FO: Stellaria Shawl

I never tire of knitting intricate lace shawls.

It doesn't matter that I will never wear this thing, but it was just so lovely to make, I don't feel like I've wasted any time at all.

It's the Stellaria Shawl from Twist Collective, a beautiful crescent shaped shawl with lacy broad leafs.

I used a bit over 1 skein of Rowan Fine Lace in Revival- a delicate light purplely pink.  It's about 550 yards, and it's a delicate suri alpaca and merino blend.  It's so gossamer and light.  This isn't really for warmth, but for decorating your decolletage.  It was kind of a pain in the ass to knit with- it was grabby, so if I wasn't paying attention, it would knot up upon itself and make a huge bird's nest that would take some deep breaths before I attempted to untangle.

Blocking was a bit of a chore- There's not enough pins in the world to pin out that many points- I think I did a decent job and got it fairly symmetrical.

The first half of this was really easy- it's all short rows back and forth and back and forth.  I had cast on during the train ride up to Glasgow and worked on it here and there during the West Highland Way hike.  By time time I was on the bus back to Glasgow, I had finished the short rows and was ready to move on to the lace, but that was exactly when the flu struck, and I spent the train ride back to London a shivering achy mess and couldn't stand the site of it.

A few weeks later, I picked it back up and finished the lace bit, and finished up in record time.  Sometimes, I just need a break.

The best part?  I found the yarn on sale at Liberty for  £4. 

It will be gifted, but I enjoyed flouncing around with it for a few minutes while planning my next lace creation.

FO: Briar Rose Pullover

While it doesn't get cold in Paris like it does in Maine or even New York, it's nice to have a few really heavy-duty warm sweaters to keep you toasty on the rare day where the temps do dip below freezing.

I reached for a bag of Lousia Harding yarn called Thistle. It's a Suri Alpaca and Merino blend. I took to heart how Pariseins love to wear all black with a bright pop of color and I choose a rather stunning shade of sunshine yellow.

I cast on for the Briar Rose Tunic, a cover girl from Interweave Knits:

I made a couple modifications as I went. I took a full 8 inches off the body, but still ended up with what one might call a rather immodest dress. I decided to put my decreases in the ribbing section on the side instead of in front of it to give it more of an hourglass illusion. Finally, I reversed-engineered the sleeves so I could knit them from the sleeve cap down, and just stop when I run out of yarn. It worked out brilliantly, and I ended up with a long-sleeved sweater with just a couple of yards of yarn left over.

It's so warm and cozy. Once blocked and worn, this yarn blooms and sheds like crazy though, so this is a decidedly outdoor sweater.

I am hoping the shedding stops or slows up eventually. Everything else I wear with it ends up looking like a giant yellow cat has used it as bedding.

I love wearing it though and have done so several times already. It was fantastically easy to make and the cabled yoke detailing makes the pattern.