Tag: pathwaystopeace

Knitting

Variations on a theme

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hand knit peach colored shawl with lace edges on a wooden hanger
hand knit fuchsia colored shawl with lace edges and crystal beads on a wooden hanger

At the pattern designer’s recommendation, I knit my first version of this shawl in a multicolored self-striping yarn. The lacy border took a back seat to the fabric’s vibrancy and I wondered what would result if I knit this same design with a solid or subtle tonal yarn. I quelled my curiosity first with the peachy project and then knit a second shawl in deep fuchsia. Both skeins had arrived in yarn club surprise packages and, utilizing good stash management practices, each just needed the right design.

The combination of fingering weight yarn and a slightly larger needle results in an airy body of garter stitches. An unusual double yarnover (yo2) at the beginning of the lace row creates an elongated fiber filigree. And, I added a little glitter by incorporating a pearlized pink Miyuki seed bead on each lacy tip. Now, wrapped in tissue paper, each shawl is safely tucked away awaiting a giving opportunity as a silent auction donation.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Pathways to Peace KAL

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A hand knit lace shawl in multi colored pinks and greens on a wooden hanger

A first of the year reporting on an end of the year project.

Earlier Project Peace knit-alongs (KAL) featured an original new pattern custom designed specifically to reflect that year’s theme but simplicity framed this 2.0 KAL.  In preparation, Healthy Knitter Christina Campbell suggested choosing from among one of her earlier designs or the Anica Shawl. I chose the latter and paired her recommendation with a wonderful single skein of merino blended fingering from South Africa that was hand dyed exclusively for the 2022 Strickmich yarn club. Yard by yard, the bold Happy Crowd colorway revealed a self-striping vibrancy well outside my normal, often monotone, palette.

The Anica Shawl pattern incorporated a well-tuned balance of restful repetition perfect for Project Peace reflections. Yet, the artful lacework held my attention and produced a comfortable wrap featuring airy eyelets along one side and a picot border on the opposite. The result was so charming that I claimed this shawlette as my own.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Project Peace 2.0 – Pathways to Peace

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Green knit shawl with multicolored pink border on hanger
Peace In Place Shawl – a 2020 Project Peace Knitalong with Christina Campbell

A little bit of joy arrived in my in-box this afternoon with an email from Christina Campbell.  Her knitting patterns always offered that perfect blend of artistic interest and gentle repetition that encouraged self-care, meditation and, yes, peace.  Between 2016-2020, I participated in four Project Peace knitalongs (KAL).  Then life intervened and her blog was silent.  But she has returned letting her readers and fellow knitters know that “… after two years of reading, writing, time in Shetland, walks in the woods, and releasing a lot into the compost pile, it is time to emerge.” 

Her 2023 Project Peace theme will be Pathways to Peace.  While she will not be releasing a new pattern, she has promised a daily blog post to help guide our steps on that path.  She is encouraging knitters to choose their own pattern, possibly one of her earlier designs, like my Project Peace shawl from 2020.  Back then we were slogging through yet more days of pandemic distancing and the theme Peace in Place created a textured triangular wrap with a lacy contrasting border.

Happy knitting!