Summer knits

With only a few weeks left, our busy & fun summer is nearing an end.  We have been camping, to the beach, pool, playgrounds & even took our 1st trip on a plane as a family out to Wisconsin for my Grandmother's 80th birthday.  This trip was timed perfectly with the age of my children... they did wonderful!  I, on the other hand, was convinced that the plane was going down with each episode of turbulence.  I am not new to flying, I spent a bulk of my childhood flying several times per year from Boston to Tampa & back, independently navigating some of the busiest airports on the east coast by age 14.  Ignorance was bliss.  Now as an adult, my nerves are a bit more on edge.  Knitting kept me centered (or at least gave me something to focus on).

For our plane trip I packed a lightweight project that would keep my mind busy, yet rhythmic enough that I wouldn't mess it up.  I chose Susanna IC's Impasto Shawlette using Fresco by Classic Elite.  Fresco is a sport weight yarn made up of 60% wool/30% baby alpaca/10% angora.  It resulted in a light & airy, yet warm product for wearing in the fall.

Knitting a shawl is always a bit of a mystery to me.  While knitting, it is so hard to tell what my finished project will look like with all of those stitches bunched up on my needles.  321 sts on even 40" circulars won't spread out enough to give a glimpse of what they will look like once they are bound off & fall gracefully off of my needles.  This is my favorite thing about knitting shawls: the mystery.

 before & after

 Susann IC is a master designer of all things lace.  I have made a couple of her designs now and love them.  I am convinced that lacework designers were born with an additional section of brain that the rest of us do not have.  It is truly genius how their minds work.

Before the shawl, I finished the giraffe by Susan B. Anderson.  I gave this gift yesterday at a baby shower for a very special cousin who is due to have her baby in October.  This baby's mother is now a nurse, but her first love was animals.  In college she studied animals and then worked at a zoo after graduating with her first degree.

Our family is very excited about this baby... can't wait to meet him or her (and I will also have a real live baby model for all of my baby sized knits not far from home).