But when will I wear them?

Shawls.

I have been on a shawl kick this year, and have been starting another almost the minute one jumps off my needles, even to the point of knitting a new shawl before the last one is blocked.

Why?

It's not like I'm a major shawl-wearer. It's not that I'm giving them away. I just really enjoy the mindful knitting of the lace, and the fine yarn is easy on my hands.

So, without further introduction, I give you:

The handspun Shetland Field of Flowers Shawl

Pattern: Fiber Trends Field of Flowers shawl

Yarn: handspun 2-ply laceweight from a dual coat Shetland yearling ram from a farm near Holland, MI

Needles: several, having had difficulty in choosing. Ended with the new Addi Lace needles. (Love them!)

Comments: wonderful pattern, easy to memorize, just mindful enough to make me not obsess over the things going on in my life at the time. This shawl, though small, is the culmination of the Boar's Head Festival demo spinning I did back in December. Took about 5 weeks to knit. Loved every minute of it. It's small, though, and since I used only a little more than half the yarn I spun, I'm thinking of ripping of the toothed border and making it larger. We'll see.

And the Alpaca Highland Triangle Shawl

Pattern: Highland Triangle Shawl, from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls

Yarn: Heirloom Alpaca, in a dark grey color. Beware! This yarn has a nap! Be sure to knit it in the right direction or it will fight you every stitch of the way!!)

Needles: Again, don't remember.

Comments: Another fun and enjoyable knit, this shawl took a little less than 8 weeks, I think. It got a little big to carry around toward the end, and it is HUGE! Notice it's hanging off the ends of my hands? I have a six-foot arm span. This thing is giant. And comfy and warm, too. But let me say: this is by far the ITCHIEST, most SCRATCHY thing I have EVER knit!! This yarn has a nap to it, and in the ball it feels so soft and fluffy. But I knit it the wrong way, and once started, I kept going. Bad choice. I rinsed it in Pantene hair conditioner after washing it (another caveat: this is a VERY dirty yarn! I had to wash it three times to get all the soil out) and the conditioner helped a lot. It's still not something to wrap a little baby in, but I can wear it as a sweater.

Oh- and my Little Boy took the picture of me. I'm not really so disproportional!