Big Plans

Great Trails is nearly upon us. 

And with it comes a crap ton of last minute planning, especially because we weren't sure we were even going to be able to do it this year. 

And of course because I'm me, I decided that I HAD to have a thicker shawl to wear in the evenings when it gets pretty cold at camp.

So, I grabbed that grey bulky weight yarn from the Great Lakes Fiber Show...

Wound it up into balls bigger than my head...

Then promptly went pattern hunting. 

Of course, I couldn't find anything I even remotely liked that I had enough yardage for, so...

I sketched out an idea, did some quick math, and promptly got to work.

The goal is as big and squishy as I can get using as much of the yarn as possible. 

And I have to have it all done by Thursday...

Ain't no party like an Ashatning party because an Ashtaning party don't stop until it's 3am and I only have 8 more rows and a bind-off and who really needs sleep anyway and can I block this on the bed and still be able to sleep on it?

I've only been working on it for a few days, but it looks promising. 

I started it the 17th and got through the first ball yesterday. I didn't get as much done over the weekend as I'd hoped since we were setting up. And it's going a little bit slower, too, because the plan is to eventually release it as a pattern on Ravelry. 

I've given it the tentative name of Squish Squash.

I'm probably halfway through ball two now and am going to have to decide soon if I'll have enough for six body repeats, or play it safe at five. I was aiming for seven, but I can't really afford to lose at yarn chicken.

I suppose I should actually get back to working on this thing, but let me leave you off with a little bit about this yarn.

It is not very soft, it is NOT very strong, it smells like machine oil, and I have spent So. Much. Time. picking bits of vegetation out of it. And feathers! There are damn feathers spun into it!

See that little white bit by the brown?

Yep, pretty sure it's a chicken feather.

I don't think it can hold up to frogging, which is why the one cable up there looks a wee bit funny. I accidentally missed two rows in the repeat, but I didn't want to accidentally rip the yarn when trying to frog.

The stitch definition is terrible. 

But...

My god, this thing is so damned thick. 

I'm hoping and praying (Henry, counting on you) that once it's washed (assuming that it doesn't just dissolve in water) and blocked (assuming that it doesn't tear) that it's going to do exactly what I need it to and keep me (and let's be honest, probably mostly John) toasty AF at camp.

So, little grey wool and cotton buddies, don't let me down.