Help for Haiti - Brandywine

Just a quickie post. I casted on the Brandywine Shawl last night. The pattern is lovely, but the purpose behind it is even more so. Rosemary Hill, the designer, is hoping to sell 10,000 copies of this pattern and send $5.00 of each pattern purchase to Haiti Relief. I encourage everyone to purchase a pattern, even if it's not something you plan on knitting right away (although, I can't imagine why not...this pattern is beautiful!). It's for a great cause and every little bit will help.

Here's the beginning of my Brandywine Shawl. I am using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Figue Colorway. I LOVE this color and wish I could get my hands on a sweaters worth of this color.

Mushroom Citron

I've been busy. I've been working, almost exclusively, on Citron. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am knitting this for Lisa from Wabi Sabi Yarns for her to display in her booth at Stitches West. It's been a challenging project, because it's made with very thin laceweight yarn. It's fun, though. The yarn is very soft and lovely to work with. I definitely plan on using it again for another project. Here's a pic of my progress. It's kind of smooshed up on the needles, but I can't pull it out to show you more, because I am afraid all those tiny stitches are going to slide of of those needles! Hopefully, I will be done with this very soon. I may even try to make another one. It's a very simple pattern. Really nice. I can see making this pattern multiple times in different colors. It's a great shawl/scarf that can be worn a multitude of ways.

Better late than never, right?

Maybe it's the rain. The photo above is the view from my living room window. It's been very rainy here in Southern California. I think it's making me a bit lazy. Maybe that is why I haven't updated this blog. I have already broke my promise to myself that I would not create this blog and then let it languish for over a week. I hate when I find a blog or podcast that I like, I start following it and then I go back and it hasn't been updated for an extended period of time. I know that it's silly, because a blogger or podcaster does not owe anyone a post or an episode at regular intervals, but it's fun to look forward to seeing/hearing what's next. I was at our local Knit Night at Panera Bakery, hanging out with a few of my knitting friends and one of them told me she had read my blog. I said, "I need to update it" and she said, "Yeah, you do." I guess I didn't realize anyone was really reading it. So.....even if it's just to prove it to myself that I can follow through on this promise, I'm going to really make the effort to post something, anything, once a week. Maybe more, if I'm feeling kind of wild!

I do have some knitting news. I discovered some new yarn. W

abi Sabi yarns...gorgeous! I hadn't seen them in person, but you can tell from the photos that this yarn is something special. Lisa, the owner of Wabi Sabi Yarns, will be exhibiting at Stitches West this year and I am so excited to see her yarn in person. I bet I will be coming home with some. I'm also knitting a sample for her booth. There was a call for test knitters on her Ravelry group and I responded. I am knitting up a Citron shawl out of her new 50/50 silk merino blend laceweight yarn. It is so pretty. The color is named Taupe Blend, but it's a very complex taupe/lavender with hints of some olive tones. It is really lovely. I am on a deadline, so I will be spending most of February knitting this. I am really nervous about knit

ting this, because I want to do a great job. I know I can do

it, it's just kind of scary. Stay tuned!

Work has progressed on Tea Leaves Cardigan. I'm almost done. Just one more sleeve and one button band and it will be finished. Other than blocking, of course. The Madelinetosh Merino is a dream to work with. It's so buttery soft. I love it. The only drawback, well two drawbacks, is that 1) it tends to pill, but every non-plied merino will do that and 2) the yarn is so hard to find right now. I heard that the supplier of the merino is backordered, so a lot of online stores are also backordered on the product. Hopefully, the issue will get resolved and we can all get our fair share of this gorgeous yarn. I think I may want to make somewith with the Parchment colorway. I made a hat for my daughter with one skein of that colo

r and it is really beautiful.

This has been a really easy, low stress knit. I can see myself making another one in Tosh Dk or something similar.

And, just for your viewing pleasure, Tosh Merino Light in the M

olly Ringwald colorway. Don't you just love the name? I was in my heyday when The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles were showing at the cineplex. I love Molly Ringwald and when I saw this yarn, it had to be mine. Currently it's not in the regular lineup of Madelinetosh colors, but I am hoping it will make its way into the permanent collection. I think this would be a really cute Peasy or, how about a Molly Ringwald made out of Molly Ringwald??

Okay, have to run. It's Winter Formal tonight and I have been enlisted to expertly apply makeup to a group of 17 year old girls. It kind of reminds me of Pretty in Pink. All that's missing is Ducky.