These yarns want to be a Beach Q’mitl.
Not that I have been looking to start a new project, mind you. Nope. It was not my idea at all. I have 2 baby projects to complete asap. And I am eager to finish my Leaves of Grass pi shawl, the garter shawl, the loop scarf, the Inversion Cardigan…making good headway on all of them.
It began as I was letting my mind wander during a hair appointment on Tuesday. I was thinking about our trip to The Beach coming up in August…and this led me to recall the 2 yarns I had bought at Madrona last year from Toots Le Blanc & Co. that I intended for a cowl to wear on the beach — chewy worsteds in neutrals, one Alpaca, one 50/50 Jacob Alpaca, one BFL/Alpaca/Angora. I remember agonizing over the choice, wanting just the right shades, just the right feel.
Last summer I carried them with me to The Beach — along with some vague ideas about fossil motifs, but autumn came and they discreetly excused themselves to the “projects for later” corner of my studio.
Fast forward to our spring trip to The Beach when I picked up 4 lympid shells with holes in their tops that I thought I might like to sew onto a knit piece someday.
Fast forward again to me in the hair stylist’s chair thinking about the lympid shells and the Toots Le Blanc yarn — which,back at home, started rustling around and whispering — and I thought wouldn’t a beach cowl be nice…but maybe something not so close around the neck…something around the shoulders…but it can’t get blown about in the wind like a scarf…something loose on the shoulders…heck, what would I really wear on the beach? what do I like to wear?…Q’mitls!!! A Beach Q’mitl! And the Toots Le Blanc yarn hooted happily.
I dug out the yarn as soon as I got home and set the shells beside the skeins. Perfect! Then, I thought about the Staci Stash — which has lots of cream and neutral yarns. I lifted lids of bins and asked if anyone wanted to come out and play! Two skeins of ivory Rowan Summer Tweed leapt into my hands. They cajoled the white Kid-Lin to join us, but the Kid-Lin politely declined (I think that she, rightly, is waiting for a starring role in her own production).
The next voice I heard came from the bag of yarn purchased at this year’s Madrona market. The gorgeous Gotland/Finn wool! I have several skeins in worsted weight to make into a skirt, but had also bought a skein in fingering weight because I was enraptured by the knit-up sample. So, out it came.
It only seemed right that I visit our Shell color way box and see if anyone there was game. A plump ball of linen-colored Hempathy hoo-hoo-ed at me and out she came.
So here they are — as beachy a bunch of yarns as you’ll ever find. The fossil motifs are combining with shell-inspired lines and textures in my brain — which is forging ahead on a design without so much as a by-your-leave, I might add. And, well, there you have it. Summer is come and is there any better summer knitting project than this one? Those cunning Toots Le Blanc yarns timed it just right!