Verona Shawl

For Project Spectrum Cardinal Directions North, and because a lot of stockinette stitch was very appealing to my grad-school-full brain, I knit up a Verona Shawl.



Pattern: Verona Shawl by Morehouse Merino Originals
Yarn: Morehouse Merino Lace in Hemlock colorway
Needles: US 9 / 5.5 mm
On Ravelry



It really was just what I needed. I could knit in class, while reading, when I was writing papers and needed and "thinking break." I've found stockinette is perfect for times like these.



This pattern is just a big stockinette rectangle. I had the yarn in my stash, more than is required (I used five balls, or 1100 yards) so I cast on 100 stitches. If I were to do it again, I might cast on even more - the rolling nature of stockinette means that it's not as wide as I'd like.



Given my desire to have it wider and the fact that I still have one ball of yarn left, I'm actually considering turning it into a L-shaped shawl. I'd do this by shortening what I have now, picking up stitches along one edge, and adding another rectangle at a right angle. This would be some more good grad school knitting. But I've got a few things on the needles to finish up first.

Candy Baby Hats

I picked up some multi-colored, mostly cotton yarn to make a matching set of hats for a co-worker expecting twins.



Pattern: One Skein Candy Baby Hat by Artful Yarns (on ball band of yarn)
Yarn: Artful Yarns Candy in the Lollipop colorway (9366)
Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm
On Ravelry



Interestingly, the pattern is to knit it flat and then seam up the hat when done. I have to admit I didn't realize this - I mean, who would knit a stockinette hat flat? - and I thought it was just the little cord at the top that was knit flat. In any case, I knit it in the round, and finished with an i-cord rather than the nine-stitches-wide top flap per the pattern.

My co-worker was very happy with them, and now has three-month-old twins, a girl and a boy, so I'd say it was a success all around.

FO: Road Not Taken

I showed you this scarf first almost a year ago when I cast it on for easy travel knitting. I finished it at the end of last September (right as grad school started), but it took me, um, 9 months to get around to taking pictures. So, finally, here is:



Pattern: Road Not Taken Scarf by Lisa Lloyd
Yarn: Sundara sock yarn in Burnt Cranberry
Needles: US size 6
On Ravelry

This was an easy, pleasant knit. I found that I loved having a little bit of color to wrap around my face and a little bit of warmth around my neck last fall and winter. I especially loved to wear it with brown and white.



My only complaint is that the scarf curls a little, given the stockinette base and the fact that the lace pattern is three joined columns that easily fold at the joins. A very pretty pattern, though, and the hand-dyed yarn is divine.