It seems I only post on Fridays any more. Anyway, here’s what I have been up to this week in the fiber arts.
I knit a shawl for my son’s teacher as an end-of-the-year gift. It was the Chastain Park Shawl, and I really recommend it when you need a super-quick, super easy gift. I used size 11 needles and worsted weight yarn in a cotton blend (Plymouth Yarn Bella Colour), which will hopefully be good for Tennessee spring/summer. I cast on last weekend and finished Wednesday, with only a little knitting time each day. I am NOT a fast knitter, nor am I super experienced, so if it was that easy for me then some of you could whip this baby out in a few days. I modified the pattern by going to about 95 stitches in the stockinette portion rather than the 77 recommended. If I did it again I’d hit at least 115 to make it a little larger. But, here it is:
It’s a horrible bathroom mirror pic, but you can see how it fits this way. I like the way the yarn striped, and I like the pattern overall for something simple but still stylish.
In the dyeing arena, I finished up one more preview skein for my Percy Jackson K/CAL kits. This one is named after Percy’s faithful hellhound:
Mrs. O'Leary: black, grey, purple, red
I also dyed up a new regular colorway for the shop. This one was inspired by the Fablehaven novel series by Brandon Mull. Lena is an interesting character. She was born as a naiad but relinquished that status in order to live as a human with her one true love, Patton Burgess. Patton is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting characters in the series and Lena’s strength and bravery is also a significant part of the story. So here is my homage to Lena, in yarn form:
Lena: purple, nautical blue, navy and grey
This particular skein is spoken for, but as always I am happy to take custom orders for this colorway on any yarn base.
Head on over to Wonder Why Gal’s blog and join the rest of the Fiber Arts Friday fun!
Storied Yarns 
What a great shawl pattern. I need to remember to use the mirror to show off my creations too. Love your yarns…as usual.
I’m glad you pick Fiber Arts Friday for your weekly post.
Thanks for sharing the shawl pattern – that looks like an excellent quick gift knit – looks like it could also be used as a really cozy neck wrap.
Haven’t read Fablehaven or Percy Jackson books yet – is it wrong that the gorgeous yarn is making me want to read the books?
Thanks for the comments! The mirror works great when you don’t want to wait for the hubby to take your photo. And I hope the yarns make people want to read the books; I’m all about book enabling!!!
Jessica Cook Visit my blog at http://www.jessecreations.wordpress.com.
Love the colors in your shawl. I’ll be checking out the pattern! Thanks.
I love your colorful skeins! Nice photos of them too. It’s so hard to get good color photos sometimes.
The blue is beautiful! I’m thinking when I go to the Fiber Fiesta tomorrow I’ll have to look for something blue. Thanks for the inspiration and Happy FAF.