Solstice

Ambah O’Brien has a new pattern. This is the Solstice Wrap. You can purchase the pattern from Ambah on Etsy.

Winter Solstice for me may well mean Summer Solstice for you in your part of the world. In any case, we enjoy two Solstices every year, a marker in our calendar to measure the changing seasons by; Summer Solstice, when the days are long and filled with promise of the warmer months to come and Winter Solstice, a time to cosy in and enjoy those long nights. The Solstice Wrap pattern gives you a choice between Summer Solstice, a fingering weight version and Winter Solstice, to knit up in DK weight for those long nights. Designed to be knit with mini skeins, both versions are easy to lengthen or shorten by adding more or less colours. Knit it up in a fade or allow a random selection to create a contrast against neighbouring colours. Use a special kit from your favourite dyer or stash dive for an inspired combination.

The pattern calls for 21 mini skeins in fingering weight or 24 mini skeins in DK weight. This shawl would be a great stash buster.

I pulled out my basket of Hedgehog Sock mini skeins and came up with this combination. I can only make this once. It is available online.

Then I started thinking about Party of Five kits. You will have 25 mini skeins this way so you can make the shawl longer or eliminate a few colours if you don’t like them.

This kit is calling my name. I should have made more kits but…

Party of Five kits come packed in a sealed plastic box. I have to open up five kits for a picture but need to make sure I keep the colours in the correct order so that I put the yarn back in the right box. It was a bit of a production. I made life harder than it needed to be but I was worried about mixing up colours. Lynn will be back on Friday and we will try to make more kits.

There are also kits like this that don’t fade but the colours would work with other kits if we rearranged them. We will have to take care to make sure the skeins get back into the proper boxes.

I have been watching the weather app to see how hot it’s going to be in Chicago next week. HOT! I’ve come to the realization that I won’t be able to wear Ranunculus to the show. It might be okay in the convention centre but walking outside it will be way too warm. I’ll be wearing lightweight shawls to the show.

I asked Beth to go to Jones Bakery yesterday to order a Father’s Day cake for dad. Beth was busy so she sent dad to get lunch and asked him to order the cake. The ladies in the store thought it was hilarious that he had to order (and pay for) his own cake.