it's back!

i love the shawl. really i do. it is warm and comfy, like a blanket. and i love the ruffle at either end. i carry it with me always and wear it quite a lot. but i discovered i need two hands to maneuver a shawl and if i had truly thought about the consequences of surgery, i would have made a poncho.

last year i knitted the mini poncho from interweave knits poncho loco out of a rowan biggy print in this wonderful deep chocolate color. i once again found myself wearing it all the time because it was easy to slip on and off. but i need something warmer.

so the quest was on. could i find a poncho pattern that i liked? in a pattern that was simple and fast enough to knit while wearing my brace? i looked through all of my books and found this lovely herringbone poncho pattern in last minute knitted gifts. it was perfect, dressy and functional. but i was concerned about my ability to knit the "through the back loop" stitch with a brace and semi clumsy fingers. then i thought i would just design something simple, but decided now was not the best time to design my own poncho.

so after dropping my sweet friend at rehearsal this afternoon, i zipped over to the LYS to see if i could get inspired. after wandering to and fro for over an hour, owner christina came to my rescue. i told her my plan to knit a poncho, ideally out of alpaca so it would be warm and hopefully one that was a quick and easy knit. she suggested atacama 100% alpaca in the blue variegated colorway #505. while showing me a picture of how the yarn looked knitted up, i turned the page to find a simple rib stitch poncho pattern! it was a sign. i left the store with yarn and pattern in hand.

now the only challenge was could i knit for long periods of time. i knew i could knit, albeit slowly, but i could not knit for long and it wore out my shoulder. and though the pattern was a simple rib, it was 142 stitches long.

so with a wee bit of apprehension, i cast on. and then i knitted the first row and then the second and then the third and then i got interrupted. but i was able to knit. and with no soreness. wahoo! it's back! and i am so very grateful and excited!