Speaking of Alpaca

Just got this shawl finished and wanted to share it with you. I call it the Ruffled Peddlar. It is a variation of the Wool Peddler's Shawl from my first book, Folk Shawls. 

Tehri in Finland (mustaavillaa on Ravelry... see my Favs!) did a gorgeous ruffled variation of the Wool Peddler's Shawl in Rowan Felted Tweed.   The new alpaca yarn I'm exploring has 9 natural shades, and since I, like Tehri, love brown and black, I selected Cocoa and Charcoal. I used yo's for the increases that form the ruffle and made the ruffle a bit deeper.  The deep ruffle gives the shawl some real movement.  The extra width provided by the addition of the subtle ruffle also makes the shawl fit better than a regular triangle..it stays on!  I think it works!  Brilliant ruffled idea, Tehri!  I love the flow of the Ruffled Peddler!  It goes from gentle waves to really ruffled,  depending on the sway of the wearer. 

I so love this alpaca yarn that I will be selling it on my website.  I'll have the information and the colors up on cheryloberle.com in the very near future. I will hurry, I promise,  though I'm 

busy packing as I write....  I do have Knitaway or two (three actually!) to attend in the next month.  Joy!

                 

It's September!

As it often does, the summer has flown so quickly by.  Now it's September!  And in 10 days we'll be at Session II of the Knitaway in the Rockies in Winter Park.

Session I in June was an incredible experience.  A fabulous group of talented knitters from all over the country, perfect weather (the one rain storm produced a magnificent dusk rainbow over the continental divide..quite a sight), and alpacas. And even better than that, baby alpacas.  We were invited take an afternoon jaunt to Lonesome Stone in Granby, Colorado to  meet the new members of the alpaca herd and to tour the mill ... and yarn shop. Ummmm!  Such serene and engaging creatures are the alpacas that I could hardly get the knitters to leave the field to go yarn shopping.  I managed to do so however and stash enhancement happened. 

So now the end of next week the next group of knitters will arrive  and we're going to visit the alpacas again. We'll probably see the aspen starting to turn and the last of the summer wildflowers gracing the sides of the walking paths.  Autumn beginning in the high country has a  particular feeling, a scent, almost a taste.  It is one of my favorite annual experiences and  thank goodness for the Knitaway to make sure that I get up there to enjoy every September.  Oh yes,  and then there's the knitting!