the idea).

While knitting this shawl, I have been listening to The Passage by Justin Cronin. I am about halfway through the book. It is not my typical read, but I find it quite engaging and frightening. I finished Ellis Island, but have yet to get engrossed in a new "real" book. I started The Elegance of the Hedgehog last night, but fell asleep before I made it very far. Too much knitting and not enough reading here!

Next week, I promise to show you Eamon's Pokemon button as well as my February Lady Sweater complete with buttons. Did I mention that I hate button shopping? Buttons can change the entire look of the sweater or finished item. It seems like such a big commitment. How do you decide what buttons complete your projects?