Pretty Thing Cowl March 31, 2010
Posted by lunarawe in fo, knitting, Knitting - FOs, knitting lace, lace knitting, Pretty Thing Cowl.add a comment
A pretty thing for a beautiful woman! I am sure that many of you, like me, were itching to cast on something soft and delightful the instant you saw our very own Yarn Harlot’s Pretty Thing Cowl. What a gorgeous pattern! I immediately thought Holiday Knitting, and that fact should clue you in to how far behind I am on blogging.
Given my tendency to knit smaller than most, I went up a needle size and knit this on 4s U.S. This gorgeous, shiny, soft, wonderful yarn is Artyarns Silk Rhapsody Glitter – made of silk, mohair, and shine. It is lovely when knit up, the multiple colors making for a somewhat heathered lace instead of something that distracts the eye. Here is a close-up of the cowl, oddly stretched because it has a folded pillowcase inside to show the pattern.
Going up a needle size made for good gauge in terms of stitches per inch, and I added a repeat of the lace pattern as well so that the cowl would fit her better. I swear the Yarn Harlot must have a tiny neck. That said, I did not account well for the increase in row gauge. Ooops. This is definitely too high for her neck after blocking though she seems to like it folded over. If I make this again, which I well might since I love the pattern, I will likely keep the 4s and the added repeat but reduce chart repetitions. I might also choose a yarn with less of a halo.
Still, this gift was appreciated and that is the entire point. She’s happy. 🙂
Shetland Triangle April 13, 2009
Posted by lunarawe in evelyn clark, fo, knitting, Knitting - FOs, knitting lace, lace knitting, shawl, shetland triangle.1 comment so far
Welcome to my 100th blog post!!!!
Finally we have celebrated Kierstin’s birthday so I can show you the big project I was working on in March. This super bright swath of pinkness was in all truthfulness a joy to knit. This is the Shetland Triangle, by Evelyn Clark which many have knit before me.
The lace pattern is deliciously repeated and actually is the only lace project I have seen that lends itself well to airplane travel knitting.
Normally this is a shoulder shawl, so I added an extra four repeats of the body pattern to make it the size I was aiming for. When I saw two skeins of Zephyr Wool-Silk in Dianthus (about as close to Kierstin’s favorite color of pink that I have seen in a lace weight yarn) I knew that a shawl had to be the birthday offering of choice.
The shawl was a pile of pink wavyness when it finally came off the needles (as I continually eyeballed the yarn trying to gauge how many repeats I could really coax out of it… 12 was easy and stress free, I am not sure how some folks on Ravelry have gotten 15 out of these skeins!).
This was my first time knitting lace weight yarn held double. It made a glorious fabric, with wonderful drape. Part of that, of course, is the Zephyr Wool-Silk. Yet I really do love how it feels doubled on itself. But the blocking! Arrgh the blocking!
I have never had a shawl come so close to winning. I swear I was breathing heavily by the time I was done and the next day my arms were sore! It is just a different thing to stretch out doubled yarn. I had no idea. It is gorgeous, sadly none of these pictures really do the shawl justice. But wow that was an experience to behold.
Slow Bee MS3 July 20, 2007
Posted by lunarawe in beads, Knit Alongs, knitting, knitting lace, lace knitting, MS3, Mystery Stole 3, sloth.2 comments
Believe it or not, I am one of the happy participants in Mystery Stole 3 – a wonderful knitalong which gives you a new piece of an undisclosed lace stole pattern each week. This is an original pattern, one of many fabulous patterns by Melanie who is now leading this madness for the third time.
I say believe it or not because while the much awaited fourth clue was released this morning, I have just churned my slow way to finishing clue number one. What can I say? It is summer, I have been working, and one thing I have learned not to rush is lace.
Ignore that red thread up there. It is just a life line – the first of many. One of the things I am really enjoying (to my surprise) is the use of beads in this stole. I don’t normally think of myself as a beads and lace kind of woman, but this has been a pile of fun. Maybe it is that I am finally getting to use my size 12 crochet hook that I snagged about a year ago at Lacis in Berkeley.
I chose size 8 beads in a “green iris” colorway – a blend of greens, golds, bronzes, purples, and pinkish beads to complement the JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk Yarn in Sable. The effect is subtle, but much more noticeable on the stole than in the pic. Still you get the idea.
So I am “slow bee” according to the MS3 group – and I am proud. Just in case some of you are thinking derogatory thoughts… here is proof that sloths (maligned, in my opinion) are truly adorable. I ran into this one a couple of days ago at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Stitch Witch 