2011: A Fibery year

     Without a doubt, in 2011 I knit more, spun more and attended more fiber and knitting events than ever before. There were the normal Sheep and Wool events, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Southern Adirondack and Fiber Festival of New England.  Then Big Deal events, Squam Art Workshops, SOAR and Stitches East, and last but not least classes with the likes of Ann Hanson and Jared Flood.  And I might also point out that I knit 7 shawls, 5 of them for the wedding of  my daughter and her four bridesmaids.  No wonder I was tired at the end of the year.

     First, the wedding, which occurred on 9-10-11, and was a lovely affair.  I started the shawl process in March when I started spinning the yarn for Natalie's shawl, which was a cashmere silk blend.  For her shawl I used the Swallowtail pattern, but used opalescent beads rather than nupps as I found the yarn a tad bit difficult when making the nupps.The bridesmaid's shawls were two different patterns, Icarus, which I knit in pastel pink and sky blue, and Eliina, which I knit in lavender and coral.  Since the girls' dresses were champagne, the shawls added a bit of color, though it was quite warm to actually wear them. I loved knitting them , adn the variety of patterns and yarns kept the whole thing interesting.  I knit all 5 shawls with the same Dyakcraft size 4/3.5mm interchangeable needle, and it got a true workout and came out unscathed!