TdF Crashes, Wedding Shawls & Gainful Employment

Yes, I admit it like many of the cyclists and spinners in this years Tour I have crashed. Badly. The lovely squishy heavenly camel fibre is rather devilish in the spin. Too fine, too camel coloured and, aside from the gorgeous tactile experience, too boring. It is not a spin that you should give yourself a deadline on, well unless you are one of those rare breed of monogamous crafter’s who possesses the ability to complete a project without distraction. I, it is becoming apparent, am not.

This unfortunately does not bode well for my next intended project. My favourite brother is getting married in September and although I am not in the bridal party, as Sister of the Groom the likelihood of being forced into photographs is high. If I am forced to be captured for eternity in such a medium the least I can do is have a gorgeous shawl. And as Step-Mother of the Groom, Mother needs one too. Two laceweight shawls by the first week of September and two dresses to match, I may be catching Miss Hewson’s ambition.

While I have set aside a gorgeous cotton/silk blend in burnt orange from Mayhem & Chaos for my mother – hopefully to be paired with a pink/orange shot silk – choosing my own colours, yarn and pattern is proving much more difficult. The dress that we have chosen is pictured below, perfect for a spring wedding, however unlike mother I get cold very easily. A sleeveless dress and silk lace shawl will certainly not carry me happily through the festivities. Unfortunately orange and yellow are not colours I can wear, unless of course the dead look is one to which I aspire, so finding a colour that does not clash with that of my mother is the next priority. I shall be forever thankful that the bridal party is to be dressed in black and white and therefore we shall avoid any unfortunate colour incidents on that part. I am considering a lovely dark purple, perhaps the Malabrigo Silky in Nocturne that I have tucked away waiting for the perfect project, but then the question of shawl patterns still remains. So dear reader, may I ask for your input? What shawl would you recommend as a quickish knit but a classic style?

I am sure these decisions would be made much easier if I had not just started a new job that is tempting me with possibilities at every turn. I have you see, just begun work at that Sydney knitting institution of Morris & Sons. I am enjoying the work immensely. The sheer pleasure that is to be had from being surrounded with lovely things and the enthusiasm of customers is endless. After spending so much time behind a desk it is also wonderful to be in such an active environment.

Having busy hands as well as a busy mind is leaving me more satisfied at the end of a working day than I ever was while teaching. I have also taken a couple of freelance research queries, one of which is a genealogy search that is curlier than anything I have ever done before. The challenge is exciting and every small piece I find renews my enthusiasm. I am sure a personality specialist would have a wonderful time analysing what this says about me. I however, am content relishing the return to enjoyable employment on both fronts, so I’ll leave the analysis to others and return to contemplation of colours and patterns for the afternoon.