shawl

Spinning on the Kromski Polonaise and a New Project.

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With the help of the Kromski Raverly group and a local friend, I was able to get the Polonaise configured to be a scotch tension drive, thankfully it comes with both options :).  The pictures do not do it justice, it is a dark mahogany color but looks like a walnut color in the pictures.  It is portrayed a little better in the picture of the singles I am spinning tho’ it still does not show the dark mahogany color as it is, it is really beautiful.  It spins like a dream and I am enjoying spinning on it immensely.  The fiber is some super wash merino that I had dyed some time back when I spun a skein for a friend.  I am spinning this skein to make a scarf or cowl (we need those here in the winter :P) for Marge’s sister (also a friend).  Something for her to think about her sister when she wears it.

Changing Staircases  I also cast on a new project.  Was going to make this last year for Christmas for a family member but I fell and broke my hand so that didn’t happen.  Not taking any chances this year, if I procrastinate, “Murphy” will come to visit again and he is not allowed in my home :P.  This is the Changing Staircases shawl by Trysten Molina of Dragon Hoard Designs.  I am using Stroll Tweed Sock Labs yarn by Knit Picks in the Teal Tweed colorway.  It’s really pretty and has a generous 462 yards.  Because I am a loose knitter I am using a size 4 instead of a size 5 circular needle.  Tho’ it looks difficult, this pattern is very easy and easily memorized :).  Not sure if you can see it very clearly but I am using a beautiful bronze heart progress keeper made by Stephanie of the Knitting Samurai podcast, from her Adore Knits Etsy shop.

I am loving Spring but could do without all the rain, but at least it’s not snow :P.

 

1st Robin, It’s Spring! + Drop Stitch Shawl KAL

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Soooo happy!!!  I have been waiting to see the Robins return, and I saw my first Robin today!!  Welcome Spring!!!  Sorry the color in the picture is not very good :(.

I follow a blog Muddling Through Life and she is having a KAL, (knit-a-long for my non knitting friends.)  It looks so pretty, so I dug out some very deep (meaning I’ve had it a very long time :P) stash.  The above picture shows the yarn, it is a synthetic yarn unfortunately, but it is a fingering weight.  It is some my mom sent me from South Korea when she was working for the Air Force as a non military personnel civil Service employee, years ago.  It is a large skein at 8 oz, it is a beautiful light lavender even tho it shows up like a grey in the picture.  I did have to go buy some new needles because I didn’t have any 40″ needles.  I now have a pair of ChiaoGoo size 7 red lace circulars. 🙂  The pattern calls for a size 8 but I have to go down a size to get gauge because I am a little bit of a loose knitter.  I wanted some ChiaoGoo bamboo needles (my needles of choice) but they were out and I wanted to get this started so I settled for the stainless steel.

I have also started the Welcome New Born Socks , from a previous post, now using the new sock weight yarn (rather than the baby weight) and they are definitely smaller :).  I’ll post a picture of my progress in a couple of days and we should see the answer to my one of my questions about how much of the repeatable colors you can get in a little sock :P.

Heat Advisory Shawl – Done!

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Heat Advisory Shawl

I did finish The Heat Advisory Shawl for my oldest son’s fiancee, see picture on the left,  :).  I like the way it turned out and after getting it wet and rising it has fulled a little and is really pretty.  The picture underneath is a close up of the lacey bottom.

 

Close up of lacework for Heat Advisory Shawl

I’d like to start a pair of socks now, but I will need to split the yarn so I can do two at a time to make sure they are the same length for the leg and foot :),  and first,  I need to start those fingerless mitts for the little one’s teachers school year end gifts.  I have decided on the Au Clair Fingerless Gloves, they are very cute, I will give more info on those in the next few days.   I have also started another one of those 2×2 ribbed newborn hats, great yarn and cute pattern. 🙂

Mother of All Shawl – Done!

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Mother of All Shawl a
   I have finished the Mother of All Shawl I was knitting for a special family member for her Prom dress.  She hasn’t seen it yet, I asked her to bring her dress over so I can get a picture of her with her dress and shawl.   🙂  This was a very fun knit, had to pay a little attention (as with all lace patterns) but not a lot and it was a peaceful shawl to knit.  I will definitely knit this one again :).

Mother of All Shawl d

Will get back to the socks to see if I can’t get at least one of the socks done to see what I might need to change on the next pair, there are always changes until you get things adapted to your knitting style and gauge. 🙂

 

 

Owl Knot Bag :)

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Owl Knot Bag a

Owl Knot bag b

Well a special family member loves owls and asked me for a bag to show her love for those little critters.  So we went shopping for the fabric and there were two she had a hard time choosing from so I bought them both and used the larger print for the outside and the smaller print for the inside, tho it’s reversible and she can change it if she wants :).

I am knitting on the Mother of All Shawl and only have 1 1/2 mini skeins to go.  Hopefully I will be done by Sunday :).  It’s really a fun and relaxing knit and is really pretty.  I haven’t taken an updated picture but will take a picture of it when it is finished and blocked. 🙂  Then I can get back tho those socks I am almost ready to turn the heel on.

Wisp Shawl Update

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2nd Skein Done

.Shawl progressI got the 2nd skein of the cria done.  I love spinning that, it is soooo soft!!!  On the right is a picture of the size so far.  I have just started the 2nd skein (which because of a problem when I was plying is a little less yardage than the first skein).  I should have enough for a 3rd skein and I’m gonna need it, not sure how much the

yardage will be, I will just spin until the fiber is gone. 

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Here is an up close picture of the lace design.  Instead of the way the Wisp shows in it’s pictures, I am just leaving it a retangular shawl that she can put around her shoulders.  It will be very warm and soft. 😉
It has sure cooled down, but then I knew it was going to be an early winter, my ferret and bird did their molting and sheding thing in early August when it was still hot.

3rd Comfort Shawl Done

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3rd Comfort Shawl started

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Yes, it’s the same picture because I finished it on my lunch hour at work and gave it to her so I didn’t get a finished picture, I know, I’m bad.  She was so surprised and held it close and said, it’s so warm.  I hope it will give her many days of warmth and comfort.

I’m starting another shawl, but this will be the one that I’m spinning the cria (baby alpaca) for a friend just because.  I have one skein and a spool on the wheel that I need to spin more onto and then ply it so that will give me 2 skeins.  I will need 3 maybe 4 skeins for this shawl.  It’s one I’ve done before, the Wisp shawl.  It’s light and very pretty.  I think light and airy for the warmth of the alpaca would be good, because alpaca is very warm.

I’ve been so moody this week, and then it hit me why, today would have been my youngest son’s birthday.  Happy Birthday son, I miss you.

I had to take Thor to the vet’s last week end.  He’s having some bowel issues and they put him on anti-biotics and a steroid.  She said if he’s better after the round of anti-biotics (the steroid is in the anti-biotic) then it was a helobactor infection and he should be fine, and that is my hope.  If not and it comes back  then it was an inflammation problem and the steroid was taking care it in the lower colon area, and she will try a different anti-biotic for the lower bowel and see if that takes care of it, and if not then she will have to do a biopsy to see what is going on.  Poor Thor was not a happy camper about getting his temperature taken (he had a sore bottom) – this was his first trip to the vet and I don’t think he likes vets now :P.  I’m glad I had a some savings, and it took it all.  This is why I don’t recommend ferrets to those who do not like to spend money at the vet’s office as the ferrets get older, because you will.  I have my own health check up’s coming soon and when all the free wellness checks that my health insurance takes care of for the year are done, I will be dropping my health insurance so that I can use the premiums I was paying for to take care of Thor.  He comes first.  Other than the free wellness checks (and they cover a lot of things), it was more of a catastrophic insurance plan, because it doesn’t pay for anything until I’ve spent $5,000 out of my own pocket, except for the wellness stuff.

Daisy Rectangular Shawl by LDSVenus

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2nd Comfort Shawl Finished 001

I have reworked the design to take care of some mistakes I made in the pattern. Bare with me as I am not a pattern writer.  I can read them, but writing them is a totally different subject :). I also increased the border to 5 stitches instead of 3.

I designed this shawl using an old Shetland lace daisy design.

Do remember I offer this pattern for you to make the shawl, but you may NOT give this pattern out to someone else or sell the pattern.  Please direct them to this site or Ribblr to share the pattern.  With that out of the way, please enjoy my design.

B = border = k5
k = knit
p = purl
k2 tog = knit 2 together
yo = yarn over – note yo twice is a double yo and on the purl rows you will knit the first yo and purl the 2nd yo.
ssk = slip, slip, knit  (see the following site  : http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/decreases )
* * = repeat between the *

The lace design will appear as a diagonal design rather than horizontal or vertical and by shifting the design on rows 13-19 you can probably accomplish a vertical design.  This is worked from side to side so the cast on is the width.  I used approximately a fingering weight yarn and  size 7 needles.

This is not a hard pattern but you need to pay attention on the yarn overs to make sure you have two between the two decreases so it doesn’t mess up your stitch count (it can be easy to drop one when you do the ssk), and on the pearl row that you knit the first one and pearl the second one.) A life line might be nice :).

The k2tog is a right leaning decrease and the ssk is a left leaning decrease, I knit combined continental and the way I do my stitch decreases might not give you the lean you need, please feel free to do whatever decrease gives you the correct lean.

cast on 116 stitches.
Knit 5 rows for garter stitch border

Keep 5 stitches on each there after for garter stitch border through out.

Knit one row and purl one row keeping border in garter stitch before beginning the pattern.

The pattern ends with row 24

Rows 1, 5 and 9:
B, k6, *k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k14*, end k6 instead of 14, B

Rows 2 and all even rows: B, p to last 5 stitches, B  (please note above in the stitch abreviations how to purl the double yo’s)

Rows 3, and 7:
B, k4, *k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k10*, end k4 instead of 10, B

Row 11:
B, knit to last 5stitches, B

Rows 13, 17, 21:
B, *k15, k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k14*, end k15, B

Rows 15, & 19:
B, k13, *k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k2 tog, yo twice, ssk, k10*, end k13 instead of 10, B

Row 23: B, knit to last 5 stitches, B

Row 24: B, p to last 5 stitches, B

Repeat these 24 rows until the shawl is the desired length.

End with 5 rows of garter stitches (the border should be already established with the garter stitch you are knitting) and bind off.

I did not notice any errors in my writing when I re-knit this, I used this printed page to knit from.  If you have any problems following my pattern please drop me a line and let me know so that I can help you.

Comfort Shawl Update….

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click on picture for larger image

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The gauge wasn’t coming out right, so I frogged it and decided to go up to a size 9 needle from a 7 since I was doubling the yarn (one strand too light a weight, 2 strands a little too heavy but closer than the 1 strand) .  The pattern called for a size 8 needle, but I was using a 7 since I knit a little bit more loosely than others and generally have to go down a size needle to get the correct gauge.  The gauge is now more correct and the 10 skeins should make the shawl, tho it will only be 58 to 60 inches in length instead of 63, because I will run out of yarn before I get it that long.  But it should still be a nice length.  This yarn is very soft, which is why I wanted to use it.  A comfort shawl should bring comfort in every way possible.  I’m almost done with the first 2 skeins so I am about 1/5 of the way done.

Off to bed, 5:15 am comes awfully early.  Will be soooo happy when we get that hour of sleep back when they turn back the clock next month, which is almost here!!!!  I love that as much as I do football :).

Wisp is Finshed!

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click on picture for larger image

click on picture for larger image

 

 

This is the Wisp shawl.   I made it a little wider than the pattern (I think the pattern was probably written for someone who wears a size 6 :P.)   I  put ribbon around the neck line so it wouldn’t fall down.  It seems tho that you button the short button side to the long side or you can put ribbon in the neck line (which is only woven in and can be adjusted to fit) and button the top button like I did for a more traditional style cape type shawl.   Hope my friend will enjoy this :).

I have started spinning my beautiful and extreemly soft baby alpaca roving.  I can not reiterate enough, how soft this stuff is!!!  I’m gonna love the capelet I make with it.  Searching for patterns now. 🙂