finished object 8 | Through The Yarny Curtain

Birch Leaf Shawl

I chose to knit the Birch Leaf Shawl (Ravelry pattern link) because I was looking for a travel project. My sister is in her final year of medical school. My parents and I were flying from Florida to Baltimore to attend Match Day, which is when fourth year medical students find out where they will be doing their residency. I needed a knitting project to take on the trip. My personal criteria for travel knitting are:

The pattern should be easy to memorize so I don’t have to look at it all the time.
The project should be easy to pick up and put down, even if I am in the middle of a row.
The project should take long enough to knit that I will not finish it before I get home.
The project should require only one or two skeins of yarn.

In addition, I was looking for a project that would fit into one of the HPKCHC prompts for March. The Ancient Runes prompt was about Celtic runes and their connection to trees. One possibility was to craft a a project that represented one of the trees connected to the Celtic runes. Birch trees were on the list.

First Ever Granny Square

I’ve known how to knit for more than 20 years, but I only learned to crochet last year. I tried to teach myself crochet at the same time I taught myself to knit, but never quite got it right. So last year, my friend Stacy taught me how to crochet. In that year, I’ve crocheted dishcloths. That’s all. I wanted to expand my crochet skills, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I discovered that the Ravenclaws are planning a Blanket Square Term for the Harry Potter Knitting / Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC). I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

You know how people say, “That kid has a face only a mama could love?” That’s how I feel about my first handspun yarn. I’m excited — I spun that!!!! It’s awesome! I MADE YARN. It feels like a superpower. Secretly, though, I know it isn’t very pretty. Here’s a preview: