In my last post, I wrote about Simple Summer Knitting — those “go anywhere” projects that require little attention and just cheerfully beguile my fingers while I visit with a friend or watch a grandchild’s baseball game.  

Now, I am going to talk about That Other Kind of Summer Knitting.  The projects that draw me off to a quiet corner or a secluded deck….the projects that enchant an hour….the projects that make me sing little songs in my head and make my fingers dance…

Summer Lace Knitting!

At present, I have three of these beauties competing for my attention — which does not seem to trouble them (the four of us are heading out to my deck when I am done writing this!).  They know that whichever one is in my hands has my full, enraptured attention (and lace will make you pay for any lapses with ugly bumps and misplaced holes and too many stitches or too few stitches…..so they require that kind of fidelity and they know it!).  

“Tamdou” by Melanie Berg actually combines some simple plain knitting sections with bands of riveting lace.  I began it last Summer and (predictability) put it aside when the weather turned cool in September.  It started calling to me about a week ago and, well, here we are again!

The ”She Sells Seashells Shawl”**  is my own design — using age-old stitch patterns (Crest of the Wave in blue and Ocean Waves Edging in white).  I mentioned its song in my last blog “Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Knit 2 together, Yarnover, Knit 1, Yarnover, Knit 1…..” and that is really the best way to describe it.  My eyes follow the chart and I sing it in my head and my hands move the yarn and needles like figures in a dance.  

(**try saying that 3 times quickly!  but, seriously, I don’t necessarily choose names for my pieces — they tend to name themselves and the names tend to stick)

My newest passion is “Starting Point” by Joji Locatelli — a shawl I have been itching to make for several years!  Like “Tamdou” it has bands of plain knitting and bands of lace.  Shawls like this knit up more quickly than ones that are all lace-work.  That is a good thing as this shawl will be 72” long when complete!  

Well, now I think it is about time for me to wrap this up and head out for some jazz time with my Summer Lace Knitting — they are tapping their delicate toes….