Category: Knitting

Honey Cowl & Psalm 34

Published on by kountingsheep

 

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together! I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:1-10)
 
 {Honey Cowl
US size 6 needles
My handspun yarn, “Green Gables” 472 yards}

When I was knitting this Honey Cowl, I was reading and praying through Psalm 34 (the first half posted above). I can’t help but think of it now every time I see or wear this project. Usually a specific memory, prayer, season of life is attached to each of my projects–for example, with baby blankets, it tends to be prayers for the new baby. For this project, it happens to be a psalm. There’s just something about working on a project with my hands that helps me remember things, the same way that writing helps me to remember too. More than just yarn goes into my handmade projects.

Peacock

Published on by kountingsheep1 Comment

I have such a backlog of finished projects from over the past couple of months that have yet to make it up on the blog. So since I’ve been in such a mood to spin yarn, I figured I’d start catching up by talking about a Christmas present I made for my best friend and soon-to-be-roommate.

In September last year, I spun up this yarn, as hinted at here. It was my first time spinning Blue-Faced Leicester, and it definitely was a very pleasurable spin, only taking 3 days to make the singles and 2-ply. I always love to see how different the spun up yarn looks compared to the fiber. In this case, it ended up brightening up the colors a bit.

{Peacock
4 oz BFL
Fractal Spun
2 ply, 32 WPI
516 yards
Started 21 Sept 2011
Finished 24 Sept 2011}

I knew that I would be knitting a shawl with this yarn, something with an Estonian pattern to it. I had several in mind, but ended up choosing the Echo Flower shawl, mainly because of the blossom stitch (makes up the main body of the shawl), which I love. It’s the same stitch that can be found in the Laminaria pattern, which was the first shawl I ever made and still to this day my favorite shawl. My bestie always compliments me on that shawl, so I knew I had to make hers with the same stitch.

{Peacock Shawl
US Size 5 Needle
Modifications include leaving out the nupps in the border pattern,
and doing a normal knit stitch down the spine instead of a twisted stitch
Started 24 Dec 2011
Finished 31 Dec 2011}

I used up every last yard for this shawl. I left the nupps out of the border pattern (I dislike nupps, and besides they are yardage pigs [aka use up a lot of yarn]). I was a bit worried as to how the colors would do with this stitch pattern, but I was pleased with how the fractal spinning helped create a nice graduated color effect. And I love how the edging border came out at the end of the triangle! Love that contrast of tight blossom stitches and more openwork lace.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I started this project with my best friend in mind, and that she is indeed my best friend, I would NOT have been able to give this beauty away. The softness, the slight sheen of the yarn, the shawl pattern, everything came out better than I had even imagined.

Up until yesterday, Peacock had been my best spun yarn. More to come on what yarn I now consider my best ever!

PS>We move into our new apartment tomorrow!!!