My KAL went to the pond

Yes after working and posting about my KAL project - I finally actually looked at it and "HATED IT"! Although the alpaca was lovely - it wasn't the right fiber for this project - I needed something with more stitch definition and less "fuzz". So ripped I did - and now I'm back to the middle of Clue 4 and the shawl and I are much happier! The ancient alpaca will have to wait a little longer - maybe the fuzzy scarf that came as a bonus with the KAL! I'll take a picture tomorrow and you can see the differences!

Now that you can see the picture isn't it much better - this is Knit Picks Shadow in Sunset done on a size 4 needle! I have used up the first ball and about a yard of the second ball! And it's getting bigger! This is probably the last time I photograph it until finally blocking it!

Klabauter KAL

Well the last post said I was tired -maybe this one should be I promise not to be melodramatic! Although I think when I'm one I will almost always be the other...



Chemo Caps were delivered - the recipient loved them - and she felt much more comfortable while receiving visitors for the festive season. And then came my mood changer...



This is the "Christmas Mystery Shawl" from Moni. This is a free KAL that I found one afternoon while aimlessly surfing around Ravelry. I signed up for this one because it was free and I'd never joined a KAL and I figured if I hated it - no great loss!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/klabauter/ or
http://www.klabauterwolle.de/



I must say it's the best present I got for Hannuka! Something that actually challenges me (sorry but leaf and nupp and chemo hats have been...less than exciting!) without being toooo challenging (Lerwick in '09) so I have lots of time for carting the kid around and visiting with friends and family! Not to mention that most of the list is coming in German - I haven't used my German in 20 years! Slowly but surely I am using the translator (babelfish.yahoo.com) less and actually reading more. I shudder to think what it actually translates to after I write something! I learned a new word - Morgenmuffel - which I have no idea what it means - but it sure sounds like me! Unfortunately the translator has no idea what it really means beyond morningmuffel!



So it works like this - Christmas Eve (the 24th) there arrives in my mail a happy holidays and the first clue. The clues it turns out are in the form of a chart for a lace shawl and I'm using up some ancient Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in colorway Autumn. Then a clue arrived everyday for three days which is the top picture! Now the decision - I'm really getting into this thing - the clues are published at around 2:30 am Missouri time - do I stay up and get the clue so I can keep knitting or do I follow convention and go to bed and get the clue during normal knitting hours....but then again I've never really had "normal" knitting hours! At least there's a brief hiatus right now - no clue today!

I am tired...

I am tired of knitting chemo caps - I am tired of knitting prayer shawls - I am a miserable person to be tired when so many women fight with such dignity and grace. I am weak to shed tears while they fight on with smiles of determination. So once more the phone has rung - and today I set aside holiday knitting to start on another round of caps. Please consider making a chemo cap or two, send them out into the world where there is a dire need...

The Marilyn Project - because when you're sick and ask for a hat - you shouldn't have to

wear the one your hubby hastily digs out of the hunting closet at home. You deserve lace, you deserve cashmere, you deserve silk - and a tube ofoutrageously expensive lip gloss.

And I thank the Grumperina's and other designer's out there on Ravelry who are fueling my needles - right now I can't think - but I can still knit.

What you do is a true mitzvah.

Tretta

A couple of days ago I was looking thru the "HATS, HATS, HATS" group over on Ravelry and saw this wonderful hat knitted by "WildeThymeKnits" - it was a "Grumperina" design.

Now I've used her patterns for about a year when I've been doing Chemo Caps and Caps for Kids and they have been wonderful. And now I had an opportunity to actually send some coin her way! YaHoo!!! So sent in my $4 via Ravelry and there it was moments later! Got up this morning and did the normal chores (why is there never an end to laundry? or dishes? or cleaning?) and then plunked myself down and started stringing beads! How happy is my Six Sigma consultant - used up more vintage stash and left over beads from another project! That's got to count for at least 3 of the "S's"! But then I started knitting - being married to the "quality" guy means that if it's defective it will live in our house...no sooner do I finish my 1.25 inches of ribbing then...THERE's A BIG HONKING KNOT! Restring and start again and yes another knot! After that everything went smoothly! Here are the pic's! And one of these days I'll sit down and figure out how to do all those fancy linking things - but I'm just not that motivated!

And just an aside - when is a cookie so much more than a cookie? Carolyn's a Matter of Taste is on my "after-school" run. How wonderful to have a bad day and be able to shake off the cold where they not only have wonderful cookies and cakes (the smell is devine), but they appreciate my knitwear and have such winning smiles?! Our family highly recommends the peanutbutter cup cookies - yup they bake a whole regular size reese's right in the middle of a peanutbutter cookie!!!

ColourMart 100% Cashmere 2/28

I stood there looking at a sink that until about 20 minutes ago held the remains of the boy child's breakfast - hey at least he found the sink!!! And I've scoured and it's rainy in Missouri - I am in a foul mood anyways - I hold my cashmere shawl over a tub full of DAWN and hot hot water. This feels wrong - very wrong...

So I plunge it in - well there's nothing to do or think about any more - it's done - one way or another....So I rinse and plunge it in again....

Then I rinse and add a little Pantene anti frizz shampoo...

OH MY GOD - I think it actually worked - you be the judge...I just wish you could touch it!!!!

Dimensions before blocking...18 1/2 x 58

After blocking....23 x 66 and I expect to lose about an inch width wise when I pull the wires. I'll post more pictures when I've got it off the bed and onto a model. As promised the fibers bloomed perfectly and the hand while pinning was very cooperative, which is more than I can say for the men and dog in this house....And yes to the person on Ravelry - my back is KILLING me!

2/28 Spiders and Webs

I can never leave well enough alone - so I decided to substitute Spiders and Large Webs from page 146 of Heirloom Knitting. So if I did my math this should work out.

Length

4 repeats makes for 224 rows

adding an additional 26 rows to balance it with another set of webs so now there are 250 rows

it takes 256 rows to keep the diamonds on the edging flowing correctly soooo that should mean if I add 3 rows of plain garter stitch before the first set of webs and after the last set of webs all should be right with the world....

As far as width -

if I increase by two stitches in the begining and remember to decrease again after the last set of webs - this too should all work out.

Still liking the 2/28 - but I have an irrational fear of plunging it into hot water with Dawn.....also the the mom in law and the mom have requested that I NOT dye it - they like the color!

Oh yah - that's Ivy and her nasty (but according to her) very essential tennis ball. We have come to an understanding - row of lace - throw the ball - row of lace - throw the ball - must NEVER touch the cashmere!

ColourMart 2/28 100% cashmere

I thought long and hard before I placed my order, but the price was just toooo good not to give it a go. I mean where else am I going to lay hands on 2300 yards of pure cashmere for $36? So I went for the dark natural color, grabbed my ever favorite Sharon Miller "The Angela" pattern and I cast on. I chose the "The Angela" simply because it's pretty easy to memorize and I knew the pattern inside and out so there would be no guess work...

I decided not to pre-wash, mostly because I'd heard rumors that Habu was coming out with an oiled, coned, cashmere yarn - so if they were going to sell it oiled, why not try it with what I had at hand. Used size three needles, which I'm guessing might be a little large, but we'll see....and went to town.

Started knitting, no issues - except a tiny one, it smells a little dusty? I know this can't be, and the husband and the kid and the in-laws all say no it doesn't and I'm crazy - so I admit to being crazy! Maybe I'm having flash backs to my days in the cutting tool industry and machine oil is forever ingrained in my nose! Which would again make me crazy! Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....

I've finished the first section and I'm having to resist the urge to just finish it off and wash and block it!