Comfort Knitting

I am now in the final two weeks of my treatment, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! In the meantime, though, I am still fatigued. After work, about all I can do is knit and listen to All Things Considered. I've finished my first Kindness Shawl in record time. Never before have I knit an entire shawl in less than two weeks.

Clearly, it needs to be blocked! I find shawls that are wide and shallow easiest to wear, so I'll be working on manipulating the shape when I block it. It is KnitCircus yarn, a merino and silk blend that feels wonderful around the neck.

Knitting this shawl was so relaxing that I started a second one as soon as I finished the first.

This shawl is in Ogle Coloration Yarn. She's a Wisconsin dyer, but you can also find her on Etsy. I'm enjoying the second time as much as the first!

Appreciations and Connections

Hello knitting/blogging friends! 

I know that I don't tell you often enough how much I value our friendships. I never liked Facebook and I have lots of worries about all the social media platforms -- but knitting blogs are nothing but joy and fellowship. Truly, hearing about your ups and downs, following your knitting and families, and having your support has added so much joy and comfort to my life.

Here is the Kindness Shawl in process. It is a KnitCircus pattern knit in KnitCircus yarn!

In that spirit, I want to share a few connections I've been thinking of lately. I love Kat's blog. She introduces me to so many patterns that I would not have found on my own. Just last week, she pointed my attention to The Cooler Side of Warm Cowl in this post. I followed the link and was struck by the fact that the designer sounded familiar.  A few clicks later, I discovered the designer owns the yarn store I visited in Montreal. These little connections make me happy!

I would never have learned about Knitvent were it not for Deb at A World of Imagination.

Andi at My Sister's Knitter directed me to Knitting Ventures, where I learned that the author Chloe Benjamin is a knitter. I had no idea! And she lives here in Madison. She is doing some kind of collaboration with Quince & Co. in conjunction with her new book, The Immortalists. If you can figure out the nature of this collaboration, let me know! 

Sometimes, though, I have mixed feelings about all the inspiration I get from you. Over at Lovely Yarn Escapes I learned about the Color Shifting Shawl, made with KnitPicks Hawthorne. Here I am, trying to knit from my stash, and then this lovely and affordable project is dangled in front of me. Will I give in???

One more stash hat almost done!

On the other hand, Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise is helping me stash bust. She introduced me to the Kindness Shawl. How did I miss this? It's designed by Madison's own Jaala Spiro at KnitCircus! As soon as I read her post, I downloaded the pattern and found some KnitCircus yarn in my stash.

Kathy at Compassionknit (don't you just love that name?) is also helping me knit down the stash. Her Project Peace Shawl is so lovely that I think I'll just have to knit one myself!

I could go on and on, so don't think I don't value you if I haven't mentioned you in this post! As a former journalist, I can't let any one post get too long. So, thanks to all of you for being there to cheer, sympathize, and share. You make my life richer.