kick it up, let loose and lol

IMG_8083ps, originally uploaded by pirateygoodness.

I really am finishing these like it’s my job, aren’t I? This is my second Ishbel this month – each of them only took about a week, this is the fastest shawl on the entire planet – for myself, this time.

It’s knit from Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label fingering-weight, which is lovely and sheepy and hand-dyed in Canada, all of which are good things. The actual yarn isn’t quite as white as it looks in the photographs – it’s sort of a sandy grey-brown that’s really lovely and subtle, but I just couldn’t quite capture that with my camera.

This one blocked out to about the same size as the purple one from my last entry, but it sprung back down to the dimensions I expected once I took out the pins. I realize now, what made the other shawl grow so much was probably less related to the larger needle size and more related to bamboo’s tendency to sag and stretch out, since it doesn’t have the same “memory” as animal fibers.

Whatever, though – I’m still DEEPLY excited about wearing this (as a scarf, I feel too young for shawls over the shoulders) once it cools down in the fall.

Song of the Entry: Demi Lovato & Selena Gomez – One And The Same (Listen)

there are no good songs about moms that aren't about milfs

IMG_8071ps, originally uploaded by pirateygoodness.

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

your sea-bound coast, let your mountains dark and dreary be

IMG_8052ps, originally uploaded by pirateygoodness.

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)