Even though it was a bit windy in New York over the weekend, the weather could not have been more perfect for the debut of my latest FO. Those of you who subscribe to the newsletter will be happy to know that my French Cancan shawl was finished and dry in time to wear to Jess and Kip’s wedding brunch with my springy ModCloth dress (see blurry selfie here). I ended up pulling an “all-knitter” to complete the knitted on edging (and can I just say that Comedy Central has some really questionable commercials on in the middle of the night?).
The yarn, Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in Grapefruit, was the perfect spring color. I fell in love with it last summer, when my parents were heading up to Canada on vacation. They brought home a bunch of skeins of Tanis from a yarn store in Nova Scotia, including two skeins of Grapefruit. TFA is a husband and wife team based out of a small home studio in Montreal, so using the yarn with the pattern by French designer Mademoiselle C was fitting.
While knitted on edgings look elegant, they are not the best idea when you have a deadline — even a self-imposed one. I had plenty of yardage, so luckily I didn’t have to sweat it out at the very end playing Yarn Chicken. I enjoyed seeing the cabled French braid border slowly emerge and the shawl blocked out beautifully into a crescent, with very little pinning necessary. I don’t think I would have had the energy left for more precise blocking, anyway! I’ve never knit a DK-weight shawl before, but it was perfect for weather in the 60s. I almost don’t want it to get warmer. Almost.
In March, I was also getting ready for winter in Australia. My brother, sister-in-law and two nephews, including one-month-old Koby, live just outside of Melbourne, so knitting for the new baby also meant preparing three-year-old Liam for the impending cold. And while they generally don’t have to deal with Polar Vortex-type conditions, a nice DK-weight hat is a good thing to have with the area’s infamous changeable weather.
I had long been meaning to try out Berry Colorful Yarnings, one of the first dyers on Indie Untangled, and so I asked Michelle to dye up some superwash DK in one of her brightest blues. The MadTosh Mourning Dove I used for last year’s hat brought out the icy blue of Liam’s eyes perfectly, and Michelle’s Bright Blue also helps them pop in a different way. While Koby has some time to grow into the cardigan I knit him with yarn from my Tanis stash, Liam has rarely taken off his Gather hat. I’m sure the incredibly soft yarn Michelle dyed up has something to do with it. I think he has a future as the next Indie Untangled spokeskid.
One Response
A beautiful hat modeled by a beautiful kid!