The civil war era

Halcyon yarns

In My Queue: A Civil War Era Shawl

Yesterday as I was passing the historic Willard Hotel in downtown Washington, I passed two ladies dressed in civil war era garb - no mean feat in the heat and humidity of the Washington summer, and indeed they were fanning themselves! One had a lace shawl draped across her arms, and it reminded me how beautiful shawls look.

A little while ago, I was surfing for vintage patterns and found a lovely website from the South Carolina Ladies Auxiliary (http://csa-scla.org/index/htm). From it, I plan to knit the Civil War Era Shawl, in the originally suggested colours of violet, black and gold. But what yarn to use?

While in Bath, Maine, on our recent New England trip, I visited the wonderful and amazing Halcyon Yarns (halcyonyarn.com) and was in heaven. Rows and rows of ceiling high wooden shelving stocking their own brand of beautiful yarns, plus a range of other quality yarns, and with notions, books, weaving and spinning supplies as well - looking at the examples of woven scarves made me want to buy a starter kit then and there! I left with a bag of pure silk yarn ends in varying colours (violet, black, gold among them) and some Victorian Brushed Mohair in violet - serendipity.

The insignia shawl

So far.

Our plans for a weekend at the Great Lakes went awry, thanks to airline delays, so instead we made lemonade out of lemons, hired a car and set off through the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia. That meant I needed some in-car knitting, so I cast on for the Insignia Shawl by Cecily Glowik Macdonald in this summer's Knitscene. I used some vintage cotton bought from a thrift shop in cobalt blue - a cotton shawl will be perfect for over-airconditioned inside spaces here in DC. And it's all garter stitch, perfect for the car.

However, I didn't have the required 4.5 mm circular with me, so talked my husband into a stop for coffee in the pretty town of Cumberland, Maryland, deep in the mountains and with a yarn shop (Millicents Yarns and More, http://millicentsyarns.com/). They were happy to help me out with a needle, and I was set for the weekend.

The "dreaming spires" of Cumberland, Maryland.

The Insignia Shawl

Shibui ankle socks

Waiting for a block and maybe a picot edge.

New England, Part One (Portsmouth)

Last week saw us travelling around New England, visiting historical towns, beautiful beaches, and mountain landscapes. It was a wonderful trip, and of course I also found time to drop in to a number of yarn stores - New England is yarn store heaven!

Our first stop was Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where I visited the Yarn Basket and bought 2 skeins of New England Shetland in the colourway "Peacock" (a shawl perhaps), and picked up an old Jo Sharp knitting magazine on a heavy discount.

While there I finished the Shibui ankle socks, which are in my knitting bag waiting to be blocked.

Harrisville New England Shetland in "Peacock"

The beautiful town of Portsmouth

The Yarn Basket