Verona Shawl
Yarn: Morehouse Merino laceweight
Source: Maryland Sheep and Wool 2007, Morehouse Farm knit kit
Needles: Size US 9 circular

It was the simplicity that drew me to this knit: I often need a good stockinette fix, and this one definitely provided it. At 6.5 feet (just under 2 meters) of alternating knit and purl rows, I got just what I wanted. Little did I know that this shawl would have so many stories knit into it…

The yarn is not far removed from the sheep it came from, and that rawness was the thing that appealed to me. The yarn has a great texture, with some small underspun slubs mixed alongside with thinner overspun areas. There are little bits of vegetable matter spun into the fiber, but they are easy to pick out. It is a single ply laceweight, so it is not entirely suited for heavy use and roughness. The actual hank broke a few times on my swift when I was too quick in winding it. Once you have a steady hand and slow the process down, the yarn can handle the winding - taking your time is key. I had no breakage issues while actually knitting the shawl, and it has formed a nice fabric. I doubt there is any danger of breakage now - plus, it is not a bag or a hard-wearing sweater. It will only be draped around my neck to chase off the chill of fall and winter. This simple yarn seems to have memory, staying where you arrange or scrunch it. The deep folds and the shadows cast over them remind me of the Greek sculptures I studied in college: their deep fabric folds were a stylistic element, and were often pointed out by my professors. (I guess it stuck!)

This is my first finished project for this last color triad of Project Spectrum. I have a few other knits on the needles (and in my mind) before the close of this PS cycle. I am thinking ahead about the next cycle of Project Spectrum: deciding if/when we would do it, and how the colors could be structured and grouped. Please visit the Project Spectrum Flickr Group to see some of the ideas and to add your two cents!

In the meantime, I am pining for the days when I can bundle up in my new shawl… autumn cannot come soon enough.

I did not knit as much as I intended to in South America. My knitting was relegated to the long plane, boat, and train rides; incidentally, the plane and train are also where I had to catch some “shut-eye” in order to function properly. So… the knitting progress was slow.

I wound the Morehouse Merino laceweight yarn into four little balls before I left. Tucking them into my backpack, I figured I would come home with a finished Verona Shawl. Instead, I reached the halfway point - two hanks used and two more to go.

The simple stockinette was just what I desired. I did not want to carry around patterns and stitch markers that could go missing or be damaged. (Dropping them in the Amazon River was a very real possibility! and what kind of excuse is “a monkey ate my stitch holder”?) Yet, the rhythm and ease of the stockinette allowed me to focus on meaningful and educational conversations, building friendships, and on observing the wonderful world around me. The laceweight merino is so textural - softly spun, and sometimes overspun in areas. I love the “rawness” of the yarn.

In fact, it was this shawl that Kris saved in the hurried moments surrounding the earthquake. I had left the knit project on the table as I went down the hall to call my mother. A few moments later, the quake happened. As stated before, I was perfectly prepared to never see this project again, as well as our suitcases. During the panic, Kris had spotted my knitting on the table, quickly shoved the shawl into his jacket pocket, grabbed our two suitcases and two backpacks (it was a moment of superhuman strength, no doubt.) All of those bags were quite heavy and he managed to evacuate the airport, go down flights of stairs, and run out onto the tarmac with them in hand. All of this while ceiling tiles were falling around him, and hundreds of people were panicking.

I am so grateful that he grabbed the knitting - when we were reunited hours later, I cried when I saw that he had actually remembered it. No dropped stitches and not one tangle in the yarn. A perfectly in tact, half-finished shawl…

Purple is a great color, and I can’t wait to work more with it this month and next.  Purple has always been on my second-tier of color choices:  I wear it often, but don’t count it among my favorite colors.  However, there are certain shades (usually purplish blues and lavender) that definitely give me pause.  Of course, I will not be limiting myself to purple alone during the next two months!  Brown is one of my favorite colors, and I have a new-found love and understanding for orange. The lovely purple shade of yarn above will be the material for the simple and elegant Verona Shawl, a Morehouse Farm knit kit. The yarn is the laceweight merino, a delicate single ply yarn, that will be lightweight and cozy for the fall and winter.  I can see myself wearing this scarf almost every day!

*Are there any purples that you are pondering?