Posted: January 8th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: handmaiden, projects: shetland lace shawl, scarves&shawls, things i knit, yarn i use | Tags: blue, crafty, handknit, knit, lace, shawl, shetland lace, triangular shawl | 2 Comments »
I’ve had a pretty calm first week at school, so the knitting has been going pretty quickly. I managed to turn my skein of pretty, pretty Mini Maiden (50/50 wool/silk! omg!) from this:
Into this.
And in a little less than a week. The pattern I’m using is the Shetland Triangle Shawl (
) which, according to Ravelry, everyone and their dog has already knit. On the one hand, this makes me feel very unspecial and boring, but on the other it lets me exploit the power of Ravelry to my advantage, which is awesome.
For instance: the pattern calls for ten repeats of the main lace motif, and then to begin the edging. But other people have already used this pattern with this yarn, and discovered that if you want to use up the entire skein, you can get away with twelve repeats. I realize this is not new news to anybody, but the fact that a website exists where I can figure this out is still, like, the coolest thing ever.
Does anyone know if there’s some sort of Ravelry for sewing? I fear I’ve been spoiled.
Song of the Entry: Ke$ha – Your Love Is My Drug (Listen)
Posted: June 26th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: lace, projects: ishbel(s), scarves&shawls, tanis fiber arts blue label, things i knit, yarn i use | Tags: craft, finished knits, handknit, handmade, ishbel, knit, knitting, lace, shawl, sock yarn, tanis fiber arts | 3 Comments »
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)
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
