Thank You, Thank You

The lamest part of Jake's imminent entry into law school is my scrambling, stressful search for a job. Several people have helped me out by writing beautiful letters of recommendation, and I just had to thank them with some fiber.

Pattern: "Ruffle Lace Scarf" by Suzie Blackman, available free here
Yarn: Knit Picks Suri Dream - 74% brushed suri alpaca/22% Peruvian wool/4%nylon
Colorway: Hollyberry


Plus: For such a big-impact, lush scarf, this took surprisingly little time. I think this yarn, leftover from the shawl extravaganza of my sister's wedding, is a perfect pairing with this pattern. The lace, when lightly stretched, appears much more complicated than it is, almost like more of an "old shale" look. Despite the mohair look, this thing is heaven directly on the neck.

Delta: This so isn't me, the yarn or the project. They're both so flamboyant! My former department head Sonya looks great in fun, bold-statement accessories. RED is just her personality. However, I'm still a little worried that it won't play nicely with the rest of her wardrobe.

Pattern: "Just Enough Ruffles" by Laura Chau, available for pdf purchase on Ravelry
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted (aka knitter's crack)
Colorway: Sauternes


Plus: I cast this darling on one Saturday afternoon when I was bed-ridden and feeling utterly pathetic. Something about the luscious texture of the fiber, combined with the zen-like simplicity of the pattern...I could not put it down. It was like chicken soup for my knitterly soul; all my other projects looked rough or difficult or irritating in comparison. The whole thing flew off the needles in about 24 hours, and only the 600 stitch bind-off felt like a chore. I'm quite sure I'll be ordering more Malabrigo and settling in for some cozy merino therapy again very soon.

Delta: You always take a certain amount of risk ordering hand-dyed yarn online. I was hoping for a softer sunlight yellow (a color I happen the think the recipient looks amazing in), and this had a touch more orange than I had anticipated.

Jake visited Washington and Lee last weekend for an open house for admitted law students. I think he really fell in love with the place, which is a good thing, since it's currently the front runner. There are still ELEVEN schools to hear from, but he's expecting rejection or wait-list from most of those. Anyways, he took lots of pictures of the town for me, capturing its boho/intellectual charm. Independent bookstore and coffeeshops, local yarn shop, natural foods grocer, AVEDA salon, beautiful 19th century churches, red brick sidewalks everywhere, farmers markets, vineyards....yeah, I could handle it. ;-)