Knitting

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Going on a Knitting Adventure

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clara yarnI’m super-excited to report that I’m spending this weekend at Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas, at a knitting retreat with about 20 other ladies and the Yarn Harlot.

Awesome, right?

Except I still really have no idea what knitting to bring.

It’s unseasonably cold (there may even be snow. Today. In Arkansas.) and I’m wishing I had time to finish that alpaca sweater I started a few months ago and abandoned because I thought this time, for sure, it was really, really spring. But I’m probably taking a sock. And maybe a shawl. I kind of abandoned the fingerless gloves I expected to be working on because of a math error.

What do you knit in front of a knitting superstar?

I don’t know.

I am, for sure, taking this. It’s the first run of Clara Yarn, made by Clara Parkes. It’s beautiful and warm and fluffy and I can’t wait to dive in.

(Incidentally, if you want to follow the hijinks of my weekend I’m going to try to post updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.)

Comments

  1. I go to Mount Magazine in October for a quilting weekend-well it is really 4 days of quilting. I love the place! Great food, great scenery and accommodations are top notch. Have a wonderful time. Make sure your walk up to the highest point-great hike!

  2. sounds like you’ll have a great time.She(Yarn Harlet) is really fun. I have been able to go see her two times now, and would love to be able to do a retreat with her!! Sound like so much fun!!

  4. How fun! I take mindless project to knit retreats- vanilla socks or a garter stitch project.

Have you read?

Knit a Mosaic Shawl Inspired by Mythology

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway). 

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her. 

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed. 

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting? 

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks. 

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along. 

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options. 

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]