Oh, how edgy...

Get it? Edgy?



I've done half of the edging repeats. I'm getting closer and closer! Unfortunately, subtitled movies and lace knitting don't mix. Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow...

I'm getting excited though. Grumperina just reviewed Knitted Lace of Estonia which was pre-ordered for my birthday, way back in early September. It looks beautiful. Besides, pretty much anything Nancy Bush does is going to be A-OK with me.

Knotions Preview

So there are a lot of new online knitting mags this season. And I am pleasantly surprised by the preview for the winter issue of Knotions.

At a glance I see three pairs of socks I like the look of (Lakeside Kneehighs, Vortical, and Hanging Vines socks), and a vest (fence vest). That's pretty good for an online mag. The final verdict is withheld until such time as I can see a full image.
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I finished the center of the Shetland Tea Shawl!! And I've done four repeats of the edging. So that's 36 of 574 rows. Only 538 more rows to go! Woo hoo!

Weenie fun!

My (halo)Weenie sent me a wonderful package today!


Look at all those nifty bags; perfect for holding a small project. But what's in them now?

Cute handknit washcloths, fancy soap in festive "harvest moon", Halloween Socks, pretty sock yarn, and a bag of Halloween candy the size of my head. What a wonderful package!

But I don't know who it is from yet. I will have to see if I can work that out.

Economic Stash Enhancement

I went out on the town yesterday morning. Well, I went downtown anyway. I wanted to get some apple cider and I figured the farmer's market might have some. They didn't actually. I bought some at the grocery store instead.

While I was downtown, I decided to stop in at my LYS and see if they had anything left over from their Fall Sale, not that I need more yarn right now. And sure enough in the backroom corner there were some balls of yarn for 99 cents each. I got six balls of Naturally Dawn 2 ply silk-wool lace yarn. I'd bought three balls of this last year and have been hoarding them ever since - the yarn is so soft, and I surely do love some soft, silky yarn. So I jumped on these six. And I surely do love a bargain.




I'm making good progress on my Shetland Tea Shawl, but it's still very much in the lumpy bag stage and not an interesting photo op. Same for the Gathered Scarf - it's longer, but that's the main change. Although I did wind up the second hank of Silky Merino for the shawl: 600 yards down, a whole lot more to go!

Oldest WIP

This is my oldest WIP (work in progress):


That's the Shetland Tea Shawl(ravelry link) from A Gathering of Lace. I began knitting it up way back in the spring of 2007 with Blackberry Ridge Silky Merino from my pal Madam. Now, the yarn is fabulous stuff. I used the same in white to knit my wedding stole, which, for the record, I knit much more quickly than the Tea Shawl.

I stopped about 10 rows after you increase to 574 stitches - 574 stitches is a lot. Especially with blunt bamboo needles. What was I thinking when I was advocating bamboo needles for lace? Sure, the stickiness is great, but the pokiness leaves something to be desired. Another argument for the Knitpicks Options set I've been pining for. This pattern is based on the Pi Shawl formula, so you only increase in certain places, not continuously. Since I picked it back up again this weekend I've knit about 7 rows - so that's over 4000 stitches. Maybe an inch? Tops.

But it is pretty and I feel a commitment to it. Here's hoping I can get this finished and off the needles before the new year, taking into account my various Christmas projects.

Anti-socktober

You know, I bet a lot of people are embracing knitted footwear this month, being October (Socktober) and all. But I've realized that, for the first time in quite a long while, I have no socks on the needles. I love socks. Love 'em. But I'm all stocked up (socked up?) at the moment.

I am starting projects left and right, although not sock projects. I've cast on for a Gathered Scarf in SWTC Pure which I got for a song at my LYS's fall sale. Less than a song, probably, more like just a verse or two each. This is my first time working with soysilk and, while I am a lover of animal fibers, I also love anything that approximates silk. So I am enjoying this fiber. I will be interested in seeing how it blocks out.




This project creates the gathering by increasing and decreasing, but also by switching needle sizes. I am finding my Denise's indispensable for this project. But I have a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket and I am seriously considering investing in a set of Knitpicks Options interchangeables. I really like the two pairs of Classic circs I have now, and it looks like this set will have me lots of money on Addi Lace needles, which are my second favorite needles at the moment. But I am holding off at the moment, still a little unsure about dropping that kind of money when, let's face it, I have many serviceable needles at my disposal. Thoughts?

Patriotic socks

I finished these socks while watching the Vice Presidential Candidates debate this evening. So I will call them my patriotic socks. Which they are. If you live in, uh, Azerbaijan, New Caledonia, or Namibia.



Actually, I think of these as my boring socks. So boring that I made the first one in April and only started the second one last Saturday. And had forgotten in the meantime how many stitches and what size needles I was using. Oops.



The yarn is from Sunnyside Ellen. But I got it in a swap and didn't know it was self striping. I'm glad it was - I am not a fan of very different colors pooling. A nice yarn though, and the dying is good too. A little lighter near some of the color changes, but very nice.

The socks are my regular recipe for boring dull stockinette socks. Toe up with Judy's Magic Cast-on, an appropriate # of stitches around - 72 in this case, a short row heel, and a bit of ribbing at the top. A great big yawn, but a comfy and fast basic sock.

They remind me of baseball for some reason. Does New Caledonia have a little league team?

Clean cup!

I've decided to make a fresh start of it here at blogger. I used to knitblog at livejournal, but then I went to grad school and kind of stopped. But now I've graduated, gotten a job, and gotten hitched to my high school sweetheart (aww...), so I'm out of major projects. So a-blogging I shall go!

Although I haven't done much in the way of knitblogging for the last couple of years, I have been knitting. Boy howdy have I been knitting. And I've been Raveling. You know, on Ravelry. I love Ravelry, I love it so much. But I can't go on in detail the way I sometimes like to. So a-blogging I shall go!

First things first. Finished object.

Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery. Made with Malabrigo Silky Merino in Matisse blue. Love this yarn. Love it backwards and forwards. I used 2 hanks, in their entirety.

My mother in law gave me blocking wires for my birthday. Yay blocking wires! Blocking this was their first time out of the tube.


Now, I don't have a full extension photo because the lighting in my apartment is crummy. But we'll just have to make do with photos in front of my bookcase.

Like this one!


And this one!


And with the macro setting on!


There we are then. Not bad for a first post.