Transformation!

Wow, it’s been awhile since I last blogged and told you about my repurposed yarn. I’m happy to report that it turned out to be wonderful to work with, and my resulting Shalom Cardigan looks fantastic. I even have enough yarn left over to make another project; I’ll probably do one of my favorites, the GAP-tastic Cowl. All’s well that ends well and I learned a lot from repurposing this yarn. 

The Big Apple Knitter’s Guild has turned out to be somewhat of an enabler for me…their next meeting after the auction was a presentation by the absolutely adorable Shira Blumenthal, the new brand ambassador for Lion Brand Yarn. Shira showed us a bunch of Lion Brand yarns that are new, innovative and fun. There were also some garments passed around and modeled–the Penelope Poncho caught my eye immediately. Knit in the new Lion Brand yarn called Country, the poncho is knit on size 13 needles and looked like it would be a great alternative to the blanket that I have been putting over my shoulders as I sit in my drafty home office. As soon as I finished the Shalom, I bought some Country and cast on the poncho. After a week (in which I knit on other projects too), I’m almost halfway done. Stay tuned for pictures and an analysis of the yarn. So far, it’s soft and fun to work with–it has unexpected color changes that aren’t really visible when it’s in the hank. That’s always fun.

Another new addition to my life since I last blogged is yoga. I took a class that a friend of mine had organized as a fundraiser, and I fell in love with how great my muscles felt as they stretched out after all the cardio I do on a daily basis. The breathing and relaxation is certainly good for me too. I’ve since bought a yoga mat and taken a few classes at my gym, but I’ve also tried to do daily practice at home with YouTube channels such as Yoga with Adriene–highly recommended! I also took a free weights class at my gym yesterday and I liked that very much too–I think I’ll continue.

So lots of nice diversions to the snowy, freezing and grey weather we’ve been having. I am thankful for all of these things to look forward to. Stay warm!