I knit a shawl!

A whole shawl! The Heavenly Shawl, to be exact. I used about a skein and a half of the Solitude light worsted hand painted yarn that I got at the Dupont Circle Farmers’ Market. The yarn is a more sticky wool—probably not the typical shawl material, but I love it. (I just won’t add any fringe.) Want to see it?

Isn’t it awesome? The colors are like the mountains turning to spring, with the bright green of the new leaves contrasting against the rock, soil, and dark evergreens. I was knitting away at it as we drove up to NY last weekend, and the similarity in the color of the yarn and the color of the landscape kept striking me.

I’ve started poking around on Ravelry, which has kind of jump started my mojo. I knit that shawl in 10 days, bought yarn for and cast on for Tubey, and ordered yarn for the Honeymoon Cami and Picovoli from Knit Picks. I also think I’m going to make a Clapotis for a friend for her birthday using some Artyarns Regal Silk that a friend gave me in color 112. The most amazing thing of all is that this does not sound impossible to me. How can that be?

It has been an intense couple of weeks. A very, very good friend’s son had brain surgery and then developed meningitis as a complication and had to be hospitalized again. He came home yesterday and finally seems on the upswing. I have been checking in with, cooking for, babysitting for, and grocery shopping for her just to try to relieve her burden in any way that I can. My best friend’s grandfather died, too. Her family is my second family, and I felt his loss more keenly than I expected. He meant more to me than any of my blood grandparents ever did (do), and I was left hoping that he knew how much I loved, appreciated, and respected him. I have to believe that he did. I spent last week cooking and baking for the memorial, and we drove up to NY for the weekend and the memorial service. It was a long weekend, but so worth it. It was good to connect with the whole family together and to remember him. They said that, when he finally passed on, they sky was the most brilliant sunset that anyone had ever seen. Mom said she thinks they were opening up, welcoming him in. It makes me smile to think she’s right.

I’m still working on finding balance in my life. As exhausting as the past few weeks have been, it’s also been exhilarating to have the energy to be there for my friends. My job has become busy enough to be interesting, but allows me a lot of down time to get my head together and do some little life maintenance things, like pay bills and go to the gym. I’m also back on the Metro, so goodbye $210/month, but HELLO KNITTING TIME! And reading, eventually.

Oh! I got a sewing machine for my birthday a few months back. Yesterday these arrived:

Because I need more things causing clutter and more projects that I don’t have time for. But I can’t help it, I’m really, really excited. BRING ON THE FABRIC!!!