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October 31, 2007
Pencils ready
As I think I'm nearing a good length for the stole's center, I decided this would be a good time to give some thought to the borders. I made a little chart using the "Snail Shell with Cable Border" design (p. 157) in Heirloom Knitting as a starting point. (The colors are way off in this photo--see last week's entry for a more accurate rendering.)
I'm very much in love with the CashSilk. So soft. I would definitely order some for the Princess if I weren't so overdrawn on the yarn budget...
Do you like my fancy yarn holder/mason jar? :) I got the idea from one of the Jamieson & Smith pattern leaflets. It works very nicely for my sitting-on-the-couch knitting time and prevents the yarn from rolling around in the cat and dog hair on the floor. Cashmere and silk deserve better treatment than that, I think.
I have, of course, ordered my copy of the Princess. I actually saw it available on the site minutes before I received the notification email. Yes, I've been a little obsessed about this. Yes, I remain a little obsessed about this...
Posted by missalicefaye at 01:53 PM | Comments (13)
October 22, 2007
Project proliferation
Another distraction while (impatiently) waiting for the Princess re-release. This will be a stole using the bead column, tree, spider and diamond pattern in Heirloom Knitting as the center (extra spider variation) . Borders and edging TBD. I'm knitting it with HK's Gossamer CashSilk yarn in viola--very soft, very fine.
I did succeed in buying a substantial quantity of sweater yarn at Rhinebeck (as well as lovely laceweight, of course!), including some shetland yarn for an aran, which really does look quite mossy in moss stitch:
My projects are multiplying rapidly, it seems. Is "too much knitting to do" a legitimate reason for taking a personal day at work?
Posted by missalicefaye at 10:19 AM | Comments (20)
October 09, 2007
Regroup
Half a sleeve to knit and an assload of ends to weave before the tomten is finished. Must get this in the mail before the child outgrows it...
Meanwhile, it's been one of those reassessment-type weeks with the knitting. The Estonian lace was going well--until I realized that there is an asymmetry in the chart I plotted out that I just can't live with, or even fix without ripping back. Which is what I'm planning to do. Erg.
Also, after much swatching and plotting for my prospective cabley project (Meg Swansen's Saddle Shoulder Aran Cardigan, which was rendered so beautifully by brooklyntweed earlier this year), I've managed to convince myself that I don't actually have enough yarn. (Must remedy this situation at Rhinebeck.)
So, while I probably should have been paying attention in class last night, I started reconfiguring the plan from cardigan to vest, for which there is plenty of yarn.
Fear not, though, lace lovers--I've also cast on for another gossamer Shetland lace project (in Heirloom Knitting CashSilk). But more on that next week, when I have more than a paltry 1/2 inch of knitting to show.
Posted by missalicefaye at 09:49 AM | Comments (10)
October 03, 2007
Estonian lace
I have made some progress on the Estonian lace shawl, Faroese-style. This is the center panel, which is motif #5 in the book Pitsilised Koerkirjad.
The side panels will be variations on motif #260. I'm using Malabrigo lace, which is soooo soft--it's shaping up to be a warm and cozy (dare I say practical, even?) shawl.
A few more notes on this book: You can purchase it here. A group of knitters have been knitting swatches that you can peruse. And, yes, the book is written in Estonian--see the symbol translations.
And then there's this:
Elizabeth Zimmermann's tomten baby jacket from Knitting Without Tears, for a dear friend's soon-to-be baby.
Also, I suddenly have this inexplicable urge to knit an Aran sweater. Something to do with the changing seasons? Strange subliminal messages sent to my brain from Ravelry?
Posted by missalicefaye at 12:30 PM | Comments (15)
