sweetgum

my fiber friend joan created a beautiful cowl/wrap gift for her daughter. katherine modeled it at the january guild meeting and i've had a bug up my butt bee in my bonnet to make one ever since. i had some handspun (surprise) that i tried to make work. even as i was knitting, i knew it wasn't what i wanted, but i kept going. it  wasn't  what  i wanted.
i re-read the posting about the pattern, and decided i needed to spin the yarn. as i went through my fiber stash, i discovered that i didn't have the right roving. i casually mentioned to amythefibergoddess that i was desperate. being the kind, enabling friend that she is, i soon had about 6 ounces of gem toned roving. she overdyed black bfl, so the colors just glowed.

i ripped it apart to get long bands of thick, loosely spun yarn.

i pushed myself to spin to specifications. i had to remain mindful of my task, which is not always how i roll when i'm spinning. it was completely worth the effort.

the yarn was everything i wanted it to be: bright, soft and ombre. it was so much fun to watch the garment come together exactly as i pictured it in my brain. i have to admit, that i ripped back a few times and took out chunks of yarn so that my bands flowed better.

it fits perfectly. now, here's the best part of the story. i put it on for a model, show my honey, and he can't understand why i wanted to make something that looked like a straight-jacket.

there won't be any more vests for quite a while.