Monday, June 27, 2005

Weekly Round Up

I've taken the progress bars of the right hand side of my template. I never get to update them - plus I'm never honest about the amount of projects on my needles. Sometimes I finish a scarf or something even before I have the time to put it up and code the progress bars...so from now on, Mondays is going to be my Weekly round up day.
Last weekend was, in contrast to previous weekends, a hive of activity, knitting wise. I was home sick with the flu on Friday, and finished the One Skein Wonder. Last night, I finished the back of Plaza. But let's not get a head of myself.

Here is my list of projects on the needles, in all honesty now.

From the oldest to the newest:-
Lacy Tunic from Rebecca 28
Jaeger Trinity Violet :- one back done



Green Lacy top from Japanese Magazine
Marks and Kattens Bianca :- one back done


Clapotis
Crocus Shimmer Rayon/Silk from Over the Rainbow yarns -Frogged


Bracken Tweed Cardigan for my sis - one sleeve done


Fiddlesticks Lacy Lattice Stole
Filatura Di Crosa Kid Mohair - 30% done


Pseudo Gansey from Japanese Magazine
Filatura di Crosa Zara :- one front and one sleeve done


Pink Grapes from Japanese Magazine
Yarnart Summer Cotton :- Two sleeves done


Plaza from Rowan Classic Cafe
Cleakheaton Country 8 ply - one back done


One Skein Wonder
Crocus Shimmer Rayon/Silk from Over the Rainbow yarns - Done


Fiddlestick Lotus Blossom Shawl
Cherry Tree Hill Merino Laceweight Dusk- less than 10%



Wow! I really have get cracking on this WIPs before starting anything new.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Fly by night.

I've been busy with this at work. And failing to make much progress with my Plaza.
After one week I am 15 cm short of the shoulder shaping on the back.
No point in posting progress pic, cos the piece is not blocked, curls like crazy and bunched up on straights.


But I will leave you with a picture with the fabric this yarn makes - Cleakheaton Country Style 8 ply pills! That's ok cos I kind of like that weathered look but after knitting with cotton and merino for so long, I had forgotten what 100% pure wool does. Oh and the other difference with this knit is that I've made a conscious effort to wind the knit stitch anti clockwise on the needle instead of clockwise.

Plaza




Check out Vanessa's One Skein Wonder.

I've decided I wanted one too so I looked around my stash for a suitable yarn and chanced upon my long abandoned Clapotis....

*sheepish grin*

I am sure you can guess what happened next.

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For Hojo who left a nice comment - the Primula Pattern is from The Book of Modern Lace Knitting Book 1.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Primula proper

I've finished the semi circular Primula shawl. Well it's more of a capelet than a shawl cos it's too small to go round the front for me. It would be a nice lacy shawl for a little girl - so anyone out there has a little girl who would like this shawl?

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Overall I am very pleased with the results since it was an experiment of sorts. I am going to add an i-cord tie at the front so it won't fall off the shoulders.

Things to do for the next one ( yes I think this is one pattern which I am keen to try again) :-

1. See where the leaves start?? I'm going to start there and knit a full circle to make a lacy poncho.
2. I am NOT going to do another crochet bind off - shudder!!!!
3. Alternatively I would start at a little higher than the leaves and work over back forth over the whole pattern - so that I would get a circular shawl with a slit in the middle.

I want to start this tomorrow BUT...
I have started Plaza from the RYC Classic Cafe for my sister and I really want to finish that in 4 weeks before she arives.

I know. I am a bad girl.

What happened to the Bracken Tweed Cardi? I can't seem to get started on it again so I decided a fresh start on a new project was required. As long as my sister gets one of the items she asked for on time :)

Friday, June 10, 2005

What's this?


Opal Sock

The beginnings of a sock using the Magic Loop mathod with Opal Sock Yarn - yay! no more DPNS!!
Actually I've just ripped all out because I want to do this instead :-
Dublin Bay Socks


Look what my sister sent me from NZ ( according to my instructions, of course)


Infinty Soy Silk

This is Infinity Soysilk lace weight yarn from South West Trading Co. All 1200 yds of it.
She also sent me 10 balls of Mexican Wave Aran Acrylic, and asked me if I can knit her a vest. Hmm... I think my sister and I need to have a talk about yarn snobbery.

And lastly, when did my son get to be such a poser!

Greg the poser

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Lost in Lace

I've caught the lace bug - very very bad addiction. Almost all my purchases nowadays are sockweight or laceweight yarn. Who can resist the lure of cobwebby, airy, lacy goodness ?

Remember the Fiddlesticks mohair Lacy Lattice Stole? Well I managed another pattern repeat last week and have another 9 to go before I get to the next pattern change. It's taking me so long cos I only pick it up when I have a very quiet evening with no interuptions. It's not a complicated pattern but I need to make myself relax when knitting with this yarn. Find myself taking very deep breathes before every row and fiddle my fingers to limber them up.
I might attempt another repeat tonight.

Lacy Lattice Progress pic 2


About a month ago, I finished a circular doily called Egelblad from Nurhanne's Yarn-Over site. Have a look at my unblocked version

Egelblad

This is done with Adriafil's baby wool 4 ply (fingering weight) and I think when stretched it would be about 16 inches in diameter. Cruise over to MJ's to look at her version done in crochet cotton #10.

I would have started another doily but for the fact that the casting on and the first few rows drives me nuts. I am not an expert in dpns and fiddling around with 8 -10 stitches on 4 needles is a freaking nightmare. It's ok once you've got to about 30-40 stitches on the needle then you can switch over to circulars using the magic loop method.

So to avoid that fiddly cast on, I decided to make a semi circular shawl - using half of a circular pattern. Using the Katia Mississippi print 3 in my stash and 4.5 mm circs and following the primula pattern from Modern book of Lace Knitting 1, I casted on for the Primula tablecloth.


Primula shawl

This is what the original looks like
It's a horrible picture cos I can't get the shawl spread out on the circs, you get the general idea. I am about two thirds of the way through and the top edge measures about 28 inches. So I hoping for a 40- 42 inch shawl when it's finished.

I've since found some tips on making that first few rows a little more bearable-
1. MJ suggested not joing the circle until the second row ( or even 4th or 6th row) and closing the gap when weaving in the ends.
2. The Modern book of lace knitting suggested a crochet cast-on similar to one described in DeAnn's blog here.Sad to say it didn't work for me.
2.Knitter's review lace forum has also some suggestions on alternative cast on methods in this topic
3. One of the methods discussed were to use a provisional i- cord cast on - use another yarn to make an icord for about a couple of inches then switch to your working yarn leaving a tail and a lifeline on row 1. Once you're done with the piece or have enough stitches to be comfortable , you can undo the i-cord until you get to the working yarn, run the tail through your first row and do a drawstring bind of.. This sounds like a great method and I'm going to try this with my next project.

Oh and yes I remember I promised to show you my beaded stitch markers on a project so here are a couple

Pink stitch marker green stitch marker


Thanks to those who left suggestions on what to do with the Very Berry yarn. If I'm still under the influence of this lace knitting bug by the time I get to it - I think I'm going to have another lacy shawl on my needles.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Currently Contemplating

500 yds of sock/fingering weight yarn
Colour : Very Berry from Over the Rainbow Yarns

Very Berry sock yarn


What do you think I should do with this? It's just too pretty to be socks.
For now I am just happy to look at it.

I've actually had a productive weekend. Lyn and I met up on Saturday at Brenda's and she worked on a necklace for her mom while I knitted another little sleeve of the Japanese Lacy Top Pink Grapes Top (It's time to start naming my projects).

Then on Monday I worked another pattern repeat on my Fiddlesticks Lacy Lattice Stole. On tuesday I worked on a mesh canvas bag I started many moons ago. Yesterday I worked on a semi circualr shawl I am adapting from a circular lace doily pattern.

All of which I have yet to post progress pics.

See how I am subtly delaying going to back to work on my sister's Cardigan?

Speaking of which. I just received 3 more balls of Panda's Bracken Tweed from Bronwyn in Australia- She read about it on an earlier post and has some in her stash that she didn't what to do with. So she sent it along to me!!

Isn't the internet amazing?