Flying through the lace

Relatively speaking, it doesn't feel all that long since I last posted here...and guess what? I finished another shawl in that time! Yes, it's on the small side. Yes, it was simple. Yes, it used fingering yarn instead of laceweight. But it is an entire shawl, complete and lovely: the Leaf Evolution Shawl. I'm afraid I don't yet have any good pictures of it post-blocking, but you can see it unblocked here, on my Ravelry page. I decided I needed to use up some of my Knitpicks Palette, and after much dithering, came to the conclusion that I could just knit a lacy shawl in wide stripes. I actually based this on one that someone had done in the KPP, using four different colors, so I wouldn't even have to think about where to put the color changes and how much I'd need. Alas, it didn't really use up as much of each ball as I'd hoped. I guess those four balls are destined for use in the Beekeeper's Quilt! I've already done one striped hexipuff in those colors to "commemorate" this shawl.

The past few days have been pretty hexipuff-centric, knitting-wise. I love having an in-between-projects project that's simple and portable. I brought materials for making them to the knitting group I went to last night, the first meeting of the new on in Assembly Square.

I AM starting to get the urge to knit something more complicated and fine again, now. Already. That's a bit of a surprise. I think I am going to...repeat a shawl. Yes, that's right. Ms. Never-the-same-thing-twice is probably going to make another Aeolian. This time, I'll do the large laceweight version, and I'll use my pretty purple Winter Lace yarn from Mountain Colors that I got when Windsor Button was going out of business. It's a subtle enough variegation that I think it will look lovely. Now, do I use the same beads I used before, or do I get new ones? If so, what color? The peacock beads would go well, but I've also thought about some pearly-looking ones. The problem is, I don't want to have to wait a long time to get started, so I can't take forever deciding on a bead color, sourcing them, and waiting for them to ship. I should decide quickly, I think. I'm interested in seeing how this yarn knits up!

Proud as a peacock

Every time I write in this blog, I feel like I should be apologizing. I am SO BAD about it. Well, to be fair, it's a knitting blog, and for most of the last year plus, I've been bad about knitting. I never got to the point of thinking about giving up knitting, mind you. Never. I was always just in a state of "I know I need to fix that problem and get back to it, but I just don't have the wherewithal right now."

I started my Peacock Feathers Stole in February 2013. I finished it the other day. It took me OVER a YEAR to finish that project, and it's not like I'd been working on any others. Well, the hexipuffs for the Beekeeper's Quilt that I made while at the festival I go to in the summer don't count. To be fair, a big part of the reason why I spent so much time "on a break" from knitting was that I was in the process of planning and having a wedding and honeymoon. Even after that, though, I procrastinated picking up my knitting again. Even after I picked it up, when I encountered other problems (i.e., messed up and couldn't fix it easily), I procrastinated MORE on getting back to it. But finally, I set myself to the task and finished. Here, my friends, are some pictures.

As you may be able to tell, I blocked it incorrectly. Not terribly, but I do want to fix it. The edge is finished with a crochet bind off that creates lovely little scallops when you pin out each chain. I pinned out the points of the feathers, but failed to pin out the scallops. Oops. Even so, I'm bloody well wearing it. I've had two people ask me what it would cost to have me make THEM one. I answered them, "To be honest, it would cost an arm, a leg, and your firstborn."

Now, I am working on something new! I decided I wanted to make a shawl that used only the Knitpicks Palette yarn I got from my friend Nadira, because I have (yes sir, yes sir) three bags full of it sitting in my closet. It was a little tricky because of the fact that I only have about 230 yards of each color. After a lot of looking around, I happened on a project someone made of the Leaf Evolution Shawl that used four different colors, each in its own wide stripe. They even used the same KPP that I was planning on using, and it only took them one ball of each color. I decided that this looked lovely, and that I would follow their notes for where they changed colors to do the same thing. I chose a dark reddish brown, a light beige, a light blue, and a medium brown-tan. Those colors will go in that order from top to bottom of the triangular shawl. I like this color combination. It sort of reminds me of desert and sky. It's also unlike any other shawls I have, which was a requirement for me! I'm really enjoying it so far. The chart I'm working on now is extraordinarily simple, especially after the Peacock Feathers Stole. It's a very short chart, repeated numerous (I'm doing 16) times, with very short pattern repeats. It feels almost mindless after the PFS, and  the fingering weight yarn feels heavy after the lace yarn I used for that!

I am a pathetic, pathetic knitter.

I have not written in here since March. March, at which time I was dutifully working at my Peacock Stole. March, at which time there was still more than half a year to go until my wedding.

The wedding that ATE MY BRAIN.

OK, so it as mostly the wedding planning that ate my brain. Even when I wasn't actively working on it, it was a loud enough background noise that I had a hard time doing anything as complicated in my spare time (what there was of it) as fixing knitting boo-boos. Consequently, the only knitting I've done in AGES was when I worked on my hexipuffs on my summer vacation, just for something to do with my hands while chatting with fellow festival-goers and while riding in the car for the long trip there and back.

But now it's SERIOUS autumn. It's time for Stitches East (where I'm not actually going this year). It's not long after Rhinebeck. I think all that knitter-juju in the air has finally started getting to me. It might also be the fact that I'm pulling out all my shawls, my hat, and other knitted stuff to keep me warm again. I've been finding myself thinking longingly of yarn and needles again.

Last night, at long last, I picked up the Peacock Stole again. I saw that the problem that had led me to set it aside for months was more of a problem and less of a problem than I remembered. It was more of a problem in that the yarn had broken, and less of a problem in that I had put in a lifeline only a few rows back. Whew! I frogged, did a Russian join, and started working again. This morning, knitting on the bus, I dropped an annoying couple of stitches. Somehow, this started getting worse, until I slammed on the brakes (of the knitting, not the bus). I let most of the pattern repeat I was working drop off back to the lifeline, except for one stitch at the beginning and end, just to keep the markers in place. That left me 22 stitches that I put onto a stitch holder, and then started re-knitting them from there. I've almost got them back up to the current row now, and have no doubt I'll be whizzing along again this afternoon.

An old and dear friend who moved away to Ohio (who's also a knitter) is in town right now, and my husband (HUSBAND!) and I are having dinner with him tonight at 7. Husband probably won't get into town until well after 6, because he is now working out in Western Mass. This leaves me with lots of time after work. I will probably spend it in looking for a coat at the Garment District, and knitting--either here in the Kendall area or in Davis Square, where we're going for dinner. Yay! I missed you, knitting!

Just a quick update

I'm still plugging away at the Peacock Stole! I've finished the first two charts (on the first side of the stole), and am working on the third. I was proud of myself this past weekend: I'd dropped half a dozen stitches while knitting on the bus on Thursday, when we jerked to a stop. On Saturday, while at the train station and waiting to take the train to visit my parents, I managed to fix them quite neatly. I had to take some time to figure out exactly where in the pattern those stitches fell, and how they lined up with the row above, so I could figure out what I needed to do with them. It was a little fiddly, but it ended up looking just great. It also made me glad that I use lifelines: the stitches were only able to drop about three rows!

I need to meet my fiancé at his office after work today, so we can head out to our friends' house for dinner. I'll probably get there a bit early, and get some knitting done with a cup of tea at a café while I wait. Yay, a few moments stolen for the stole!

The state of the knitter

Oh dear, I see I promised pictures in my last post! Sorry to have dropped the ball. Here's a slightly blurry but not horrible picture of the finished Camping Shawl.

  So, what's happened since then?

1. I started the Peacock Stole. Multiple times. Most recently, I re-started it again last night, after a hiatus of well over a month. Damn it, I thought I'd gotten past that being a problem for me! I messed it up but good, though, dropping a number of stitches through a bit that had all manner of YOs and decreases and double decreases. I then tried to fix it on the bus just after it happened, which turned out to be a bad idea. When I took it out again last night to see if it was salvageable, I realized that I just did not have the mental fortitude to face it. I ripped it all out, and cast on again. Annoyingly, it took me a while to get the hang of my provisional cast-on again, but I've now completed eight rows and am doing well. Knock wood.

2. My dearly beloved LYS, Windsor Button, announced that it's closing! I was devastated by the news. There are other yarn stores in the Boston area, but really, they have been the most convenient, with the largest selection of good yarn. There's still Mind's Eye in Porter Square, but it's a bit more of a pain to get to than it should be for something that geographically close, and the selection is small, though I'm fond of the owner, who's very sweet. There's also that place on Newbury Street, but I remember it being rather overpriced and not much fun. I'll miss WB a lot. I imagine I'm likely to do most of my yarn shopping at Stitches East from now on. And that's only once a year. I did get a couple of balls of Mini Mochi during their going out of business sale, at least. One is a sort of jungle-ish colorway of greens and browns and turquoises. The other is, believe it or not, pastels--the bright Easter egg sort of pastels, though, not the pallid wimpy kind that look so awful on me. I also got a skein of Mountain Colors Winter Lace yarn in a nice combination of purples.

3. Today, I seem to have acquired All The Yarn, Ever. At least, that's how it feels. A knitter I know, a fellow belly dancer and MIT employee, had purged most of her stash last year. I don't remember why I didn't take anything from her. Was it because she said she was mostly using worsted weight? That might have been it. Still, she did have three very large bags full (yes sir, yes sir) of Knitpicks Palette in a multitude of colors. I may end up using some of that in alternation with the Mini Mochi to stretch it out a bit and make a couple of small shawls. I also got a couple balls of Knitpicks Dancing from her. It's not really something I'd use to wear, but I figure it can always go towards the Beekeeper's Quilt. I also got a book on geeky knits (a Princess Leia hair hat! Hobbit feet socks!), a technique DVD from Elizabeth Zimmerman, a color-coordination wheel and chart, a lace stole pattern, and a yardage guide. Oh, and a yarn holder (the plastic jug with a hole in the lid kind), a ball winder (which I'll probably give to a friend), a bunch of assorted stitch markers, some seam clips, and a drop spindle with some roving (which will probably also go to a friend). And I have to carry all of that home. Oy. Good thing it's not heavy, though it is awkward!

I still haven't made a decision about a wedding shawl. I suppose I ought to do so. Part of me is very reluctant to put that kind of pressure on myself. My dress, by the way, is FABULOUS. :)

No pics today. Pics tomorrow. Hopefully. :)

I guess that good knitting can make for boring blogging. "Still working on the shawl. No problems so far. One section down." All the interesting stuff to talk about comes in the planning phase and in the "ARGH! What did I do wrong and how am I going to fix it?" phases. With the EZ 100th Anniversary Camping Shawl, I had none of the latter. None. Zero, zip, nada. It's almost mind-boggling to me that I should get through a shawl without some sort of catastrophe: forgetting a crucial portion of a pattern, having my needles separate from the cables and losing a bunch of stitches, or just messing up badly and having to drop back to a lifeline in order to fix it. In the entire course of this pattern, the only problem I had was that when it was time to start the edging pattern, I realized I had two extra stitches on my needles. I could not for the life of me see where they came from, since the pattern before it had ended perfectly, and the eyelet row looked just fine. Since I didn't see any errors, I decided just to decrease an extra stitch at the beginning and end of the first edging pattern row--SSSK and K3tog. Easy-peasy, and it looks perfect. I finished it the morning after Christmas, at my parents' place. I blocked the shawl last night before dinner. Did you know that 105 T-pins are really not enough? Nope. Even if I'd used a blocking wire for the top edge (as I probably should have, but I didn't want to deal with sticking it through), I wouldn't have had quite enough pins to block out the edging in little rounded scallops. I ended up blocking each "wave" into three points instead. It kind of reminds me of part of a snowflake, somehow. Heh...camping in the winter! I was going to try to get pictures, but it's getting late in the day, and the light isn't as good as it could be anymore. I will attempt to get some good ones tomorrow, though, and will post them to Ravelry! Next up: Peacock Stole! And maybe after I go wedding gown shopping on January 5th, I will know whether I'd like to make a wedding shawl. Oh, yeah, that's right. I never actually mentioned here that I got engaged, did I? My boyfriend formally proposed a few nights before Halloween--just a week and a half after my last post here! I've joined the "With This String, I Thee Wed" group on Ravelry. Yay!

Next!

When I typed the subject line of this post, I imagined Hiro Protagonist in Snow Crash saying it after a deadly katana strike, because I'm a huge nerd. I've decided what to do with the yarns I bought at Stitches. I am indeed going to do one of the EZ 100th Anniversary shawls with the red Tosh Merino Light. I decided on the Camping half circle, because I find hearts annoying, and the Gull Wing wasn't quite as visually interesting. I've already started this one, in fact. I should finish the double paw print section on the ride home today. Size 8 needles feel a little clunky to me these days, but this is a fairly solid fingering weight yarn, and I think it'll be perfect for the gauge I want. With the teal Montreaux, I'm going to make the Peacock Feathers Stole. I paid more for the pattern than for any other pattern I've ever used, but it is SO beautiful, and SO perfect for this yarn...how could I resist? I started Camping instead of this one because I was lacking the size 3 needles needed for the Peacock Feathers. I thought about picking up some Addi Lace needles at Windsor Button, but missed their closing time on Saturday, and wouldn't be able to get back there until this weekend. I came to the decision that even if I did manage to get them right away, they'd probably be more expensive than a fixed Knitpicks Harmony needle (even with shipping), and since I know I love the Harmonies, I went and ordered one of those. When it gets here...I just might have to consider working on two projects at the same time! Zut alors! It's funny. Before I started knitting lace, I never wore shawls or wraps. Even when I was starting to knit one, I was a little worried that I wouldn't really want to wear it. Now, I can't imagine not having them as part of my wardrobe. They're versatile, pretty, and they add a fabulous accent to lots of different kinds of outfits. I love my shawls! I realized the other day that I've got quite a few of them now: Aeolian Multnomah Vernal Equinox Gail a.k.a. Nightsongs Wingspan Seascape Not a bad start!

Stitches East: return from Yarnia

So, the Knitting Kumquat and I had our girly-knitter-geek date to Stitches East yesterday. As in previous years, we only went for one day, and just to peruse the market floor. I really hope that the event stays in its current location (Hartford Convention Center) for the foreseeable future, or that if it moves, it's closer to Boston. I'd be really sad not to be able to do this! And really, I couldn't justify the expense of going far away and staying in a hotel and taking the classes, as well as buying yarn! I managed to keep my purchases pretty modest. While I found myself tempted to buy yarn to make a sweater, I told myself this would be a stupid idea, because I haven't yet come up with a pattern. I don't know how much I'd need, and I don't want to fall in love with a pattern and realize that the yarn I'd bought didn't work well with it. But I did decide that I want to give the sweater another attempt. My old Samus cardigan never gets worn because I still haven't put the zipper in, and because the sleeves are so damn big. How did I do that, anyway? Ah well, I wasn't as good a knitter back then, really. While I've decided it's time for me to think about doing something Non-Lace-Shawl in nature, I haven't given up on my love of those beauties! In fact, the yarn I bought is going to be for lace shawls. Amazingly, this year, I did NOT get any variegated yarn! Both of the yarns I bought are hand-dyed, and have a nice sort of heathered or mottled effect, but they are single-color yarns. This will make finding patterns for them quite easy. This season, I have been madly in love with the colors of pumpkin orange, deep ruby red, and deep teal (though not too green a teal). I didn't get orange (though I'm thinking about an orange sweater!), but I got both of the other colors. I've always loved that color of red, but the idea of teal and red as a color combo struck me when I saw Amy Pond on Doctor Who looking like this:

Why yes, there ARE color combinations that an ivory-skinned redhead and an olive-skinned dark brunette can both wear! I went with a slightly darker version of each of the colors. The red is two skeins of Madeleinetosh Tosh Merino Light in "Tart." It's 100% superwash merino in fingering weight.

I got two skeins of that, and plan to use it to make a full-size semicircular shawl, possibly one of the Elizabeth Zimmerman 100th Anniversary shawls. The teal is one skein of Lisa Souza Montreaux in "Portsmouth." It's 70% superwash merino and 30% silk in laceweight. I plan to make some kind of a stole with it, I think.

I cannot WAIT to wear it over my red dress that I love so much, though it will be too cold for that until late spring, most likely. For the record, Lisa Souza has very, very reasonable prices! I don't think I saw any hand-dyed yarns at Stitches that were priced better than hers. I also bought a little mini moisturizing bar in a travel tin from the nice ladies at Bar-Maids. Their stuff has wonderful ingredients, feels lovely, and smells divine (though I got the one with no added scents so as not to conflict with perfume). I geeked for a bit about handmade beauty products with them, which was a nice variation on the yarn-geekery I did all day. All in all, the event seemed a little more subdued this year. It wasn't as loud, and I think more people were gone from the market floor earlier. We managed to get all the way through the vendors, and went back to make our purchases. Some trends I noticed: sparkly and beaded yarns are still quite big. I saw a lot of chunky yarns being sold, including "rug weight" yarns that were about half an inch in diameter! I did not see as many displayed FOs that used extensive and intricate colorwork, like I did a couple of years ago. There were a number of lace shawls, and I counted at least 4-5 Wingspan shawls. My Intolerable Cruelty skirt still attracted a lot of attention and compliments. I'm kind of surprised that it's a novelty to so many people. You'd never know it's been out on Knitty and then Ravelry for years, now! (For the record, I paired it with a cute black and white polkadot blouse and my Vernal Equinox shawl. Now I will remember this for next year, and plan something different then.) Notes for my own benefit: we figured out that last time, we had dinner at Dish Bar and Grill. It was next to the place that we tried first, last time AND this time: City Steam Brewery (I think that was it). Both times, the wait at City Steam was way too long. Dish was not so bad. Good food, good beer. We could make a reservation next time at one of those places if we wanted, I guess.

I feel like Daedelus.

My wings are almost ready! That is, I just bound off my Wingspan shawlette on the bus ride in to work today. Hooray! I'm looking forward to soaking and blocking it. I wonder if it will end up a bit bigger, because right now, it's really only wearable as a scarf, I think. The colors are awesome. I'll take pictures as soon as I can. On Sunday, I'm meeting up with a large bunch of people, and one of them is bringing a bunch of yarn that she wants to get rid of. Ooooh. Now, if she's selling it, I will probably not get anything that doesn't absolutely call to my deepest soul, because...YARNIA IS COMING. Also known as Stitches East. :) However, I may bring a couple skeins to swap. That blue-and-white mottled sock yarn I got from Fabric Place is not really doing it for me. Nor is that "Roses Are Red" colorway of lace yarn from Cherry Tree Hill that I got at a previous Yarnia. It's just not red enough or purple enough to make me happy. It's too in-between. Bleah. They should go to a loving home. :)

One more down!

I finished Gail/Nightsongs! I'd been close to the end. I got a few rows into the edge chart (as explained/modified by the link in the previous post I made), and realized that I wasn't certain I'd have enough yarn to finish. I really, REALLY didn't want to get halfway bound off and realize I was out of yarn. I decided to play it safe. I frogged back beyond the edge, and undid an entire pattern repeat, leaving only six. I then dove headfirst into the edge chart again. I ended up having plenty of yarn, with some left over. I don't know if it would have been enough for a whole pattern repeat, though...and a larger edge as a result of that extra repeat. I'm pretty sure I made the right choice. As a result, the shawl is slightly smaller than is easy for me to wear "shawl-style" (that is, center point in the back, other two wrapped around to the front and pinned). Still, it looks very cute with the center point in front. The colors are gorgeous. In spite of the dye left in my sink after soaking it, they're still vibrant and not at all muddied. Sweet! I still need to weave in ends, as I haven't had a chance to do so yet. Then it will be REALLY done. Next up is probably Wingspan. I'm looking forward to that, even if it isn't lace!