Too sweet to be sour, to nice to be mean

I made a couple of purchases the other day.

Totally accidental, I swear.

I bought the yarn Friday afternoon at the new Purl Soho store on Broom.  Their new space is beautiful and roomy, and while I wasn't intending to make a purchase, the Koigu was 40% off. And those pinks and yellows were begging to be paired with a solid and turned into a pair of striped socks.  I cannot wait.

I'd also had it in  my mind that I needed a pair of walking to work shoes, something cuter and zippier than my white New Balance, which give me a distinctly Working Girl vibe when paired with a work outfit, rather than  running shorts as intended.  So into store after store on lower Broadway we went, searching for something with the right vibe, and low and behold, we found them. The last pair, in my size, discounted by $110.  Yes, all that lovely for $29.99. They're loud and crazy and intergallactic and I love them.

So: pink and orange in full effect.  The heart wants what the heart wants.

On a discinctly less springy tip, I made this lovely a couple of weekends ago:

I started it the night that I returned from the mondo yarn swap and finished it the next day. The yarns are all worsteds and aran weights, so it wasn't too much work, but I did work pretty furiously.  I think it was a means of coping with the overwhelming amount of yarn I found myself staring at.  I wanted something that would eat up a few skeins immediately and make me feel as though I'd made a dent towards stash reduction.  I'd also been wanting to make a granny square inspired shawl for a long time, so this was kind of perfect.

Details:

Pattern: 106-40 Shawl by Drops/Garn Studio

Yarn: Misasol Miski, Ístex Plötulopi, GGH Bel Air and several others

Hook: 5.0mm/H

 

I'd estimate that this took me 6 hours total, so not too bad.  I wet blocked it, as I do with almost every thing I make, and it grew by about 10%.  The fabric is neither stiff nor flaccid, so I'm happy with the tension I used.  And it's the slightest but rough, but I don't mind.  A little texture makes it feel old-fashioned and traditional, which I like.  The colors put me in mind of both a cold Scandinavian winter morning, or a rainy Portland fall day. Cozy.

Speaking of Scandinavia, Iceland has been much in the news this week, so I thougt I would take this opportunity to remind you of what is probably that nation's most famous export.  More enjoyable than volcanic ash, that's for sure.