Practical (,) Matters

Lately, on a few scattered mornings before dawn, one violent clap of thunder has been waking me up from a deep sleep. That first morning, in that brief moment of reverberating terror, I thought of Mars the God of War. (The mind does jump to conclusions.)  A brief burst of high wind and steely rain followed and then it was over. I opened the window, that morning, and while clinging to the sill for support, I heard the first hint of birdsong that as I listened grew increasingly louder, reassuring my body, with its shaky legs and racing heart, that it was okay to breathe.  

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When I started knitting again, I had visions of chic shawls such as The Rock Island twirling through my brain. That means I definitely wasn't thinking of about knitting dish cloths, but they are a quick, easy and practical knit. As you can see the top one has been well used and the bottom one I finished yesterday. What's so great about these cloths? Well, they hold up under a barrage of bleach and countless washings.

Here's my pattern. You are welcome to use it for personal use, and feel free knit these cloths to sell if you wish.

Uptown Posh Cloth☺

♦  CO 38 sts using cotton yarn with a 4.5 mm needle or a U.S. 7

Set up: 4 rows of seed st. as follows:

Row 1  K1, P1 across row
Row 2  P1, K1 across row 
Row 3  K1, P1 across row
Row 4  P1, K1 across row

Begin pattern.

Row 1   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( p4, k1, p1, k4 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 2   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( p3, k2, p2, k3 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1.
Row 3   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( p2, k2, p1, k1, p2, k2 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 4   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( p1, k2, p2, k2, p2, k1 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1
Row 5   k1, p1, k1, p1 ( k2, p3, k3, p2 repeat 2 more times) k1, p1, k1, p1.
Row 6   p1, k1, p1, k1 ( k1, p4, k4, p1 repeat 2 more times) p1, k1, p1, k1.

Continue in established pattern, 7 more times for a total of 8 times.

Next: 4 rows of seed st.

CO. To finish weave in tails. ♦

 On the drawing board ... ( Darkened so you can see it)  And now I can see a few changes I want to make.

Flora

 As you can see, the blooms of the Sumac match the colour of the Hap Shawl.

I'm on the home stretch on the shawl. Even though I calculated rather well, I thought, I ran out of yarn. O, me. O my!   If anyone happens to have a spare hank of Mithril colourway Sunset at Briere in their stash, I'd be delighted to buy it.

Common Milkweed. Befriend a Monarch Butterfly; if you have room, do plant a sprig.

I'd love to fill an old jug with Cattails.

Wild Tiger Lilies

Fringed Loosestrife

A fabulous tree that reminds me of  the trees that walk and talk in the movies.♥

Flowers speak the universal language.

"The Earth Laughs in Flowers."             -  Ralph Waldo Emerson Enjoy the week!

About Face

The call of the outdoors has kept me from my knitting. But since I'm in the mood to confess, my progress also creeps for another reason.

In the past, when I've decided on yarn for a project, I have always stuck with it. Although I have changed yarn before I began, I do not remember changing yarn once I've started to knit. But since I wasn't enjoying the feel and look of my last two yarn choices, I decided to change the yarn for the two shawls that I already have on the needles. Talk about living on the liberating edge!

                                          New yarn choice for the Hap shawl:  Mithril  

Last weekend I made another trip to the market and came away with a few small items. You may remember this picture from a previous post.

Well the above picture, although not as colourful and, sadly, missing the knitting, reminded me of this wee treasure.

Two old clock keys and a key for a child's toy (?)

I will use some of these old prints for decoupage.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the week!

What a Difference

 Organic ingredients include: kale, parsnips, celery, zucchini, cucumber, apple, yellow beet, peppers, lemon, parsley, and ginger. I generally use half a bunch of parsley, and if I can find organic cilantro, I add a bit of that too...

Shocking Kermit Green Once you find the proper amount of each ingredient to satisfy your taste buds, it's a tasty drink.

Fruit Smoothies another powerhouse drink. Great for breakfast.

Juicing is popular these days for good reason.  Benefits for the above ingredients are as follows: lemon purifies the blood and a two tablespoons of parsley fulfills your Vitamin C requirement for the day. Cilantro reportedly removes heavy metals from the body. Of course, kale is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties. Celery helps to lower blood pressure and the list of benefits goes on and on...

The above produce was for more than one person, but wine glass full is enough. I've been juicing since February and it has boosted my energy. Plus I've been told, it makes your eyes sparkle.
On the flip side, it quickly and completely flattens the kitchen, but I think it's worth it!


 Arrival...

 I'm certain I have enough knitting patterns to last me for two lifetimes.  But I couldn't resist this fabulous collection from NNK. Also enclosed another beautifully printed pattern for a cloche and this cute and clever gauge checker/bookmark.


 Happy Canada Day!!!

And finally to my great neighbours in the United States of America have a safe and Happy 4th!