State Street Cowl

State Street Cowl

I love the idea of eating seasonally, the idea of eating strawberries in January makes me uneasy, and those first spring peas make my heart jump through my tastebuds. There is a time and place for all things in life, the proper season. I have been thinking of taking this concept further into my life, into the creative places. I most enjoy knitting in the mornings, while Julian naps, cozied up with some coffee , NPR and the quilt my Momma made me. Chicago summers get seriously spicy, and knitting something cozy seems unnatural, and frankly, sweaty. I know my style, and I know what I enjoy knitting things that insulate and keep the ones I love warm. I have tried knitting "summer" shawls but they seem impractical to me, who wears a shawl in the summertime? Not me, I loathe being hot, adding layers, even layers of pretty knit silk things, sounds terrible. I know I am not the only one, my beloved Jared Flood wrote a guest post on Hanna's Knitbot that I could not agree more with. Summer can be a time for planning, for swatching, for dreaming up woolen things and waiting for that brisk air to send me strait for the needles.

Thankfully, a few days ago the sweltering Chicago heat died down and gave me the chance to cast this pretty thing on to my needles. It got down to 48 degrees so I just had to jump at the chance to snuggle up. I used the yarn I rescued from that thrifted french connection sweater. I have quite a bit left, so I might make another one and gift it, or maybe do a give away!? What do you think? I loved this pattern, it was really easy to memorize and the bulky yarn and needles let me finish this in just a few hours. It will be nice to have around come late fall. 

If I do find myself craving some stitchery from now on, small little linen projects like this lovely, or this, or these adorable little baby toys for the new baby, who's name is Indy.  I might do a few pairs of bebe socks and slippers to keep my muscles moving, but nothing heavier than that. The next few months will be a time for reading with some iced tea, experimenting with recipes and introducing Julian to the childhood joys of summer, sprinklers, watermelon, picnics and staying up past your bedtime because the sun hasn't gone down yet.