Posted: June 25th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: lace, projects: ishbel(s), scarves&shawls, srk on your toes bamboo, things i knit, yarn i use | Tags: bamboo, craft, finished knits, ishbel, knit, knitting, lace, purple, shawls, sock yarn | 2 Comments »
Who has two thumbs and just finished blocking their first lace shawl? Me. The first Ishbel is blocked, and totally, totally gorgeous. It expanded a lot on blocking, and is now absolutely massive – measured on the blocking board, it was 150cm at the base of the triangle and 58cm tall, which is actually closer to the “large” size dimensions than the small. Going up a needle size obviously made quite a difference, but I sort of love the fabric I’ve got and wouldn’t have done it differently.
This one is not actually for myself, it’s a birthday present for my mother (who is a lovely woman but has not figured out the internet yet, so I can talk about this all I want), and I am ridiculously excited to give this to her. I do not know if I can hang onto this for the month until then.
Song of the Entry: Sorry, none today
Posted: June 23rd, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: lace, projects: ishbel(s), scarves&shawls, srk on your toes bamboo, tanis fiber arts blue label, things i knit, yarn i use | Tags: bamboo, craft, handmade, ishbel, knit, knits in progress, knitting, lace, purple, shawl, srk on your toes, yarn | 1 Comment »
I’m back! My trip to Nova Scotia was, quite possibly, the best vacation I’ve ever had, but it’s still nice to be back home. (With my kitten, who is extraordinarily needy after my absence. It’s getting a little over the top.)
As I mentioned before, I finished my first Ishbel fairly early on in the trip, but now that I’m back here where my SLR lives, I can show you good-quality photos of it. This is before blocking, but you can sort of see the lace pattern detail here, and the photos are remarkably colour-true: the yarn really is that purple.
I worked this up in the small size on 8mm needles instead of the suggested 4mm, which got me to the correct stitch gauge, and the yarn is SRK On Your Toes Bamboo, a 75/25 bamboo/nylon blend. I’ve never blocked bamboo before, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to grow a lot.
The skein claims to have 328 yards in it, and I’d seen some Ravelry entries claiming to have knit the small-stockinette/large-lace variation of this shawl, with close to that amount of yarn, but about halfway through I realized I wouldn’t have enough for that and stuck to the small size, which I’m glad for – I have maybe 10m of yarn left over.
I’ve also started a second Ishbel, this one for myself. I’m working it in delicious, dyed-in-Canada wool from Tanis Fiber Arts, and it’s going just as quickly as the first one did. It looks like garbage, as all lace still on the needles does, but I swear it’s going to be cute.
Song of the Entry: Farewell to Nova Scotia (Listen)
