January 06th, 2019

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!

Kate's shawl

Joanna's Shawl