I started this shawl about 36 hours after I received the scariest, no-good, completely awful-rotten news of my entire life. That was 9am on a Thursday. This picture is from the next morning. Tomorrow will mark two weeks living with that news, and I think I can make it to go on living. I have had amazing support from my friends. “What do you need?” they said, and then they supplied: helping me make dinner, going out in the evenings with me to keep my mind off of it. Hugs and letting me vent. The first 48 hours, really, all I could do was knit and read poetry. And now, unfortunately, it’s two weeks until finals and I haven’t really held myself together enough to have everything done like I’d like to.

But in the long run, what’s important? That I get straight As this last semester or that I realize what’s important to me (my family, my friends)? I’m starting to get really anxious about what I’ll do after I graduate, but in the meantime I’m focusing on the fact that in three weeks I will be able to wrap my arms around my mom and squeeze as tightly as I can. Hey, maybe this shawl will be done and she’ll decide she wants it, so that even when I can’t be there in person, I’m there in spirit.

No, I bought some Cascade 220 to make this shawl as well. You see I’ve been mesmerized by mara ever since katie over at brokeknits started hers, with a few words about the color green:

1. Green represents tranquility, good luck, health.
2. Researchers have also found that green can improve reading ability.
3. Green is often used in decorating for its calming effect.
4. Green is thought to relieve stress and help heal.

To which I said: wait a minute, I could use that too. I better make my mara copycat in green too. Although this sea-green is far outside my normal color scheme, that was also part of the point: to branch out a bit. I know I’m a little stuck, color-wise, and I’d like to break out past my deep blues, lime greens and scarlet reds. So I’m trying this.

It’s funny, though. When I first started seriously knitting, I thought there was no way I’d enjoy knitting something was purely garter stitch, or purely stockinette, and here I am now, completely enjoying it. I think I finally realized that there’s a place for those really complicated cable patterns that I love so much (nothing makes me melt more easily than twisted stitches and cables running all over the place), that place is probably not relaxing at the end of the day while watching TV. Then I just lose my place and stop paying attention to what I’m watching. So I guess we’ll be seeing more simpler projects from me in the future, things I can knit and watch stuff with.

And I’ll keep the complicated stuff (like Clematis) for my “buffer zone” between classes, when I don’t want to start watching TV but do want to get my mind away from school.

So — that’s the works in progress for this week. I just got my shawl and vest from January so I’ll start doing the finishing on them sooner or later! I’m super excited for some new FOs! Happy knitting to all.