I finished Shedir before leaving for Thanksgiving and I’m still waiting for someone to take a picture of my head. I tried to do it myself, but it’s hard to see the cable detail in the blurry mess. In the meantime, what better to go with a new winter hat than a new winter scarf?

The design is a mashup of Shedir and Grumperina’s Shifting Sands scarf, tentatively named Achernar. I really liked the sort of swooshing allover-cable look of the Shifting Sands scarf and tried to create a similar feel while preserving the intertwining Saxon braids of the Shedir hat.

(Speaking of Grumperina, her latest is full of knitting porn. Lorna’s Laces! In a gorgeous dusty pink! Knit into a gorgeous sock! *drooooool*)

The scarf will need a good blocking to beat it into submission. Right now it’s curling quite a bit, and the cables are all scrunchy scrunchy. I had to pin it out for the photo so you could see anything. I’m still not completely sold on the proportions of or the transitions between braid and lattice, but I like it enough to keep knitting.

I think when all is said and done, it will be a good medium-sized scarf that’s a notch more sophisticated than the half-dozen uberlong chunky things I’ve knit so far.

Happy belated Turkey Day to all in the US! I suppose it could also be a belated Turkey Day to those in Canada as well.

I am supposed to be on my way to Madison to see the New School Knitting exhibit, a tribute to Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen, at the School of Human Ecology, but alas I am huddled up on my parents’ couch trying to fight off something suspiciously flu-like so I can fly home tomorrow.

Congestion? Check.
Chills? Check.
Sore throat? Check.
Headache? Check.
Two billion other aches? Check.

I’m disappointed, as I really wanted to see the exhibit and walk around the campus I haven’t set foot on since I graduated in 2004. But Mom’s promised me some homemade chicken soup to perk me up, so I’m looking forward to that.

In happier knitting news, I went to Ruhama’s Yarn & Needlepoint on Friday. It is yarn heaven. I will be stocking up on some stuff when I come to visit for winter break, as they have tons of yarn in tons of colors that I can’t get in my LYS back home.

Hope y’all had a good Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Pattern: From Debbie Bliss: The Baby Knits Book
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Highland Wool, #3103, 7 skeins
Needles: Addi Turbos, US 7 (4.5mm)

Itty bitty clothes! I love it! I unfortunately don’t have an appropriately-sized model for the sweater, so you’ll just have to imagine some cooing baby wearing it in Mongolia.

Continue reading… »