For those who are curious about what to do in the case of moths in your yarn, I’ll give you an overview. The larva are really the problem and, like most of us, they do not enjoy extremes in temperature. If I remember correctly, the trick is to place everything in temperatures over 120 F or under 18F long enough to kill them. Depending on where you live and the time of year, that isn’t too hard to come by. The dash of your car in the summer will do the trick. Iowa is cold enough right now, I could just set my stash outside for a few days to get the job done. Hopefully I never have to.

An added benefit of the toss is rediscovering yarn for long planned projects. Hopefully, some of that will get knit up soon.
- Joanna

I decided it was time to provide an update on my reading adventures.

You may note a theme: parenting. We had a baby in October and, although this is my second, I thought a little reading was in order.

I have been going to a breastfeeding support group here locally. Nighttime Parenting was recommended in that group. I highly recommend it as well. There is a lot of guilt that goes on with modern parenting. This book helped relieve me of some of it. It struck a cord. It talks about the basics of baby and child sleep. It talks about the impacts of breastfeeding and baby sleep on mama's sleep. It covers co-sleeping in all its forms and the pros/cons of that. There is a slant. It was put out by La Leche league. But at the same time, it also states that you should do what is best for your household and your baby. He states that ultimately that is up to you. If you are a new parent or about to be a parent, it's worth the read. There is even a section on fathers. 

I finished Girl in Reverse as well recently. It is pleasant to have Kansas City represented so accurately in novel form. We often are not. Of course, it helps that she is from the area. I love that the Nelson Atkins Art Gallery is featured. It is one of my favorite things in the city. The journey follows a Chinese student who was adopted when she was very young as she searches for information about her previous life. It is set during the Korean War and touches on the prejudice that was present in that period. I think that it is a relatively lighter hand than most would have taken on the subject. I did enjoy it. I think I will probably put some of her other novels on my list. I do so enjoy supporting local artists. 

The other books in the stack are works in progress. The Country of the Pointed Firs is a reread. It is one of my favorites. I am reading it allowed to the new little one. It is so beautifully written. 

A short update on the shawl: I don't have a lot of experience with short rows. Instead of flying fast and loose, I put in a safety line. I am glad that I did. After completely section two of the shawl, I had two extra stitches and an odd little hole. So, I ripped it out and am starting over on that section today. 

- Kate 

From the computers of Kate and Joanna:
J: Welcome back to the blog. We have not forgotten.

K: We began last year with good intentions.

J: But, You know… Life

K: Life got one of us pregnant.

J: And one of us an unexpected death.

K: This year we will be better. We promise.

J: We have renewed determination!

K: And new year spunk!! We thought we would start with the knit-a-long we promised you. You voted. We started it on the first with excitement.

J: We set about the fiddly job of starting a shawl. Alas, it was quite fiddly. Too fiddly for the result we were getting.

K: And we gave up. We feel bad. But we found something much better. We Promise.

The Wonder Woman Wrap, by Carissa Browning

J: Isn’t it brilliant! Dorky, in a subtle, but classy way? We stuck with the same yarn we originally planned on using. Kate, why don’t you tell us all about your yarn?

K: I am using one of my favorites Gloss Fingerling. I have knit a shawl with this before. It's pretty forgiving if you have to frog. It has a nice shimmer to it. And comes in loads of amazing colors. I am using Velveteen and Bordeaux. It's a dream. Joanna, What yarn are you using?

J: I’m knitting with something new to me, Diadem Fingering. The rather luxurious yarn is 50% alpaca and 50% silk, making it super soft and sleek with a beautiful shine. It feels wonderful on the hands, but is a wee bit problematic. It splits a bit and does not appreciate being ripped back. I’m sure it will be wonderful knit up, if not in the knitting process. I am using Moonstone and Garnet.

K: Mine by contrast is 70% wool and 30% silk

J: I think we can all agree that silk is lovely.

K: Very lovely.

J: The designer, Carissa Browning, designed the shawl in two sizes. Wee, is the smaller of about 60 inches wide and 11 inches high. Wondrous is larger at 86 inches wide and 22 high. That is assuming you bother with swatch for gauge... which I did not. I don’t think either of our yarns match the pattern... clearly we are the sort of females to play it a bit fast and loose.

K: We love to live on the edge. I am doing the wee.

J: I am doing the wondrous.

K: This is our second Knit-a-long

J: Let’s hope it doesn’t take as long.

K: Three years on a shawl would be a bit much.

J: Yeah, if it took that long I would have some serious questions.

K: We often have a bit of... knitter shiny object syndrome. But we will be dedicated and focused. Also this is a super cool shawl.

J: I am very excited! This shawl has been on my mind for quite a while. I’m kinda digging out less conventional color choices.

K: I love being being nerdy in unconventional ways. Should be fun. You will also get a lesson in contrasts. Joanna knits tighter than I do as a general rule. And the differences in yarn choices will be fun to see.

J: You might be wondering how we are running this knit-a-long. We will knit together and apart, checking in at the end of each pattern section.

K: We will update you on our thoughts regarding the pattern, the yarn, and our overall feelings regarding the project

J: If you’d like to follow us more closely, we have an option for that!

K: Instagram!!

J: Stay tuned for more because IT WILL HAPPEN!