Rants and Raves

This was my christening shawl from Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller...it started and stopped, I ripped and reknitted, it was tiresome, tedious and devastating to my ego - how can I, who knits complicated lace patterns during hockey games, fail to grasp a shawl made in FEATHER AND FAN (collective gasp!). So as the song goes - you gotta know when to walk away....and when to run! I also confess to having started this project in this particular yarn because I think it's rude to plunk your tush down at a knit nite at a yarn store and not use yarn from that store! Or is this just me? See told you there would be lots of ranting!

Continue with the Estonian Leaf and Nupp shawl from Lace Knitting from Estonia (by Nancy Bush). Don't get me wrong I think it came out great - but I had read all the hype about baby camel being super soft - but cashmere is still softer! I will say that it seems "sticky" much like a shetland wool - and it is extremely light weight and warm! And I loved the color (mostly cause it seems to match my ever greying hair!) But still going to go with the cashmere! I seem to be having a problem with most of the shawls in this book being short...well short for me! So I continually seem to be reworking edgings!

More ranting - not knitting related! How can this administration promise better health care when the clinic I regularly use has you wait 15 days for a "well visit" and a scrip for maintenance meds - and don't even run the tests you know you're going to need and they always request until after you've had the visit which is timed to less than 10 minutes! This system is hopeless understaffed, and the last time I checked it takes a little bit of time to educate a doctor! I don't know if it's the insurance industry/or failure to have coverage that is the issue!?

And as promised here's a rave or two! First one is not knitting related - Hey Al - yesterday the boy beast was taking apart the fairly new tv downstairs - ripped off the power supply and there sat an oozing capacitor - where I heard "YES - I knew it was elephant snot"! Seems the boy beast had a class with Mr. Al when he was 7 where the oozing goo was referred to as elephant snot - and he still remembered 7 years later! Teachers have such a profound impact on kids! Also how weird is it that my 14 year old can fix a television (supervised by his dad - who had to buy the parts! - okay and a lot of the actual work but they are doing this together and hardly fighting at all!)

Here's my Cameron Shawl (by sharon miller) - like the shawl - love almost all of her designs! But I really really can't say enough about this new fiber combo from ColourMart! I'm using the merino/silk/cashmere blend in a 2/30 weight! My swatch washed up prefectly (dawn/mediumhot water, two rinses and rolled up in a towel - then blocked)! So of course I bought more! The picture is what's on my needles - but I can't find the swatch to take a picture! But where ever it is...it's perfect!

Queen Silvia

Finished blocking the Queen Silvia shawl. This pattern can be found in Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. I used Modern 16 - Round Lace Edge from the back of the book, and added 2 extra repeats to the pattern. That means for the mathletes out there it ended up with 30 x 13 edging pattern repeats plus the 4 corner points. Finished size is 27" x 60 inches while it's still pinned out! I really enjoyed this pattern - especially the 5 stitch gather! I had a bunch of trouble with this one while swatching and then realized that you get a much clearer stitch if you make one small change. On the row before you do the "gather", take each of the stitches to be gathered and instead of just purling the stitch, wrap the yarn around the needle twice before you take the stitch off. Then on the next row lift the 5 stitches so that you get rid of the extra loop, this give you 5 perfect and very large stitches and makes the process so much easier...this is probably clear as mud until you try it!

I RIP - a lot

So mon ami - here is my walk of shame...that's right...I rip - a lot! I get "YOU rip" with this incredulous look. I get the same look when I say I'm taking a class, but that will be another post. I must stick to the "shame"...so here's a brief look...

This is Estonian PotPourrie - it got fragged not once but three times while I was searching for the right fiber....then I found the mistake in block 4 - which even though the picture doesn't reflect it I was on block 10 at the time so - I rippped - collective gasp please!

then there are these mittens - the chart turns out to not be the same stitch as the finished mitten - so I bodgered it and the front looked like the picture - but then I noticed the back was also off - so it sat in a basket for a month - when I realized who the heck was I trying to fool - so I ripped!

Then there's this delightful little sweater/jacket that Brooke designed - that I knew I was never going to be happy with it in this fabric and really I wanted to add some extra ruffles to the back, and lengthen the sleeves with huge bell ruffles at the cuff - so I RIPPED again!

And finally there's this absolutely lovely shawl in my favorite fiber combo (cashmere with a hint of silk) It's Sharon Miller's Print of the Wave...and after completing 7 repeats (tedious but pretty) I notice a "non-recoverable" error and frog back to the first repeat.

So if you're keeping count dear friends I frogged 4 projects (some of them multiple times but who's counting) in the month of May alone! I RIP a lot - so do most of the experienced knitters I know (Hi Brooke)! So knit on, and all that other stuff you tell people in similar straits! Personally I reach for chocolate and knit a quick hat for charity - then I start again.

Legends of the Shetland Seas

Well - it's true I'm a lace tart and my drug of choice is ColourMart Cashmere - which would make me a tart and a fiber snob...

TwinToes came to me exactly one month ago and asked for something fabulous for an auction to benefit Breast Cancer Research at St. Alban's Country Club - stress the fabulous. They were looking for something light and girly and Richard was nice enough to help out by throwing this up on his website...so from the runways of Milan to the shop in the UK to a pattern stop in Wisconsin to the event in Missouri here's what I knitted....

And for the technical stuff -ColourMart 2/28 cashmere -75 grams or approximately 1120 yards
US size 3 needle; Pattern by Hazel Carter - Legends of the Shetland Seas and it took about 3 weeks of work (on and off). Finished dimensions 26 inches by 72 inches blocked. And in case you're interested here are a couple of pictures I took while working.

And just a note - Hazel Carter is really one of my favorite designers! I've had the pleasure of attending a couple of her classes, and what a wicked sense of humor. I will only say that I have seen her in a hand knit Carmen Miranda outfit complete with knitted fruit head dress! Everytime I use one of her patterns I smile from beginning to end! I must say that I always get homesick - because Blackberry Ridge was my LYS...but now it's one of several really great ones here in St. Louis...but there's something about Blackberry Ridge that will remain forever special in my heart.

last photo of the lerwick

So Brooke and Suzi over at the Knittery let me use their dress form to take this picture! Final note to self - when wet blocking something this big call for reinforcements - my back ached for 3 days after this one! Still torn about having substituted the "leg" thing - I think I should have added another half tree to fill up the "hole". Still really digging on the 2/28 cashmere - so much that I went and ordered some of the 2/36 cash silk in lilac, and opal, and meadowlark...Sometimes I really hate Richard! Now if I only had somewhere to wear this really extravagant shawl....the hubby suggests the beastchild's hockey game on Saturday -such a class act!!!

LERWICK DONE!!!!!

I have finally finished my Lerwick by Sharon Miller - YEAH - Happy Dance - Yikers it's big....


So it weighs in at 165 grams - I used ColourMart 2/28 Cashmere - and a size 3 needle. Finished dimensions are 67 inches square - I blocked using a king size bed - and it probably could have been a bit bigger but I was afraid of running out of bed! The color is hard to photograph - but it's actually a dark chocolate brown!

Used the washing technique described on the ColourMart Yahoo List - Washed the first time using Dawn - the water looked pretty Yucky - so I did it again - looked better but not clear yet so then used Pantene and the water finally rinsed clear! Wrapped it in a towel (or three) and stomped the final rinse water out of it and threw it in the dryer (I know I can't believe I did it either) and left it on high for 3 minutes. Loved the results! It's so soft - and the cashmere really bloomed! It's a great pattern - wonderful yarn and a totally fun knit!

Lerwick on the home stretch

I've been working on and off on this shawl since the 1rst of the year (mostly off) and I'm starting to see the end...I've learned alot by working this pattern! First off - it's 4 techniques in one! I ended up going with the mitered corner so of course it took me extra time. Now I'm stuck at the edging. I need to reread the instructions - is there any ease to go around the corners? Until I get going again here's some pictures - cause as Robyn says - I don't care about the words - just the eye candy...

spiderweb with bird's eye insert

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