All Downton, All the Time

Exciting...one shawl checked off my list already! My Dotted Rays shawl is finished but not blocked. It only took 8 days to knit, that's a record for me, I think!

I'm excited to move on to the Downton Abbey Mystery Knit Along shawl! It is oh so lovely already. And the interesting part is that it will not be a circular shawl. What the what?



In other (but related...you'll see why) news, we are in full-on planning mode for our summer trip to London and Paris. Dates are set, apartments are booked, flights are being purchased, lists of places to see are being compiled.

In addition to that, I'm planning for another very important part of traveling: creative outlets. Last time we were in London, I found myself on flickr slamming as many quilt pictures as possible in the short amount of internet time we had. I was starved for inspiration! My hands felt empty! I wasn't creating anything except memories and while memories are super important, creating real things is important too. It's a very huge part of who I am. And to be deprived of that for two weeks felt like a punishment, not a vacation!

So, how to remedy the situation this time around? First, I'm planning to visit a few places that will inspire me. On the list so far: fabric shopping at Liberty of London and a visit to the fashion galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum (which were closed the last time we were in London).

To address the need to physically create things, I'm planning a knitting project to take along. I can imagine the airports, planes and evenings where it would be so nice to knit a few rows and relax. And at the end of two weeks, I'll (hopefully) have a finished item that will remind me of my trip.

But what should I make? My first thought was a shawl, one skein, crescent shaped. Something not too complicated but still pretty. Maybe a bit of lace or texture? Something light and summery. Something that would remind me of my trip to these lovely cities. Maybe something that I could wear the next time I visit?

I've been searching through Ravelry and I think I've decided on the Parasol shawl. It fits all my requirements and I just really like it. I'm planning to choose a skein of yarn from my stash, something neutral and soft.



I have another creative trick up my sleeve but I'll save that for another post. I also have some quilting posts in the works. Until then, thought, it's going to be all Downton, all knitting around here. I hope you don't mind.