An Accessory Shawl and Halloween Prims

Ready or not it is time to wrap up in something fabulous for Fall!  By October even here in Southern California the mornings are starting to turn brisk and what better way to keep the chill away than with a new accessory shawl.

Over the years I have knit many of these accessory shawls and I suppose some might wonder why anyone needs to have that many.  Aside from the obvious that I enjoy knitting them, it is also a truism that one shawl simply does not work with every outfit.  As much and as hard as I have tried to knit that one perfect accessory that goes with everything it simply hasn't happened. It's a mystery to me why.  I'll confess that on more than one occasion I've knit a shawl thinking that it will go with absolutely everything only to finish it and find that it goes with hardly anything at all.

Of course the logical solution is to knit a shawl in black.  But where's the fun in that? Truthfully I use shawls as a way to give a pop of color to my outfits and, in addition, I have found that as I've gotten older having color next to my face helps give me a youthful vibrance. And I need all of that I can get. So don't expect to see me knitting a black shawl anytime soon.  If anyone has knit a shawl that they have found is particularly wearable I would love for you to share what it is. Whether or not I find my perfect accessory I plan on knitting more shawls.

Particulars:  Vintage Bouquet Rav Link by Dani Sunshine (blogs as LionessArt); US 5 needles; 2 skeins Madelinetosh Tosh Sock (colorways: Moss and Paper).  I like the Madelinetosh sock yarn for a shawl because it's has a great loft and makes a nice squishy shawl.  Finished "lightly blocked" dimensions (small size): 56" x 18"

American folk Art ~ Halloween Primitives ~

My favorite post of the year is my October post because it marks the end (hopefully) of the hot long days of summer and the official start of fall and the holiday season.  To kick off the start of  holidays and what I consider "the great crafting season" I choose to make some Halloween Prims.  Primitives or "Prims" are a quintessentially American form of folk art that brings to mind the simple pleasures of home, hearth and family values as experienced by the frontier families that settled the great american west.  They are very easy to make and you can find many e-patterns sold on Etsy.  These little Scaredy Cats (pictured below) were fun and easy to make and as a bonus I find they make me smile whenever I walk past them.  I used the e-pattern "5 Primitive Whimsical Kats of Halloween" sold on Etsy by CountryGirlPrims.

Until next time be well and love well and may you thoroughly enjoy fall whether or not you throw yourself with abandon into "the great crafting season" as I do.