hoarfrost on roses

Posted on annePosted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

yesterday morning when i woke up and went out into the yard, a bit of fog was swirling through. the chill of the previous night remained in the air, mixed with warm, heavy moisture. all around, the reaction of the water molecules being sucked against the still-cold vegetation was evident

hoarfrost coating the surfaces in a magic blanket of icy ferns and flowers.

i ran back in, grabbed the camera and started shooting—this is a phenomenon that i get to witness just a few times a year, if that many (my late nights are at fault; i’m not such an early riser any more), and i’m always struck dumb when i see it

yesterday was particularly special because the light was so odd. i’m a sucker for gray tones anyway and they were painted everywhere. the photos have a hand-colored look that i couldn’t possibly have created. mother nature is a much better artist than i.

i’m happy to interpret what she lavishes on us, though

i finished up the first frosty neckwarmer last night while we watched bike races on TV (yay, cycling season has begun). this one is knit from dream sox, which turned out to be a little thinner than i really wanted for the project, but so pretty, i couldn’t stop.

i probably could have knit it on a smaller needle to solve that issue, but instead i started another in a slightly heavier yarn (more on that later); i do want this to provide some warmth. since it turned out to be an experiment, i decided to go ahead and try the edging i had in mind; i wasn’t certain it was the right scale for the piece.

i wanted to use the snowflake edging from the snowflakes in cedarwoods shawl, but suspected it might be too wide. that however, worked out fine with just a tweak or two.

this project will be fully realized once the second version in twinkle toes merino/tencel is finished

and i’m almost there—it just needs the edging added. the yarn here is a little heavier and has a denser, silkier hand with warmth—i think it’s much better suited to the piece. it will drape nicely and shut out the chill a little better.

there’s one more on the needles in a pastel alpaca, just for the heck of it. now i just need a good name.

my shawl is growing and i’ve gotten through the first two sections—i think the halfway point (in terms of stitch counts) is behind me. i’ve done a second major decrease and now i’m ready to start the next portion, where the pattern changes to a more open, lacy one. the idea here is to have a slim silhouette of sheer panels with stricter linear structure from shoulder to elbow, which then opens into a deep hem of lusty, carved leaf shapes that weight the bottom edge to make it swing and fold nicely.

if i knit fast enough, i’ll soon be able to tell if i can successfully accomplish all that. heh.

meanwhile, i also got a few shots of my finished tidelines sock

from the side and from the top. for those that missed it and have asked, the beautiful yarn is new hue handspuns bunny hop, a cozy merino/angora blend, handspun by cheryl

the pattern really does look like the foamy remains of lapping waves (every time i think i’ve shaken it, i miss san diego again!).
i quick cast on for the second sock right away so i’d have it to work on during meetings and any waiting room thing i have to do.

.

now, i know you all like shawl and scarf pins, right?
yesterday i got a box from julie at hearts of gratitude, producers of exquisite jewelry and accessories wrought from wire and healing precious stones. she told me she was sending one of of her new shawl pins

so you can imagine my surprise when i opened the box to find all this—an amazing array of beautiful things from her shop offerings. yes there are shawl pins, big and small. this one is named anne’s favorite

and i have to admit, julie nailed it with this one (though i can’t presume to be the anne that it’s name after). this might be just right for the new shawl with it’s curvy shape and one single orange stone. love it.
also included is the favorite shawl pin and a larger one still with obsidian beads. shawl pins will be available in her shop soon, along with other goodies (she’s always adding)

along with those are a few examples of her gorgeous, no-snag stitch markers—my favorites are the beach glass ones

i might just throw these on a chain to sling around my wrist or neck—you know, to keep the beach close by.

julie also sent some healing mix and match pendents (and i can’t wait to try them)

to wear when a little balancing power is called for (or to wear just because we like them).

julie and her mom, rita, create all of their piece with healing stones; each box lid has an explanation of what the stones offer. they have a lovely and interesting approach to creating their jewlery; you can read about them in this interview on heather’s blog.

that’s all the time i have today—we are sussing out new health insurance (big drag, lemme tell ya) and we have a phone meeting in a few minutes. see you next time.

31 thoughts on “hoarfrost on roses”

  1. As for a name, what about hoarfrost? And though I’m not a sock knitter, those socks are my favorites!
    I’m waiting for your lovely new shawl, hoping I have the yarn for it!

  2. Love the new neckwarmer! The first thing that popped into my head was that it looked like crocuses to me…both the shapes in the pattern and the colors. I love the tidelines sock, too. Perfect name for that one.

  3. ooh Anne’s favorite is my favorite too! And i love the purple fiber in the neckwarmer. It does look like crocuses!

  4. The shawl is looking gorgeous! I can’t wait to see it all spread out. And I love those beach glass stitch markers, to — beach glass is a big favorite around here.

  5. I’m glad you liked everything! When I found out it was your birthday I thought I would include a few extras. I am so in love with the shawl. I think the combination of the color of yarn and the stitch pattern remind me of the wings of a rising phoenix.

  6. Anne –

    You are killing me – hurry up and finish the orange shawl! I’ve been actively stalking yarn for it for over a week now…. I can’t wait to get my needles on it.

    Are you looking for a name for it? How about? Aceretum, Esveld Aceretum or Boskoop.

    Esveld Aceretum is the largest collection of maples in the world. [1] The aceretum is part of PlantenTuin Esveld, a family-owned commercial nursury in Boskoop, Netherlands that was founded in 1865. [2]

    The term “aceretum” describes an arboretum devoted to maple trees and shrubs.

  8. Your Tidelines sock is lovely–now that it’s finished, I think that it looks more like the ocean’s edge than like cotton candy. Can’t wait for the pattern. Those shawl pins sure are beautiful.

  9. I’m pretty sure I’m the Anne she was talking about. You’d best just send that over here and let me hold it for safe-keeping. I’m good to you that way. 🙂

  12. Thanks for the photos of the frost. How beautiful, I have never seen anything like it. I guess it just isn’t cold enough here, not even in the colder climes. Great neck warmer, beautiful colour and of course the socks look wonderful. You make me want to move to a colder climate. The pins are very special too. thanks for sharing.

  13. Oh Anne…how do you do it?? I thought I was done with neck warmers for a spell, but I am thinking I may have to do this one as well and I think I have just the colorway.

    The shawl is growing so beautifully, I can’t wait to see your pattern change….and your new shawl pins are fabulous. How ever do you do this all?

  17. I am loving the updates on the shawl’s progress. I am rooting for your design success, so we can have the pattern all the sooner. Can’t wait to see pictures of the beautiful image you’ve described.

  18. Watch your mouth. 😉 Isn’t the frost so cool when it does that?

    So much beautiful knitting. I am on overload.

    Beautiful pins, stitch markers and such. You are one lucky woman to receive such pretties.

  19. Love the neckwarmer-perfect for a bit of color and warmth without the extra bulk of a scarf. Have you ever considered designing one that has buttons/fasteners? I have very long hair that I wear up and I can’t get one like this on-and wearing my hair down and pulling it through also doesn’t work well.

  20. Love the new neckwarmer and the socks, and those shawl pins and stitch markers—I want them all!

    I never saw hoarfrost growing up (too warm) but we do get it here. I love looking at it too. It’s so wintry!

  21. Oh wow!!! So much eye candy! Everything is so lovely! Those heart pins are so unique!!

    I think that was the frost I photographed a couple weeks ago!! I never knew it had a special name! Very cool!! oops…I didn’t mean to say “cool” in relationship to the frost! LOL!! 🙂

  22. What lovely goodies to look at! I’m thinking Snowdrops for the cowl. The shape of the lace reminds me of them and they are such a pretty early spring flower.

  23. Hoarfrost, of course. (I imagine when I go back to read the comments, I won’t be the only one thinking it)

    I read tidelines as your “tidiness socks” I could use a pair of tidiness socks…

  25. BTW, I also wanted to let you know that I tagged you for an award 🙂 You are in no way compelled to pass it forward, but I wanted you to know!

  26. I’m glad you’re the one who has to decide on the name for the neck warmer, because after I read the first two comments I already couldn’t choose. I will say that I actually think I like the stitch definition better in the first yarn. That’s both of my two cents.

  27. the finished neck warmer is just lovely… as for its not being warm enough in your opinion, for those of us living slightly to the south of you (alright, it was in the low 70’s here today) who are having chilly mornings, it’s perfect! just enough warmth for the early morning, and we dont have to miss out on the joy of having a such a lovely piece of knitting.

  28. Love the neck warmer – such a great pattern. I think it will be perfect for our weather here as it’s not so cold.

  29. Can’t wait for the neckwarmer pattern to be available…would have solved the problem that I had today with the suit I am wearing and the neckline. (I personally like Nola’s suggestion for the name… hoarfrost). Heading over now to check out Julie’ stuff.

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