May 31st, 2018

From Joanna's desk:

I know it has been too long. Truth be told, I haven’t been reading much and feel rather guilty about it. I started working on The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling a while ago. After 130 pages, I’m still not sure I like it or if I’m just reading out of loyalty to Rowling. I love Harry Potter and her Strike series, but this book… I was forcing myself to work on it. Naturally, this means I was barely reading anything.  After far too long, I have decided to give up and start something new.

Enter Stephen King. Jordan, my darling husband whose battlecry scares the mastodon, likes his writing and thought I would enjoy him too. I started reading The Eyes of The Dragon last week. I’m still in the early stages, but things are looking more optimistic. We shall see how it goes.

On the knitting front, I have been far more productive. Two shawls are finished, along with a pair of socks. A baby blanket has been started and half knit. In an effort not to overwhelm you, I’ll start with the shawl I have mentioned before and leave the rest for another day.
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Mayella is an asymmetrical shawl by Corrina Ferguson. Anyone who knows me probably already knows symmetry is more my thing, but I couldn’t resist. I went a bit more luxurious for the yarn too. Knit Picks Gloss fingering is 70% merino wool and 30% silk and 100% delightful. It is soft with a bit of shine and drape.

Yellow has long been one of my favorite colors, so Honey was an easy choice. Picking a neutral to go with it was harder, but who doesn’t enjoy a nice grey? What I didn’t consider is the amount of contrast between the two. I’ve been reading and researching a bit about color choices for projects. Finished items look best when there is an appropriate amount of contrast between colors. People will take black and white photographs of combinations to make sure that they are not too similar in tone. I haven’t done that with this shawl, but I’m a bit worried they are closer than is optimal. Maybe I’ll try it before I post.

The actual knitting was enjoyable, not too hard but not too easy either. I could listen to podcasts or watch familiar shows with little trouble. I’d say I’ll knit it again, but I’m trying to be more strategic in my project choices from here on out. Maybe someday. I need to figure out how to wear the thing first….