WIP - Besotted scarf

Instead of making the ever-popular Irish Hiking Scarf, I opted for the Besotted Scarf posted on helloyarn.com. It's a simple pattern and is working up nicely (with one small mistake which will remain!). I'm using Candide from my stash and size 5.50mm (US 9) needles. Nice scarf! If I have yarn remaining (I have 3 4-ounce skeins), I'll make a head band or something else to go with the scarf. I hope to have it done this weekend.

Nashua Knitworks Wrap Complete!

All done! This is the "Wrap" from the Nashua Knitworks "Work" booklet. I used a 32" size 6 Addi Turbo circular needle and used 5 200 metre balls of Creative Focus Worsted yarn. The colour is called "Delft" and is a beautiful blue (still working on that new digital camera!). When blocked, this yarn still has a bit of a give to it, but it worked up beautifully. The pattern is very simple and is reversible, which is a big plus! This took me about 2 weeks to complete.

I still may end up giving this wrap to the local cancer centre. It does need hand washing, but there's someone special I have in mind...we'll see!

WIP - Nashua Knitworks Wrap

This is the "Wrap" from Nashua Knitworks. It's a wonderful new range of yarns from Westminster Fibers (who also distribute Rowan and Jaeger yarns). The colour is called Delft and it's a blend of 75% wool and 25% alpaca. I'm using a size 6 32" Addi Turbo circular needle; this photo shows the wrap pattern with 5 completed repeats. Best thing, this pattern is reversible...I can't tell the front side from the reverse side! It's supposed to use 5 skeins, each with 200 metres (220 yards), so I've got lots more knitting to do! This shawl, quite selfishly, will be for me (no bets as to whether I decide to give it away once it's done!).

More shawls completed...

In my never-ending series of shawls for the local cancer centre, I completed 2 more shawls during the last 2 weeks. The photo with the scalloped border is the Leaf Lace Shawl from Fiber Trends; I think I have this pattern memorised! I used Cleckheaton DK superwash wool in a colour called Pale Iris; it's a purple-ish pink colour...very pretty, very soft! I used 10 full 50-gram skeins knitted on a size 7 32" Addi Turbo circular needle.

The other is the Cozy shawl from knitty.com. This was made using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a dusty rose colour. I used 10 full skeins and a size 8 32" Addi Turbo circular needle.

Victoria Lace Shawl - Complete!

Another beautiful shawl designed by Kristine Franklin of St. Seraphina Knits! This one is her Victoria Lace Shawl and it was so simple to make. The pattern is easy to remember so you don't have to keep track of what row you're on or where you are in the repeat. I'll make this one again! It's made in OnLine Marly, a superwash DK merino wool in Baffin Blue. This yarn is sold out on elann.com, which is sad because I love it!

This shawl took 10 50-gram skeins of DK weight and the final measurements were 23" wide and 74" long (the pattern calls for 23" by 66"; I prefer it to be longer). I used a size 7 32" Addi Turbo circular needle. I probably could have used a size 8 needle, but once blocked, I think the gauge is just right.

Like the other shawls I've done, this one was given to the local cancer centre. On to the next!

Cathedral Window Shawl Complete!

Here's the completed Cathedral Window Shawl from St. Seraphina Knits. St. Seraphina is the patron saint of spinners, which is why the designer, Kristine Franklin, choose that name for her company. This was so easy to make, but I did make one modification to the pattern. Because you wouldn't want the cathedral windows upside down on half of the scarf, the pattern calls for knitting it half way with one pattern, then knitting a reverse design on the other half. Instead of doing that, I knit two separate halves, both using the same design, then I used a 3-needle bind-off to graft them together. You can't see where the shawl comes together and the patter matches exactly on both ends of the shawl. Another bonus is that I didn't have to flip a long shawl around from row to row! I also made the shawl a bit longer than the pattern states. I made each half with 11 pattern repeats instead of 9. I used a size 8 32" Addi Turbo needle, which was just right. My finished shawl is 20" wide and 72" long. I used about 4 1/2 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash; had I made it with 9 repeats, it would have taken only 4 skeins. I could easily have made it wider by adding more "windows" as well.

I will undoubtably make this shawl again. The design is very nice and the finished project is beautiful! Like all my other shawls, this one will be given to the local cancer centre, which it will warm and comfort someone undergoing cancer treatment.

Vogue Fall '05 Lace Shawl (#15) complete!

I loved the look of this shawl in Vogue Knitting Fall '05, pattern #15, designed by Deborah Newton. The sample in the magazine was made from cashmere...and 1500 yards of worsted weight cashmere! I could not imagine this shawl taking that much yarn, so I made it using Lamb's Pride Superwash wool in Midnight Pine. I ordered 7 skeins (1400 yards) and used 6 full skeins (1200 yards). The pattern called for size 8 needles and somehow, I worked mine with a 32" size 9 Addi Turbo circular needle. That was an accident! I think a tighter knit would have been better and if I make this again, I'd use a size 8. The borders are especially loose and would be better on a smaller needle. The final size is 25" x 72", which is just right. This shawl took me two weeks to complete.

Would I make it again? Maybe, but I would not use the lace border included in the pattern. It was not to my liking, but that's a personal choice.

Like my other shawls, this will be given to the local cancer centre to warm and comfort a patient undergoing cancer treatment.

Leaf Lace shawl #2 complete!

Another Leaf Lace shawl complete! And again, this is for the local cancer centre, where it will be given to someone undergoing cancer treatment. It took a full week to complete on a size 8 Addi Turbo 32" circular needle. The yarn is Dalegarn (Dale of Norway) Falk. It washed and blocked beatifully. This shawl is wonderful in sport-weight yarn. I used a just about 10 skeins, which was about 1000 yards, to make a large shawl.

I'm getting "shawl burnout"...time to make another lap throw!

WIP - Fiber Trends Leaf Lace shawl #2

Another Leaf Lace shawl, this time in Dalegarn's Falk in a pretty pink. This will be used by the local cancer centre's display for breast cancer awareness month (which is October). I need to get it done FAST! The last leaf lace shawl took just a week, so I hope this one also goes quickly. I'm using a size 8 needle this time as this yarn is a sport weight. I've just started the second skein, so I better get knitting!

Second Flower Basket Shawl completed!

Someone stop me! Get another Flower Basket Shawl, again for the local cancer centre. This was knit in OnLine Linie 21 - Marly in Newport Blue. It took 10 skeins of this DK weight yarn on a size 8 32" Addi Turbo circular needle. This yarn is very springy and it loosened up significantly when it was washed. This was started on August 28 and completed on September 4. It was a long weekend of knitting furiously!

Country Girl socks complete!

One sock done, one on the needles! These are the Country Girl socks from Heart Strings. They are done in Knit Pick's Essential sock yarn in Dusk, very denim friendly! It has a nice stitch definition, although I'm finding it difficult to see the stitches since the colour of the yarn is so dark. Like all my socks, I'm using the Magic Loop, using a 100cm/40" size 3.0mm/US 2 needle. This pattern only has charts, so I'm getting quite used to that! Nice socks!

Now the update...it took 2 days, but I completed the second sock; no new pictures as it looks just like the first sock! But they are done and I can't wait to wear them. This yarn is a winner! It's soft and has great stitch definition. I've learned my lesson with dark yarns and intricate patterns, though!

Leaf Lace Shawl complete!

Wow...7 days to make a lace shawl?? This shawl, which I made for the local hospital's cancer centre, was started on Saturday, August 13, and completed on Saturday, August 20. It's the Fiber Trend's Leaf Lace shawl and it was quite easy to make. I used 10 50-gram balls of Jo Sharp DK Wool (in Porcelein) and it turned out very nice! As I mention in the WIP post below, I used a 32" size 10 (US) Addi Turbo needle so I guess I can say they really do make you knit faster! The yarn is beautiful to work and washed up nicely. The finished size is about 72" x 45", which is the "large" size shawl in the pattern. I'll make this one again, especially since it worked up so fast. The pattern is a 10 row repeat and was very easy to follow. I used only the chart and not the written instructions, which is a first for me! OK, between the chart and the needles, I guess I'm a faster knitter!

Leaf Lace Shawl WIP

I started the Fiber Trend's Leaf Lace shawl using Jo Sharp DK wool in Porcelein. I'm not overly fond of the colour, but it's a nice neutral. I had hoped it was a lighter colour than it is, but it's still very nice and is working up beautifully. I started on Saturday, August 14 and hope to have this done by Labor Day, which shouldn't be a problem. But, like the Flower Basket shawl, once you get a few hundred stitches on the needles, it drags along forever! I'm half way through the 4th ball of yarn (out of 10), so I'm about half way complete. I'm using a size 10 Addi turbo 32" circular needle, as the pattern suggests. Because I found the Flower Basket shawl to be far too loose using DK yarn and a size 10 needle, I started this on a size 8 needle, but that was too tight. It's working up nicely on the size 10 needles.

The pattern is very simple to follow and quite shockingly, I'm only using the chart, not the written pattern, so I'm now a convert to charts!

Gary's socks - done!

Gary's orange socks are finally done! I had a few glitches...not with the pattern, which was simple, but with running out of yarn! When I got to the foot, it was apparent that a single 50g skein was not going to be enough. I found the same colour at Herrschner's, on sale, and ordered 2 more balls. I had hoped that the dye lots would work, but miracle of miracles, it was the same dye lot that I got from elann.com months earlier! It took an additional 4 grams from the second skein to finish the sock. Gary wears a size 10.5 US shoe, so they are pretty average for a man. It knit up exactly on gauge, which is 7 sts/1 inch in stockinette on a size 3 Addi turbo circular needle using Magic Loop.

Now I have 2 slightly smaller balls of orange sock yarn which will make a nice pair of socks for me. I doubt I'll use the same pattern, but I will eventually make these up for myself!

Basketweave lap throw completed!

This is my basketweave lap throw that I made for the local cancer centre. I used a nice deep blue/teal heather Encore yarn. It took 5 full skeins, knitted on size 11 needles. This is such a simple pattern, but so nice! It measures 42" x 50", just right for a lap throw. It washes and dries beautifully, so it will be just right for a gentleman undergoing cancer treatment. I've got 5 more skeins, so I'll make up another one! This took about 8 days to complete (OK, so I knit faster than I thought I did!).

Zig Zag lace throw completed!

Shrink, Pakucho, shrink!! I know that this cotton is supposed to shrink vertically about 15-20%, so I made this throw about 64" long, knowing it would shrink. I put it in the washer and, of course, it grew considerably! Into the dryer on low heat, and it didn't seem to shrink up at all. This lacy pattern had a lot of give to it, so it was getting bigger, not smaller! I ended up drying it on high heat and it did shrink up to a finished size of 42" by 56", which is just what I wanted. I used 16 50-gram skeins of Pachuko and used a size 10 Addi turbo circular needle.

The pattern is Zig Zag lace from Springtime Throws, which is exclusive to Annie's Attic. These throws are designed my Melissa Leapman and they are all terrific. At only $6 for 6 designs, this booklet is a great one.

This throw, like the shawls I've made, is for my local cancer centre.

Zig Zag lace throw WIP

This is the zig-zag lace throw I've got on the needles. I'm using Pakucho organic cotton in vanilla and a 29" size 10 Addi circular needle. This pattern is from the Springtime Throws
booklet from Annie's Attic. It's a nice booklet and I'll be making all of the patterns in there.

Right now, it's knitting up very loosely, just slightly larger than gauge, but I know it will shrink up when it goes thru the washer and dryer.

As for the yarn, I'm finding that it's twisting up on me to the point of aggravation, but it could be due to the way I swifted and wound it. I'll try some other techniques to see if it gets better. Right now, I'm at 16 repeats and it's 20" long. I'm going for 60" long to allow for 20% shrinkage. I hope to make some serious progress this weekend!

Completed Flower Basket shawl

It's really done! It's been blocked and trimmed and is beautiful! The yarn is Heirloom (Australia) Easy Care 100% wool. It's DK weight and this took 10 50g balls using a size 8 needles. I started this on June 18 and it came off the needles on July 2. It's going to the local hospital's cancer centre where it will warm and comfort someone undergoing cancer treatment.

This pattern called for size 10 needles when using DK weight yarn. I thought that looked way too loose and I decided to use size 8 needles. I think the look is perfect! I followed the size guidelines for the large shawl on size 8 needles and ended up with 80 inches across the top (shoulders) and 38 inches down the center back. I did a total of 15 repeats; had this been 1 repeat shorter, I would have just 9 balls of yarn (50 grams, 98 metres each).

On to the next project!!

And the Flower Basket shawl is OFF the needles!

WHEW! It's done! OK, mostly done! I still have some end weaving to do and it really needs some serious blocking, but it's D-O-N-E!

Nearly done with Flower Basket shawl!

I wonder if the shawl is done or I'm done with the shawl! Last night, I pronounced the shawl DONE! Not quite done, of course, but nearly! I'm going to finish the current repeat, then I've got 12 rows of lace edging to do. It's getting so heavy on the needles. It will be done this weekend for sure, then I can wash and block it. I can't wait to see it all blocked!

WIP - Fiber Trends Flower Basket shawl

So, here's my 3rd shawl for the cancer centre at our local hospital. I'm using a gorgeous DK yarn from an Aussie company called Heirloom in periwinkle. It's machine washable, which is a good thing! I started on 6/18 and have completed 13 repeats. I've got about 350 stitches on the needles now and I'll tell ya, when you make a mistake and have to rip out a couple rows, it's a pain in the butt! I was zipping along at first, but now, I can only crank out a few rows a day. But, with vacation time coming this weekend and next week, I'll be able to finish it and move on to a simpler project. I think alternating simple/complex projects is the way to go!

WIP - Gary's socks

I'm using some Kroy Socks yarn in "Orangina" to make some socks for Gary. The pattern is "Classy Slip-Up" from Knit Socks. I started it on 6/29, and have completed about 5" (as of 7/4). I'm using a size 3 40" Addi circular and Magic Loop. Maybe that needle size is too big, but we'll see.

Cotton Colori socks

This is the first cotton sock I've made. It's Schoeller Esslinger Fortissima Cotton Colori in "Santa Barbara". I used a size 2 40" Addi turbo needle and Magic Loop. The pattern is just a "make a sock" pattern...nothing fancy! I did swatch and knit to guage.

I think it's a bit on the loose side. Next time, I'd use a size 1 needle and some elastic thread in the ribbing.

Baby sweaters!

These are the "twin" baby sweaters I made for two of the women with whom I work. They have the same patterns, except for the necklines. They are from a Peter Pan pattern that I got in England many years ago. I love the Aran style and they worked up pretty quickly in the baby size! I used Plymouth Dreambaby in pink (the collared cardi) and lavender (the v-neck cardi). The sleeves and back are also fully patterned, so these were lots of work, but worth the effort!