Project Fruit: Grapefruit/Banana

What's this? A ball of yarn that's as big as a grapefruit. (Note grapefruit for scale.) The yarn is Laurel by Schaefer Yarn. It is 100% mercerized pima cotton. Though the color of the photo isn't very accurate, the colorway is called Empress Wu Zhao. She's a memorable woman. The Schaefer people tell it best: Just 13 when she became a concubine of Emperor Tai Zong, Wu Zhao became empress of his successor Gao Zong when she bore him a son. A powerful influence at court and given a free hand when he fell ill in 660, Wu Zhao virtually ruled China. Upon Gao Zong’s death, she deposed his eldest son and ruled through his younger son until she claimed the throne in 690, ruling until her death. She was responsible for building many beautiful pagodas and temples, introducing many reforms including greater freedom for women and better health care, and as China’s first female sovereign, brought peace and prosperity to the country.

I took this grapefruit-size ball of yarn with me to Colorado this weekend. I cast on for a new project. I even knitted in Beulah as my brother grilled burgers for the family.

What am I making? A Clapotis! I like this scarf/shawl and if about 40,000 other blogging knitters can do it, I am sure I can too. I had to learn how to knit into the front and back of a stitch and how to purl into the front and back of a stitch, but that wasn't so bad.
I finished the increase section! This is a more accurate representation of the color. The ball of yarn is now smaller. Note the banana for scale. Originally I wanted to compare the size of the yarn ball to various fruits, ideally round ones. But there was no round fruit at my mom's house, so the banana was used instead. Next time I give an update on this project, I promise to use a round fruit!