Getting into rhythm

The last two months have passed with a lightening speed.... So many things happened! I went to Latvia in August with both my kids - and I did not have time to knit a single stitch while we were there.... The start of the school year, changing the preschool and organizing all other activities for Alexandro took a lot of time and energy. Adriana, who is ten month now, is crawling super fast by now and wants to walk whenever possible. I think she'll walk by herself before her first birthday. So my life is all about kids and house stuff lately.

But, I had missed knitting so badly! I had promised my mom a winter shawlette, and I bought the yarn while I was in Latvia. It's nothing really special, a simple sock yarn and a simple pattern, but I love the color and the texture it gives. It's a small to medium size shawl, so she can wear it as a scarf with a coat and keep her shoulders warm. Here are some pics:

It's simple stockinette with some garter rows and a crochet finishing. I did the flower brooch on a loom, really love that little thingy.

This set me on a shawl knitting spree and I knit a few more:

This one is done with On Line "Lorena" 15% alpaca, 15% mohair, 70% acrylic. This yarn was a little pricey for the high acrylic content in it, but it's really amazingly soft and silky, and it drapes well. I could not resist the colors. :)

Another yarn I bought in Latvia was "Texrena" by Midara. I wanted to try one of these wool yarns with long color changes, and I got really disappointed with Aade Long - it's just way too scratchy! This one is much softer and colors are beautiful. I've knit the "Diamond for a girl" with it, and one skein made a nice small to medium size shawl. Here are the pics:

Diamond for a girl, blocking

All these were quick and pleasant knits, but I don't intend to keep these for myself. I had a cone of beautiful cashmere delivered recently and I am craving another shawl... for me this time. I just need to really think of how will I knit it - the yarn has a slubby strand twisted in and so far I haven't found the perfect pattern for it. It looks nice in simple stockinette though, I'm just torturing myself, since I had a textured shawl in mind.....

My Sunset Shawl

Waterloo Sunset

It all started with yarn....
Around Easter time I was experimenting with some egg dyes and section died some mohair/merino yarn. I was planning a shawl with it, and cast when the ColourMart contest on Ravelry began. I was planning and playing around with stitches creating several versions of patterns, but when I started to knit... they just did not seam right. I wanted something flowing, something with clean, clear lines. So I started all over again and once again, this is designed "on the go"...
 
When I was knitting this shawl, I was thinking of the last year's summer evenings, that we spent near the beach. There is a playground for children, and we usually stay there till it's dark. Watching sunset every evening while listening to the sea and children play is my perfect ending of a summer day and I am so looking forward to do just that this summer, too! Just the thought of it makes me feel happy and puts a smile on my face. One of my test knitters named her shawl "Waterloo Sunset", and I looked up the song.... although this had not been on my playlist before, it surely is now. I'll be quietly singing it while watching my sunset and wearing my shawl...

Have a happy summer!
Inese

Waterloo Sunset - 2

You can find this shawl on Ravelry as "Waterloo Sunset",
a downloadable pdf version is also available here: $6.00 .