In the meantime, I have taken a much-needed break from writing. I spent the weekend on the coast, watching the seals swimming through the stormy waves. When we hiked up on the cliffs, among the cypress trees, the wind was strong enough to bring a lot of large branches down.
One crow was struggling to fly against the wild
gusts with an enormous white crab in its beak! All the pelicans were skimming
the water while the sea ducks dived beneath the crashing waves, seemingly
having the time of their lives! Since the tide was so far in because of the
storm, we were able to see the seals just a foot or two away from us, splashing
in the surf. It was amazing! Feeling at one with nature at her wildest, I soaked it all in and got thoroughly soaked myself in the process! (No photos--at least I kept my iphone dry!)
The weekend at the stormy sea was hugely invigorating. It was almost eerie at night, out in the hills with pretty much nothing to do but stare out at the darkened ocean. Driven by the necessity to do something, I made a lot of
progress on my sweater! Paisley is almost
completed, front to back, which leaves the sleeves and the cowl-necked collar
for me to finish:
Oh, how scrumptious this kidsilk haze yarn is to
work with! Every single moment of knitting this is a delight! While waiting for
my yarn to arrive for my black lace sweater, I amused myself with swatching for a different project altogether--Erica Knight’s
lace top:
If I have the time, it is tempting to knit this in some kidsilk haze that I bought, massively discounted, when Rowan discontinued their color, Icecream, this year. It is very pale and delicate—I’m still trying to figure out if it would be wispy and beautiful or just sort of bland and boring with this super light shade combined with the small lace pattern. I am definitely going to add waist shaping, and I don't think I need that ruffle w/buttons at the top, as I will wear it underneath a V-neck blazer or cardigan. Still, I am torn between admiration and boredom as I look at my swatch. If I take the plunge into knitting something super intricate like this on size 2 needles, I don’t want to labor for months and have it turn out just so-so. What is your opinion of the color/yarn lace pattern combination? Is this a nicely subtle fabric to wear beneath a suit jacket or cardigan, or does it verge on the drab? Please be honest!