But there is room in my flower border for other zinnia varieties as well.

 Below you can see some Fruit Bowl and State Fair Zinnias.

This pattern is almost a decade old and I've had my eye on it since the beginning. For some reason I always thought Loft, this fingering weight yarn from Brooklyn Tweed, and one of his earlier yarns, was itchy. Someone told me it was itchy and so I believed her. But earlier this year I participated in a test knit for a guest designer for Brooklyn Tweed and was offered this yarn at a great discount. The test was for a pullover and is a lovely one and I hope the designer does publish it but we testers have not heard from her for several months. All testers are finished but have not been able to give our final thoughts on the pattern because the designer is MIA. Very odd. But, there is a silver lining--besides the sweater being lovely, I found out that I loved Loft and with the discount the designer offered, I ordered yarn to make this beautiful shawl. Loft is gorgeous to knit and is soft enough for me to wear next to the skin. I knit exactly per pattern, size and colors, and loved the new-to-me edge stitch that I show above. I used a size 6 needle and loved the fabric it made, which was 22 sts. to 4 in. So, when I use this again, I will use it as a DK weight yarn or maybe a sport, but not as a fingering weight, which is what it is! This project was meditative and enjoyable with all the stockinette, the feel of the wool, and the soft, warm colors.

Books: I finished a few books since my last post and have one lovely book to recommend: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. The novel takes place in Japur in the mid 1950s and richly creates everyday Indian life during that period. The characters, especially the henna artist herself, are beautifully portrayed. Themes for the book include the devastation of gossip and rumors, the social castes that follow you like a shadow, abortion, and creating family, blood related or not.