Just finished the very fun-to-knit My Hope shawl, designed by KnitGirlll Laura Linneman. I sued some beautiful Schaeffer Anne yarn that I won several years ago (and sadly, is discontinued). I love the color combination--reds/pinks, coral, gold and bronzy brown. A group I wouldn't necessarily have put together but really liked.I just bought a summer dress in that coral color and this will look great with it.
For the beaded bind-off, I used beautiful beads bought at EarthFaire--just enough color and glitz and the gold beads with coral insides look like they were made for the yarn. Also bought the Beadle Needle which made the beading fun and easy! Highly recommend!
I enjoyed the knitting of this project very much, once I got the hang of the Indian Cross Stitch--used Knit and Tonic’s video tutorial and her way of doing it rather than the way it was written in the pattern--much easier.
I also switched from Signature Needles to KnitPicks Nickel Plated--the join on the fancy Signatures was acting as a stopper that made it hard for me to move the yarn along during the cross-stitch sections. Worked much better after the switch to the inexpensive, but almost always reliable for me, KnitPicks.
The colors of the yarn and the rhythmic nature of the project have soothed me through a few tough weeks; work continues to be a challenge--but I may see the end in sight in the form of a new chapter on the career front. Hopefully by the time I post again after finishing my next project (either socks for my son or a tank top for my daughter), I'll have good news to report. I even plan on having my new career path include knitting.
