Sunday Market Shawl and Windmill

I had to do a quick gratifying project as a reward for finishing the Seraphim Shawl. So I cast on for the Sunday Market Shawl in my favorite colors. Yes, it's acrylic, but it's pretty. I need to wash and try to block it. but it turned out lovely. This wrap is perfect for the cooler summer evenings. It's light and airy..I love this pattern.

Here's a close up of the drop stitches:

It looks like a clap,  maybe? The pattern is super simple, just do a k2, yo on the first row, stockinette the rest, and then drop the yo's on the last row. It took my about 5 days to complete, and I used a whole skein of yarn. It's long enough, and wide enough.

This is the windmill dishcloth. Another round cloth with very cool ends. A little lacy, but not too lacy. I really like the pattern, though it got to be a bit tedious. It turned out large on size 6 needles. Next time, I will use 5's or smaller.  The sew-funky website has lots of cool round cloth patterns, so if you go and check this one out, take a peek at her other designs.

I was thinking about why I knit. Why I find so much satisfaction in the creating of things by my own hands. Stuff I may or may not use, stuff to give away, stuff to be enjoyed. So why do I do it? Sometimes I find it relaxing. Sometimes it's a chore. Like when I have to finish something I really don't want to. Like when a pattern gets tedious row after row of the same thing. But I have stuck to it. I may have frogged those designs that I found incredibly boring, but I still knit. Even when it is a chore.

One thing I have learned is that this is a hobby that I have continued to do. I have tried other things before. I had a quick stint as a scrapbook-er. I think I have a box full of scissors, templates, card stock, etc. Maybe it would have been a good idea to have a camera with actual pictures to scrap book. Oh well. I've tried journaling. I've tried blogging. Nothing seems to stick. I get bored, the materials get shoved into storage, and I'm left with nothing to do.

When my 3rd kid was about 1.5, I was pregnant with #4. I looked into cloth diapering for economic reasons. And I came across knitted wool soakers. I wanted to make my own, but did not know how to knit. And learning at that time was not an option. Just the directions alone seemed daunting. Then, 2 years later, in the library at the video section, I see several DVD's about knitting.  So I checked them out, went out and bought a size 10 needle and some Red Heart, and learned. I joined some dishcloth groups and then I became hooked.

So what has made me stay with this, a year and a half later? I still don't know. Knitting was the reason I started this blog, and this also has stuck. I have tried to keep other blogs about family, life, etc. But they have all gone to the wayside. But this one is still here.

I love to knit and crochet. I love the satisfaction of a FO coming off the needles. I love giving away my FO's, and getting some  in return. I love looking at yarn, feeling it. I love looking at all the materials. All the different types of needles out there. It boggles the mind. I wish I would have started way back when I was looking at wool soakers.

I have also discovered the generosity of knitters. It's crazy. Mostly, they want to help and have an encouraging word. If you ask a question in any group, be prepared to get lots of answers!!

The knitting community rocks!!

Don't know where that came from, but it's been a feeling I've been wanting to express for some time now. It's funny looking back and seeing my progress, where I came from and how I got here.

On a lighter, non- crafting note:

This is what my sky looks like today. Isn't it gorgeous? I think I'll take the boys to the park and let them enjoy it as well.

Lastly, we have a family or five of squirrels living near or around our house. Here's one, acting like a statue.

He kept that pose for a few minutes. Guess he's not camera shy!  Have  a great day. I hope  your sky looks like mine!