Prelude to Jazz

It's been a while since I announced the poodle stole project (March 25) and I must confess that I still do not have the actual stole on the needles. I do have a large alpaca swatch of Wings of the Swan, gull wings and a twisted open cable departing in opposite directions from a central point. Also, currently blocking, I have a small poodle yarn swatch of the Wings of the Swan motif, for the purpose of discovering actual blocked gauge. The result of all I've done so far is that I've discovered I don't have enough poodle for the stole as originally charted and will have to cut out the twisted openwork cables, unless I change the orientation of the motifs and knit the stole lengthwise. That would be all right. However, in the interim, I've sort of developed a hankering to turn this into a capelet. This is the real problem with designing a project - the possibilities abound. An update, with photos (if I can figure out how to post them) will follow in a couple of days.

When I finally got up enough courage to attempt to wind the poodle skeins into balls, I was dismayed to discover that the operation isn't too far removed from attempting to do the same with barbed wire. I knew the fiber was clingy, but had not suspected that the swift simply would not turn! And the shedding! Clouds of soft poodle everywhere! It took a while, but it got done, and the yarn is perfectly pleasant to knit with. Interestingly, it exhibits a woolen elasticity when being worked, but has very little give when being blocked; which dashed my hopes of getting the stole to grow by 25% when I dress the finished product.

You have all put me to shame with your rapid output of lovely lace. It's a good thing that there isn't a deadline. As soon as I get Jazz on the needles, I'll begin charting for a bright salmon kid mohair/silk summer wrap. Not that I have a hope of getting caught up here...

Isn't she lovely?

Isn't she lovely?
Originally uploaded by samuraisqurl.

Don't laugh now...I've completed a whole ten rows of garter stitch. Its taken me many days to find a new way to post pitures to my/any blog! So I've only completed half of the border stitches on my Kimono Shawl. I am very excited to get going on this shawl, but there are so many projects I'm working on at the same time!! Also feeling a little intimidated by this project: ITS A LACE SHAWL! I have approximately 1700 yds of yarn to knit! At this point I'll be happy if my lack of work on the shawl doesn't get me booted!

Finished Kiri!

Lookie what I made!


And I restarted the Flower Basket Shawl last night on smaller needles and I am liking it much better.

Hi!

I've just joined this KAL, as I'm very close to finishing my first Branching Out. I've really enjoyed being part of that KAL, so as I have one pattern repeat of Cozy on the needles for when I'm finished, I thought I'd sign up to this one!

I'm knitting Cozy in some 100% cashmere I managed to snaffle on eBay. The colour is almost exactly the same as monkeemaven's Cozy. I won't post any pictures just yet as it's a bit feeble at the moment, but once I'm under way I will. The pattern is a nice relief after Branching Out which requires (for me anyway) mega concentration!

Most of my future projects seem to be lace patterns - I think I can feel a slight obsession growing here....

Carolyn

Oooh, just ran the spell check on this and it came up with "minicomputer" (all one word!) for "monkeemaven".

Finished Kiri, blocking ahead

I finished knitting Kiri late last night and now I have to figure out how to block her with no wires and too few pins. I should wait until I can order some wires but I am too anxious to see it blocked, so I will forge ahead and see what happens.

Cozy is done!!

After three months on the needles, I bound off Cozy yesterday.
Finished size: 5 feet x 2 1/2 feet.
Yarn: 3 3/4 balls of Omega Sinfonia - sportsweight mercerised cotton

Boring picture on the grass:


Slightly more interesting picture on the clothesline:


I've not done anything like wash it or block it yet - no room! - but already it's amazingly slinky and drapey. The stitch pattern seems a bit different from each angle - sometimes the focus is on the yarnovers on either side of the double decreases, sometimes the focus is on the left slant to those double decreases, sometimes the focus is on the little diamonds the pattern makes
I feel insanely geeky to analyse exactly what about the stitches pops out at me.

Already pondering my next project. I just bought 6 hanks of Knitpicks Colour Your Own - definitely destined to be a shawl. (Not the full mile and a half, probably.) How I'll dye enough at the same time and fairly consistently has yet eluded me, much less what colour I want! I've narrowed it down to three general shawl shapes and a couple different colours... updates will come when there's something to update. My other two shawls are both growing slowly but not enough to warrant a picture.

-monkeemaven

FINISHED!!!!!!!!

Yes, I've completed my feather and fan shawl last night!
It's around 50cmX175cm(20'X70'). And you were right it's not too wide.
I yet have to blog it, but it's not stretching that much.
Bloging it might take sometime cause I'm first going to put it in vinegar water to "seal" the color.
And I have to wash my needles, they are all blue now. I guess I have never washed my hands so often!
I'm definately going to use this yarn again for shawls and the likes. It's soft and easy to work with AND reasonable priced.

No pics yet cause my cam is out of battery...

EDIT1: I spent the last 10 Minutes with washing the shawl with mild shampoo...
It's still bleading! No, I won't give up...I refuse to...back to washing...

EDIT2: I don't think there will ever be any photos of this shawl.
Good news first: It doesn't bleed anymore!
Bad news:
arggh2

argg


I'm too disappointed to write more...

Triangular Lace Shawl Class

Well. I thought I was going to do the Queen of Hearts shawl for my Lace Shawl KAL and my Think Pink KAL. Then KittnKnit discovered that Needlecraft University was offering a Triangular Lace Shawl Class. This shawl can be knit in worsted weight yarn on 10.5 circular needles! I have two skeins of Caron's Rainbow Dreams Rosy Forecast (with LOTS of pink in it), and if I use it, I can use up some of my stash, which will help to satisfy my "yarn diet" criteria...as well as meeting the two KAL requirements (and I get the circular needles I've been wanting but couldn't justify!).

So who do you think bounced right up and said "Sure, Kitt, I'll take the class with you?" YUP. Me. Now I hope the Lace Shawl KAL won't hit me too hard for not working on the alpaca just yet. I think it's smarter that my first lacework be done on somewhat larger yarn...

I made some progress on my shawl as you can see.
Trouble is I think it's too wide! It's 50cm wide unblocked and it stretches.
But I don't want to unravel(frog) the work.


me

Back to Lace Land

Hi all:

Back to lace land after a brief detour to work on a baby gift. I originally joined the KAL to work on a bead/lace combinaton for a shawl (my own design):




I have about 6+" done. However, while working on the baby gift, I heard the siren call of Branching out in the new knitty.com issue. So I started that yesterday as well. I tried laceweight and dk, shown here:



Then I decided I liked the dk one better, it's Royal Fiber Spinnery alpaca in Sea green. Here's a closeup of the lace:



Ever since I did a Charlotte's Web in Poncho format I've been addicted to lace.



I love seeing what everyone is working on! I feel so inspired.

Such Beautiful Lace!

Blog scouting today has produced some wonderful results. Javede has started her feather and fan shawl, it's a lovely shade of blue, and it seems to be rubbing off on her needles, let's hope not her hands! ;) Julie is well on her way with her Bob 'n Weave, now if only she had more yarn. Those colors are sinful Julie! Monkee is edging her beautiful self designed lace shawl. I think it'll look really good in a pastel blue. DeAnn has finished a gorgeous brown circular shawl, and she shows us how she blocked it. Laura is doing the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls, I can't wait to see how it's going. Shelob has finished up Ene's Scarf, and from the picture, it's really divine. That's about it for now.

I hope you all are enjoying your knitting, I've enjoyed looking at it.
-Danielle

Oh man... I ran out of yarn!!

I have to wait to buy more... no cash! I might be able to go tomorrow, but highly unlikely. We'll see!!

Here's how its going!

And here's the ribbon I might use... what do you think? It's Lion Brand Incredible.

Lace is Lace is Lace

Rather than bore you with a few more inches of my garter stich and yarn over shawl, I figured I'd show you other "lace" I'm working on. I have the Helen's Lace shawl which I've already mentioned, the popular Rebecca 29 Eyelet Wrap that continues to bedevil me, and finally the soon to be ripped Spearfish sock. The one theme that is obvious to me is the need for me to rip and reknit. Guess I should start thinking about those lifelines, huh?

Where's the lace at?

Hi ladies,

I went blog scouting last night (after Comcast decided to get fixed), and guess what I didn't find? Lace! Yep that's right, I only found lace on 4 blogs, one with pics, and the other 3 descibing where they're headed, or how they're doing. So, new plan, I'll update on Monday night, that gives everyone plenty of time to show that lace! :)

Cheers,
Danielle

P.S., Alerirvay, Renada, and Christy, you all have invites waiting in your mail boxes!

The Agony of Frogging Lace

I think we've all had to sit down, hold our breadths and rip away. It's a terrible feeling, but there's that little voice in the back of your head that keeps saying, "It'll be alright, you're a perfectionist, you can't just leave it." Has anyone else tried to drown out that voice by saying, "One little mistake won't be noticed, where's the harm?" I'm very guilty of this, I'm ashamed to say. I bit the bullet about a week ago and took out 3 inches, to get back to a misplaced YO. But now, all is well again, and those 3 inches have been regained.


This is the shawl in it's current state, about 33", only 47" to go. It looks like I'll only be needing 2 balls, I have 4, so I have no idea what to do with the leftovers.

What I've learned thus far:
1. Life lines are your friends! Use them well.
2. If you're going to be doing a lot of frogging, have an alcoholic beverage near by, even if you don't drink much. Liquid courage isn't always a bad thing.
3. Never knit lace while tired.
4. Being a perfectionist isn't always a good or even necessasary thing.

-Danielle

Oh yeah and ladies, I know everyone's over at Knitty right now, but I'll be doing an update post later tonight. So if you have pics or progress reports, I'll be scouting out blogs around 10pm mountain time. If you don't have a blog, you're more than welcome to email your progress or post it here. Have fun ladies!

Start and Restart FBS

I started the Flower Basket Shawl last night, but 31 rows into it I decided that the pattern was too loose and I should knit it with smaller needles. It looks clearer in the photo than in real life. IRL it won't be stretched tight on a black background, and I'm afraid I won't be happy with it. What do you think?

I'm got a couple more pattern repeats on Kiri before it is time for the border. I love the Kiri pattern! Pics of that on my blog, Gotta Make

80 outside? Too warm to knit with wool, no?

So the subject has nothing to do with the post. It was that or a quote from a Graham Nash song.

Faroese shawl update: about 16" long and so soft and warm and snuggly, you would not believe. The other day I was walking around the house wrapped in it, a dozen needles dangling behind me and me almost sweating, but...


A week ago I finished the main body of Mystery Shawl #3. That's what, 2' x 4'? So the edging...



Dawg, having actually pattern junk on every row is slow. Gorgeous, but slow.

the long and winding road...

after FOUR, count em FOUR attempts, and a different needle, i have finally finished the 26 row border and 8 row garter stitch. time for a lifeline and moving on. Sorry for poor picture quality.

Antique Rose Queen of Hearts

I bought my first baby alpaca for this first lace shawl of mine. I'll be using Fiber Trends Queen of Hearts pattern, and I just can't wait to get started, but I have to. I'm already working on the Clapotis KAL and my own Knit Red KAL for Women's Heart Disease Awareness, and I've just got to finish them up! But as soon as I do, I'll be casting on for this fabulous shawl!