summer aranami shawl

vanilla custard ice cream with candy sprinkles, sidewalk chalk, bicycle rides, the seaside...I wanted all of these favorite summertime things to be represented in my Aranami Shawl. Therefore, what seems to be some crazy color choices...

...actually makes perfect sense to me! Knitting on this shawl was very enjoyable since I am a big fan of garter stitch when combined with fun colorplay. The only drawback to this pattern were the many yarn ends that required weaving in. The best part was being able to use up some of my knit picks palette stash. If given the chance, I would not hesitate to knit this shawl again using Brooklyn Tweed LOFT. I love the one that Olga made in grey...a winter version might be written in the stars.

(linking up with FO Friday)

things could get ugly

This is the beginnings of Hekla, a cool top designed and beautifully modeled by Cirilia Rose. The construction is pretty neat. You start out by knitting a striped scarf and the rest of the sweater builds off from there. It has been a while since I knitted anything so wildly impractical...this could either end up looking edgy and fun or kind of ugly. Keeping my needles crossed that it will be the former. Either way, I will have a head start on Halloween :)

Leaving you with some pictures of my hydrangeas in bloom. I have a few hours to myself this afternoon so planning on sitting outside with my knitting and taking in the glorious summer weather.



(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

knit.where outfit #8

 

What a topsy turvy week this has been. Too much ice cream and chlorine, thunderstorms and sun. And not enough knitting. Can you tell that school has let out for the summer? Now there's even a (gasp) bathing suit post on this here knitting blog. We are heading out to the pool for a quick swim before another thunderstorm hits. On Monday, I wasted several hours at the mall trying on swimsuits with utterly no luck. Apparently my criteria for the perfect suit (comfortable, modest, slimming) are pretty hard to find. Or I'm just a bad shopper. I had high hopes for the new "slenderizing" swim dresses advertised this season, but they felt like I was wearing a full body cast. A swimsuit should allow one to swim, right? I like the one that I bought last year a lot. It's sporty looking and covers all the right spots. This bolero knitted with Lion Brand Cotton-Ease makes for a nice cover-up.

ribbed lace bolero, calvin klein swimdress, crocs shoes

secret knitting spot

Wanna see my new favorite knitting spot? First we will have to take a short bicycle ride to the end of the island. Past some wetlands...
 

there is a hidden trail...

that leads to a little secluded beach...

Please take a seat...

 Unpack some sparkly, colorful yarn...

Blue Heron rayon metallic

Relax and knit awhile on a shiny new project...

Wave by Kristen Finlay

Too soon, it's time to pack up and leave...

Hope the weather in your neck of the woods is just as beautiful. Next Tuesday is the little guy's last day of school, so this blissful peace and solitude will not last long. We are gearing up for a busy summer full of swimming, bicycling, going to the beach and other outdoor mayhem. Hopefully there will also be some knitting thrown in there somewhere. Otherwise, I will be one tired and grumpy mama.



(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

stacked necklace & knit.where outfit #7

It has been hot & muggy here, with temps in the nineties. Farewell Spring, hello Summer! With the arrival of warmer weather, my knit.where outfit posts might be less frequent since there are less than a handful of knits in my closet appropriate for summertime. With this in mind, I have set myself a goal of knitting lighter weight items that can be worn from now until the weather cools off in September. That is why coming across the Stacked Necklace pattern in Lynn Barr's The Shape of Knitting book was exciting not only for the chance to learn new techniques but also to explore the interesting area of knitted jewelry, which is perfect for wearing year-round.

stacked necklace, banana republic tank, re-rock jeans

I can't recommend this pattern highly enough. It was fast (only took half a day to make), interesting (I learned three new-to-me techniques), and used up stash yarn (Paton's Classic Wool). Best of all, the possibility of re-interpreting this pattern with different types of yarn (linen, hemp, variegated yarns like Noro) is pretty cool. There might also be a way to play around with beads and embroidery...the sky's the limit! Please let me know if you come across any interesting knitted jewelry patterns. Also, I would love to see any jewelry items that you have made in the past...just leave a link in the comments :)