Summer project: Host mother shawl

This is the project I started the week before I left, which I've been working on over my flights, breaks, and free time:

The pattern is Waves of Grain from Knitty. It's a fairly simple rectangular stole, which I've adapted for fingering weight yarn. It's knit in two halves and grafted in the center. I'm knitting it in Knit Picks Palette in a nice purple heather color.

Why am I knitting it? I'm knitting it for my Tajik host mother, who has been nothing but wonderful to me letting me live as one of her family for these two months. She's paid for the service by my study abroad program, but not half as much as she deserves.

I bought three balls of yarn - I knit the first half of the scarf with one ball of yarn, and I'm almost finished with the second ball on the second half. Once I'm through with that, I'll knit both halves two-at-a-time using both ends of the third ball, until the stole is an appropriate length.

You might think that a wool stole might be an inappropriate gift in a Central Asian country that borders Afghanistan, but actually they get quite a bit of snow in the winters here. :)

~Joyuna