Sunday, August 6, 2017

Celebrate Differences




I confess, I've been more preoccupied than usual with politics this last year.  I've watched in dismay the increase in partisanship and decline in civility in politics and social media.  There have been days when I want to scream, "Can't we all get along?" On those days, I turn to my knitting to relax and forget about the latest political posturing or Facebook rant.

Usually, I prefer to knit technically challenging projects, but my need to knit for relaxation inspired me to design something simple and nearly mindless.  So here I am, modeling my newest design, the Celebrate Differences shawl. It's my easiest pattern to date, nothing more than garter stitch and stockinette--pure relaxation knitting.  The name reflects my wish that we might respect our differences and celebrate diversity, but it also is a nod to the wonderful properties of the recommended yarn, Halo Bundle.

Halo Bundle is a new offering from the folks at Handmaiden and Fleece Artist.  It is really 2 of their existing yarns, Merino Slim and Angel Hair, that have been dyed together and bundled together into one neat package.  The two fine yarns can be knit together to yield a worsted weight yarn with a soft halo, or they can be knit separately for a lighter fabric with interesting textural contrasts.  In the shawl, I tried a little bit of both.  The borders are knit with both yarns held together, and the body of the shawl alternates bands of Merino Slim in stockinette with bands of Angel Hair in garter stitch.

The Celebrate Differences pattern can be downloaded from Ravelry here.  You will find a great selection of colors of Halo Bundle on my website here.