The past two weeks marked a lot of knitting and two big finishes for me.

First I finished my my Banana Leaf Shawl by Yuki Ueda knit in Northbound Knitting BFL/Silk Lace in Metallurgy.  This knit was strange. I stalled out on it, but never stopped wanting to wear the finished object.  I finished it while I was in Chicago two weekends ago, and I can’t wait for the chill of fall so I can wear it.

I think this project was the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern.  The yarn itself is luminous and even though the metallic tones may not be the most flattering on me, it knit up so beautifully.  The pattern is simple; it doesn’t distract from the yarn, but there is enough texture to make it interesting to look at.

The second big project I finished is the blanket for my mom. I used the Memory Blanket by Georgie Nicolson as my inspiration, and then made it my own. This used scraps of worsted weight held singly and fingering weight held doubly. I knit a total of 121 squares and then did an applied i-cord edging to tie it all together. It’s now a decent lap-sized blanket (I confess I haven’t taken final measurements). It needs a good blocking and then I’ll send it off to my mom to enjoy. Thanks to any readers who contributed scraps to this blanket. While many of the blocks came from yarn from my stash, I also had a good amount of help from knitting friends.

With two big projects off the needles, it must be time to cast on for more! During my trip to Chicago I started a new shawl, Albuquerque Sunset by designer Casapinka. I’m using a sock blank that I dyed as a gradient, and a skein of Cascade Heritage sock in Italian Plum that was in the stash. I’ve just begun the third section and I’m loving the way this is knitting up. It’s bright and happy.

I’ve also been swatching for sweaters. No photos, but I have a secret project I’ll be working on in the next few months as well as a sweater for Roxy. Also maybe some more socks for Sock it to Summer? Stay tuned!