42.

I have a finished project! And a wrecked wrist! Yay!

My wrist is not knitting or spinning related … although, let’s be honest: The knitting and spinning probably haven’t been helping it get better either. I have tendonitis in my dominant wrist (I’m right-handed). It’s lovingly referred to by my physiotherapist as “Mommy Thumb.” Anyone who has ever had a baby and pain in their thumbs? Yes, that is Mommy Thumb. Big bummer. Since my physio is a big fan of taping (as am I), my wrist is now taped up with hot pink sport tape. It’s helping a lot and I can do the knit stitch no problem but purling is completely out for a while. How long, I don’t know.

I had cast on for this shawl, which happens to be a garter stitch only pattern, back in July with my handspun. I decided to bite the bullet and finish it since I had been putting it off for other knitting projects. It was completely boring to knit but watching the colours change was mesmerizing. And the final result was totally worth the boredom.

Pattern: Martina Behm’s Hitchhiker

Yarn: Handspun Malabrigo Nube, colourway 139 Pocion (340meters, 100grams)

Needles: 4.5mm circulars

This handspun was Navajo-plied, which worked beautifully for this colourway since there was lime green, navy blue and coral in the fibre. I wanted to keep those separate from one another as they would have turned to mud otherwise. I knit until I ran out of yarn, which meant I have 10 fewer ‘points’ than what is called for in the pattern but my gauge was significantly bigger.

Lastly, the only modification I made was to slip the first stitch rather than working it in St st. If you decide to buy and knit the pattern, this little modification will make sense. I love it with my rain jacket (which I practically live in all winter!), which is just a happy bonus!

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of my favourite books. If you have read it or enjoyed the movie, you will know why I called my project 42. For those who haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it!

Happy knitting :)