When in doubt, Knit

Knitter/Designer Kristin Nicholas’s post today captures my thoughts exactly. In response to her question, nothing soothes me faster than making something with my hands. This week, the solution was knitting, which also means I am  charging forward towards a finish (remember my 2013 commitment?!) on the Mitered Cross Blanket in Noro’s Silk Garden wool/mohair/silk yarn. Interestingly, this blanket pattern was born from another tragedy, the 2011 tsunami in Japan. All pattern sale proceeds have been donated to Mercy Corps relief work. My purchase was a small but countable contribution towards helping.

After assembling the strips, I wanted a sense of what the blanket would look like draped. (Thinking about a finished-object glamour shot!) My ex-husband refinished this Mission-style rocker and had it upholstered in cotton velvet — my favorite fabric of that time — as a pregnancy congratulations gift twenty nine years ago. The persimmon-coral color works perfectly with the blanket’s crosses, doesn’t it?

While I was out scouting for a 48″ circular needle for knitting the borders, Cora nestled into the soft fuzziness. She was careful and didn’t knead before napping.Hundreds of stitches must be picked up for the blanket border. The weight of the blanket feels so cozy and keeps me warm during late-night knitting.

Do you like novels that involve knitting? I’m always curious about them. I think it’s tricky, trying to spin a story, sustain an entire novel, around a crafty passion. Two of my favorites are Anne Bartlett’s Knitting and Ann Hood’s Circle of Knitting.

By the way, all of the pictures here were taken with my little Android phone’s camera. It’s not as fancy as its Apple competitor, but I’m eager to push its limits. A very reasonably priced ($5!) ‘Phonography’ email course from Photojojo has been encouraging and instructive. I’ve been playing with Instagram (it’s addictive!), too. You can find me at: lisaallenlambert. The site is like a completely different club house and I check in several times a day. Let me know if you’re posting there, too.