Saturday Stash

It's Saturday again!  Funny, as the week creeps towards its end, I find myself thinking about this report.  It motivates me to put a little more speed on so I have something to show and tell about.

So, in the finished pile:  the Windwalker socks.  I'll be working on writing up the pattern for ravelry over the weekend so maybe by Monday?  I was hoping to just put it up and let folks try it out on their own.  Any feedback would be welcome but I didn't want to put time pressure on anyone to test knit before publication.  The summer is too short for stress. 

Also finished is my Wingbeats Shawl.  I was inspired by Rudee who knit this up last week. The pattern is Summer Flies by Donna Griffin.  Have to say that her pattern title isn't giving me the same vision I'm sure she imagined.  But can you see the butterflies?  It's a very quick knit, actually.  And the way the pattern is written , in sections, keeps you wanting to get to the next section.  It would be very easy to adapt this pattern to a much larger project but then you'd have to do thousands of stitches for the picot edging.

My name for the shawl comes from a couple of references.  First, I had in my mind that I wanted to dye this white cotton - yes, the same white cotton as my skirt - with beet juice.  Now, I don't dye cotton at all, only wool.  And my mordant is vinegar.  So, I was very prepared for this to rinse out white again.  But it didn't.  Of course, it was a fabulous dark magenta color in the pot.  Too good to last as the color started disappearing down the drain with the rinse water.  I was left with a not-ecru, not-peach, yet with a hint of pink,  kind of shade.  I don't hate it and it is NOT white.  So a nod to the beets in the name.  And when it's stretched out, it looks exactly like the big Firebird we used to have on the hood of our car. 

I am still working on the 1953 stockings.  I picked them up again last night and figured I'd give them a longer span of attention.  It was kind of nice getting into their rhythm again.  But, don't worry, I need lots of variety so this devotion won't last.

Last item- not knitting.  My new glasses arrived Friday morning and I remembered that I promised to share.  Since I had a hairdresser appointment that very day, I got a new style to go with them.  All in the first shawl photo.  And now back to the stash.