Milkweed Shawl

We are house bound these days as our dear Simcha is recovering from a difficult neutering surgery that was aborted. The good news is that he's doing well and we are very pleased with his treatment course and the surgeon who will do his next surgery on November 5th.

At his last training session we were delighted to hear that he was 75% trained, until we got home and soberly reassessed the figure at 2%. Nevertheless, we do see strides forward.  And, at the very least, all the cuddling is wearing down his rough edges.  Steve and I have hardly a scar left from his teething phase!

In these photos I'm wearing my newly finished Milkweed Shawl that I knit for weekend wear as an alternative to pulling on a sweater.  Because I spend a great deal of time at home, I like to have things to wear that are fun yet practical and this shawl is perfect for when I take Simcha for a walk or hop on a bike for a quick ride. 

Knitting allows you to express your personal style whether around the house or around about town and is a great way to update your wardrobe by adding just one or two pieces as the seasons change.

 Particulars:  Milkweed Shawl by Laura Chau who blogs as Cosmicpluto Knits; 1 skein Sundara Sock Yarn (350 yards), Dahlia colorway; US4 needles; relaxed post blocking dimensions: 16" x 44" (along curved edge).  The only modification I made was to Chart F.  Beginning with Row 96 I continued the "yo" on both sides of the CDD.  Therefore, on all subsequent pattern rows I had 12 stitches within repeats instead of 11.  I made this modification as I felt a little more ease in the edging was warranted and I'm pleased with the result.  This modification did use more yarn than the original pattern, so take that into consideration.  I also used the yarn tail at the top of the shawl to make a single row of crochet to reinforce the top center (I added about 2 inches of crochet along the top center border).  Finally, for the BO I used the my favorite loose cast off (i.e. k2 (transfer those 2 stitches back onto the left needle and K2T (through the back loop), K1 and repeat).

P.S.  This is my last skein of yarn from Sundara's Petals Collection (each colorway was dedicated to a flower).  The blogs on the other colorways are Bird of Paradise (a "classic" Mr. Puffy post) and Lenten Rose (socks for Steve and, I feel compelled to note, he has yet to wear them).

On a closing note, thank you all for your kind wishes and empathy and I am clearly not alone with work stress.  I will share that there has been an unexpected turn of events and suddenly I have had a large weight lifted allowing my life to returned somewhat to normal.  And, as Fall has arrived early here in SoCal, I am busy knitting accessories and playing around with felting so new projects will be appearing here shortly!  Until next time, be well and love well and have fun making your Fall accessories!