Like many knitters, my stash overflows with handpainted sock yarn, usually in 100g skeins. If I knit only socks, I would have yarn to last for several years. Instead, I wanted to design a simply addictive shoulder shawl pattern. One that would be easy...

I had another blog post up for awhile. I’d written it last night after a kind of dreadful day with Dad at the hospital. He’s getting better, but he’s also really weak and tired and I don’t see the spark he’s always had before. He’s doing better this...

Rather unexpectedly, I flew to St. Charles this morning. I’m now, after one of the longest days of my life, laying on my old bed, rooting around the internet, and trying to just not feel anything for a while. Let’s rewind a little, shall we? The day...

Mom doesn’t ask for a lot of handknits, so when she mentioned that she’d love a new black scarf for Christmas, I decided it was a great opportunity to design one just for her. Instead of a rectangle scarf, I chose a small shoulder-shawl, perfect for...

Somehow, without really noticing at all, I passed a year in this new city of mine. And what a year it’s been, eh? Looking back to December 2008 so much has changed. At last, all the Swenson-Tianos are living in one place again. We have a cute little...