Grandma's Shawl

A couple more projects moved to the done presents list this weekend. Cue happy dance. I feel like I'm actually make some pretty decent progress. Except for some damn socks. But that will be a whole rant of a post. Promise, something to look forward to.

Anyway, about this shawl. Grandma's shawl is done! Yay! This summer I was showing off my then newly finished Summer Flies shawl. As usual, Grandma says "I wouldn't mind one of those." Grandma learned to knit this year, but she still hasn't gotten the effect the words "I wouldn't mind one of those" have on a knitter, well, probably any crafter. She also hasn't learned to stop volunteering to anyone who likes anything I make her that I would be more than happy to spend hours and hours of my life making them something as well. But I decided to make her one anyway.

Project: Summer Flies Shawl by Holly & Ella Knits Rav Link
Yarn: Patons Silk Bamboo (3 skeins)
Needle Size: US6
Ravelry Project Page

The color is very her and I like it as well, although I don't typically gravitate towards Barney purple. This was the first time I've knit with this yarn and my friends who have tried it weren't really fans. But I really liked it. It annoyed me that there were knots, but in all honesty the Ella Rae silk bamboo I used for my version of this that costed twice as much had the same issue.

The downside was I realized about halfway through this yarn is a DK weight and not a worsted, so the shawl isn't quite as big as mine. I'm thinking I will have to buy a shawl pin to go with it. Mine had nice tapered points that make it stay on, but I think that may be because I added a few more rows to that one.

Not that I'm not usually constantly knitting, but this Christmas elf thing has made me really step up my game and my hands have been killing me. The ex ( I really need to find something else to call him, I dislike that label) spent just enough time at chiropratic school to tell me that I'm messed up. He does give killer hand rubs, but I'm thinking it would be more appropriate for me to find some daily exercises to do. Apparently my hands now resemble "the claw" when in resting position. At age 28. Hot.

So, some results I found online when searching "knitting hand exercises".

Knitting Daily (with pictures)

eHow

Knitting Guru (with some whole body exercises to relax other stiff muscles stressed by knitting.