Pelé the Magnificent Hornshaw Swift

Last Christmas I got a Hornshaw swift. I had been lurking around the Ravelry boards that extolled the love for them, and I really wanted one. (Sometimes I like being from a family where we buy stuff we like and then have other family members 'gift' it to us.) For me, the quality and craftsmanship of it make it well worth its cost. I wanted something I would have forever, and quite frankly I see it as a functioning work of art. Tim Hornshaw was a pleasure to work with, he made me a gorgeous sapele swift, and it works perfectly.

I recently got around to making a cover for Pelé. As much as I'd enjoy leaving it out to admire, I like having homes for things. The swift folds up nicely into a long slim rectangle, and this corner of my craft room makes a perfect home for it.

Trousseau

Such a conundrum. I love making shawls, but it's not really my style to wear them. So unless they are gifts (never), they live a sad life in a drawer. This still has to be better than my previous storage spot under the bed in a plastic Target bag!

But...this one...I may just wear it. I tell you, when I put it on my mood changes. I feel very girly and romantic! I want to light some candles and open a bottle of wine.

But I digress. I wanted to say that Fragrant from Madelintosh is a most beautiful color, and I am not even a pink-minded gal! I admit that I was a lemming and bought this colorway after a few of my knitting friends got it on our last trip to The Knitting Garden. This is knit up in Merino Light.

The pattern? Trousseau by Carol Feller, from the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Twist Collective. Very easy to memorize, and such great results. Here's a before shot to remind you of the magic of blocking. 

The yarn dye bled like crazy! I succumbed to adding vinegar to the wash after I soaked it twice with color pouring out each time. Once I added it to a vinegar bath (about 2 tablespoons of vinegar to my bathroom sinkful of water) it magically didn't let out another drop of color. As much as the smell of vinegar makes me gag, I am a convert! I added some Eucalan to the wash, but really there is no vinegar smell whatsoever. I wish I had done it on the first soak because I wonder if the dye darkened some of the lighter areas of yarn.

And here's a shot of it blocking. Blocking this was a breeze! Success all around! 

Ahhhh, summertime

Breakfast on the beach two times in less than a week?! Life is pretty good!