Birch Trees

Whenever I think of Birch Trees I think of the sandbox at the farm house where I grew up. It was the only birch tree on our property, it was taken down years later, but I always thought is was so cool. I would be playing in the sandbox (trying to avoid the cat poo surprises -ew) and would get distracted by the peeling bark of the birch and begin playing with bark or climbing around in the tree.

All that to say I have a fondness for birch trees and I am REALLY excited about this new knitting project - Birch Tree Pillow. The pattern is by Eva Katharina (ravelry link, sorry), if you're not on Ravelry you'll just have to wait and watch the pattern emerge as I knit this up.

I started spinning the yarn for this project in the early summer, I think. I have only spun half the wool I have, but I couldn't wait to cast on for this pillow - and honestly, I'm not even certain I'll need the other half of the wool so it may get designated to another project.

I find that whenever I do fair isle knitting I can't seem to put the project down! It is so fun to see the result emerge and I enjoy knitting with both hands - it make me feel more efficient or something.

I just finished this fair isle project - stirrup socks or yoga socks. I plan to wear them mostly with regular socks and ballet flats as an extra layer of warmth - since my gym doesn't offer classes (boo).

Anyhow, this pillow has me itching to keep knitting fair isle. This evening looks like it is shaping up to be an evening, at home, on the couch, with hubs and my knitting - lovely.