Better late than never

I’d planned on this post going up much earlier than this today, but a quick knitting rescue for my Mother-in-law turned into a very handy shopping trip (if you finish a hat, you should get the ribbon straightaway, before the urge fades) and poof. My afternoon evaporated in the most pleasant way.  (I am not cursed with a difficult Mother-in-law. In fact, she’s rather lovely, and knitterly.) It seems like the days pass so quickly right now, at least the part of the day that’s not candlelit, cozy and… well, rather frankly bad for finished knitted stuff pictures, but Sam had a little time this afternoon, so a quick photoshoot while Nana sipped her tea was in order.

againsam 2014-11-24

I finished the shawl I’ve had on the needles as travel/anything/got a free minute knitting, and I love it. I’m crazy about it.  I’m insane with the desire to keep it just for myself, although it’s a Christmas present, and it’s about to be December, and frankly, this is no time of the year for shawl envy.  I’ll wrap it tomorrow, and get it ready to go under the tree, despite how much I want it – and despite the lingering and quiet belief that I could knit another before I even have a tree.

samlooking 2014-11-24

My Christmas spreadsheet is in great shape, and I can’t let greed screw it up. Besides, I have another skein of this, in a colourway I like even better. So there.  This one though, is a gift, and it’s CaterpillarGreen Yarns shawl stripe, in Concrete and Tulips (the large skein.)

samwholeshawl 2014-11-24

Needle was 3.5mm, and the pattern was inspired by the Simple Yet Effective Shawl. I did garter stitch when the yarn was grey, and stockinette when I hit a colour.  Simple, yet effective, indeed.

samlookingup 2014-11-24

I love it, and I want to keep it, and I think Sam (still the worlds preeminent knitwear model) agrees.

(PS. I have twelve ornaments finished, and 6 days to go. The heat, as we like to say, is on.)

82 thoughts on “Better late than never

  1. That’s so lovely, and so is Sam. Can hardly wait to see the other colourway. Makes me think I could almost do this.

  2. The reality is, you have 6 + 12 days to get those ornaments finished — at least in my universe, only one advent calendar box per day is opened….

  3. I’m not a shawl knitter, but I jumped at the chance for a skein of CaterpillarGreen’s shawl stripe because I could instantly envision a rectangular baby blanket with stripes that increased in thickness with pleasing regularity. I am so excited about it I’m pretty sure I’ll cast on as soon as the yarn arrives, despite not actually having a baby recipient in mind.

  4. Pingback: Better late than never | Yarn Buyer

  5. I’m going to stop clicking on your linky’s to yarn sites. It always feels like buying a scratch off lottery ticket (I get so excited) and let down afterwards when I realize that I’m just always a loser.
    It is really pretty though. I’m sure someone will get lucky, it’s just not going to be me. ;(

    • Same here; I’m never quick enough in clicking through. At least some of the yarn sites have provisions to pre -order for the next batch that is dyed, but not CaterpillarGreen’s.
      Sigh.

  6. What a beautiful shawl! I love the yarn used for it. If they weren’t all sold out, I’d be buying some right now! Thank you for sharing this project. I can understand why you want to keep it. 🙂

  7. Beautiful shawl and a lovely model! This colourway is wonderful, but I must say the “Olive Branch” calls my name. One day, it shall be mine, once all the fuss you’ve created (heh heh) has died down a bit. Best to you and yours!

  8. You know, you don’t HAVE to have all the ornaments knitted before December 1. There will still be 24 days until Christmas, you could add them as you finish them!

  9. Is the heat on? I was thinking of you this year as we decided to turn on our furnace rather than use the wood stove. We would have held out longer except we have some elderly cats with health problems that need heat. I know, excuses excuses!

    So, who won? Who turned on their furnace (if it’s cold enough) first?

  10. I’m sure someone else has mentioned this but…

    You don’t have to have all 25 ornaments done by December 1st. You just have to have all 25 done by December 25th, so even if you squeak number 25 out on Christmas Eve, you’re still ahead!

  11. Lovely shawl. I like the idea of alternating garter stitch and stockinette; I’m sure it would also be lovely if you alternated one of those with moss or seed stitch.

    And it looks like the weather there was cold enough that Sam appreciated what warmth the shawl provided. Too bad it wasn’t a thick scarf made from bulky-weight alpaca!

  12. Yes, Sam is the world’s pre-eminent knitwear model – what a stunner. That shawl looks like such the ultimate stripey item to knit…hmmm,

  13. You can doooo eeeet!!!! (and as usual, when you feature a new yarn, it’s impossible to get any! LOL You did that to us with Dark Side of the Moon, and I’m STILL trying to get a skein of that!)

  14. Call me a lucky girl – I preordered Concrete and Tulips AND was able the secure a Peacock Shawl. Early Christmas for knitters 😉

  15. Have you considered letting a yarn source know in advance that you’re going to feature their yarn in your blog? I know you’re a modest person and it might seem arrogant to you (“I’m about to mention your yarn and all my groupies will snap it up!”), but let’s face reality, here. I’m sure these vendors are pleased, but wouldn’t they be even more pleased if they had a chance to stock up so they didn’t run out so fast?

  16. Oh DEAR. Now I want to badger Caterpillargreen Yarns in a most impolite fashion to get busy with the dyeing and send me all their colorways pronto.

  17. I’d simply like to state that as long as you are a day ahead on your countdown to Christmas ornaments you are golden! No stress, you don’t have to have them all done by day one, because you only put up one ornament per day. You’ve so go this! Enjoy your holiday.

  18. As the others have said, Sam is simply lovely (as are all of your daughters) and the shawl is fabulous.
    Any chance I might purchase the owl hat pattern you posted several days ago? I would love to make one for a special little boy’s Christmas gift.

  19. Sam looks great in it. Just sayin’. That’s your tree it’s going under, right? Well, okay, whoever it’s for, they’re going to love it like we all do now. Gorgeous.

  20. Sam is going to have a portfolio most models would die to have! She is so good! Love the shawl and the colors another yarn to add to my wish list. I look forward to seeing all the lovelies that you have made and cannot photograph sometime later not to mention all the little ornaments on the tree. A truly lovely idea!

  21. Christmas spreadsheet, really? Let me put in a quick plug for an incredibly easy project-management thingie which has totally changed my life over the past year: http://www.trello.com (my personal and professional lives both) Here’s for instance a sample board for the dreaded christmas shopping: http://blog.trello.com/the-countdown-has-begun-holiday-shopping-with-trello/

    I don’t put myself through this sort of holiday hassles, but I’ve started using this exclusively for my sewing planning. Mostly because I can put together photos of fabric and pattern together, and get a very quick glance at what I’m planning, doing, done with. Way beyond just text.. Just saying :-).

  22. I like everyone else was “damn that YH . . . Caterpillar Green is sold out of EVERYTHING . . . ” But truly, I am supposed to be on a yarn diet.

    Beautiful daughter and shawl. I would have shawl envy too at this point.

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  24. Pingback: It’s A Kind of Magic | whendidibecomeaknitter

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