Couple of Coffees

Knit, knit, knit, eeh hee hee!

The last time I knitted with my friend Tara, her son Zac started saying, "knit, knit, knit," then giggling, then repeating the whole thing over and over. Jonathan and I have taken to saying that, too, especially when I get into a project and don't want to put it down.

So, for those such as Tara who are wondering what I'm knitting on the road, the answer is a Noro kureyon hat. It's a new pattern, with an interesting decrease, and it's going to a friend of a friend, who's dealing with chemo treatments. I'm almost done and hope to send it out soon. I love the texture of the yarn and the colors.

Before I left Oregon, I finished up my first felting project (a purse), which has surprised me due to its strap bounciness on my shoulder. It's the road trip purse, and I really like it. It opens really wide for easy access, then cinches back together tightly for security. The gray-green yarn from Nestucca Bay Textile and Supply is beautiful. In hindsight, I should have added an inside pocket before felting it.

I also finished the capelet in Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation, in a silvery gray mohair from Dharma Yarns in Lincoln City. It's light and lacy, but keeps my shoulders warm.

The big summer project, though, is a road trip afghan. I'll buy yarn at different shops around the country, and knit it into the afghan in the order I buy it. My mom brought me some old pattern books my grandma had, when she came out to visit before we left for this adventure. I picked one pattern to use that my grandma used (her pencil marks are on it). I wish I was old enough to want to knit before my grandma died. She was a beautiful knitter, and a very elegant lady.

So far, there's no blanket. But the first skein of yarn is in a ball now and ready to go. It's lemon, lime and cranberry variegated, hand-dyed yarn, from Chautauqua, at the shop at the Red Brick Farm. Then today, I found a navy blue and lime skein from Uruguay at Busy Hands Knitting and Gifts in Ann Arbor. It's color scheme is close enough to the University of Michigan's blue and gold colors to remind me of this beautiful state. Go Blue!

Think of me in Florida next week, sweating as this wool blanket grows on my lap. Maybe by July it'll cover my knees.

posted by Laura the Writer @ 9:49 PM