I actually finished something.
Gossamer Stars Scarf, from the Summer 08 Interweave Knits. I used Tilli Tomas' Fil de la Mer in "Parchment".
It feels lovely. This is my first experience with a DK weight silk/seacell blend. I would love a silky cardi out of this stuff.
This is a super easy and fun knit--I was able to do most of it on public transportation and it's nice to not have to refer to a pattern.
There was a somewhat primitive look about Gossamer Stars that appealed to me when I first saw it. Turns out that it may have been due to the wrong side being featured in Interweave Knits, according to the designer, Kat Coyle.
No matter. I still like it. I needed something easy to take on my commute and I need some silky scarves to help sheild myself from the sun this summer (Knitspot Anne has a ton of great lacy scarves I've been considering).
To compliment this primitive look, I chose a color that is completely out of character for me--a tea-stained looking color of Tilli Tomas "Fil de la Mer" called "Parchment".
This is my first time with the heavier weight version of the silk/seacell blends. I don't especially care for the construction of the this particular yarn. Because I could not resist the color, I picked up a couple of skeins of Tilli Tomas "Soie de la Mer" in "Caribbean."
I like it better--it's spun rather than plied.
Sheesh. I can't believe I'm taking more stash pics. I really need to let up on the lace yarn purchases--the stash is growing out of control while I continue my usual slow pace of knitting.
The last thing I need to be doing is starting another project--I already have three I'm actively working on and numerous UFOs. Still, I was craving some Handmaiden Sea Silk--there is little that is more pleasant for me than knitting sea silk lace with bamboo needles.
Then it came to me in a flash: "Dandelion" Sea Silk and the Honeybee Stole. Together.
However, I'm still not completely over my recent doldrums. I spent hours this past weekend trying to set up this project. I started and restarted--perhaps four or five times, managing each time to make a small mistake and throwing off the stitch count. I scoured the web to make sure there wasn't a mistake in the pattern or something tricksy that other knitters were stumbling over.
No.
It was just me.
In fact, now that I've gotten into the first section of the pattern, I can see that it's quite simple. I just wasn't paying enough attention, my mind was wandering, I was zoning. I'd better get it together, that next section looks unfamiliar.
I'm already eyeing another seasilk project--Kat Coyle's Gossamer Stars Scarf in the upcoming Interweave Knits. The pattern calls for Fiesta La Luz, but I'm thinking some Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer would be a nice alternative. Or Double Sea Silk.
Although, I should really be trying to find projects for my stockpile of beautiful laceweight yarns.
This summer we've had over 35 days with temps over 90 degrees, including today. We certainly picked a terrible summer to make a move, but at least we are finished with the hauling, schlepping, etc. The downstairs is crammed with boxes, bags, unplaced furniture, with little paths carved out for us to reach the kitchen and laundry room. It will take months to unpack everything, but I really love the house, so it'll all be worth the effort.
At least the upstairs is livable as we try to figure out what we want to do. We're using the second bedroom as a den and last weekend I organized my yarn. I have mucho yarn, as you can see. These bins are an improvement over my previous system--random bags and boxes in a pile.
I've actually managed to do a bit of stash enhancing during this heck-ish month (priorities!). The theme appears to be skeins with both warm and cool greens.
First, Handmaiden Mini-Maiden in "Peridot" (from Knitty Knoddy). This "Peridot" is quite different from the Sea Silk I used for Tuscany. I love the earthy green with the blue greens (and a touch of lavender)
Next, Habu Silk Mohair hand-dyed Kasuri (from pureknits). I love how the grassy green is combined with olive-y greens. Unusual. Habu should do more handpaints, I think.
Kaalund Classic II in "Moss" (also from pureknits). Again, blue-greens and yellow-greens. I want to make a "Bee Fields" shawl from this. I even took some time to cast on--you know, just to see. I think I'm going to really enjoy knitting with this yarn--I love the sproinginess.
Take a look at this stunner:
This yarn blows me away. The color is unbelievable. This is 2-ply silk from Piece of Beauty in "Ocean Minerals". I originally bought a single skein, but had to order another--yarn this beautiful deserves to be used on a major project. This photo doesn't do it justice--you can't see all the beautiful variations of green--yes, even this yarn has some olive green.
Actual knitting? "Sarcelle" continues.
I am still doing most of the knitting on my bus-to-subway commute. I found a half-finished sleeve to Grace in the bottom of my purse. It's been so knocked around, I'm probably going to have to start it over. I don't even know where my poor Swallowtail is hiding.
Slowly, though, life will normalize, I hope. With autumn around the corner, the pleasures of knitting with wool will beckon.
ps--the SKIF patterns have arrived! More about that tomorrow.
Yes, that's me working on Sarcelle on the bus. I thought I may as well pull out the cell phone and snap a bad pic or two and email them myself since I have no time for proper photography these days. We've been moving for what seems like an eternity and there are two weeks yet to go--just for the actually moving phase, let's not even discuss the horrors of unpacking.
I've finally gotten used to knitting with the tiny bamboo yarn and I've learned the lace pattern--the p2tbls don't even bother me. I'm finding it quite addictive and, because of the thin yarn, it's a very cool and compact project that I can carry around with me. I don't have much time to knit, but I've been able to steal a few moments here and there, so I'm making slow but steady progress. I'm working on the last row of the repeat section, ready to shift over to the straightaway.
As soon as Sarcelle or Swallowtail is finished, I'm looking forward to starting on the Bee Fields Shawl. I'm going to use Kaalund Classic Two, either in Moss or Forest Floor (I recently purchased both colors from pureknits). I can't decide which color I like best for the project.
But, that's for later. For now, it is move, lift, heave, hoist, pick up, raise, schlep, haul, drag, carry...
...begins with casting on just two stitches.
I've finally settled on a project for the beautiful Pureknits Bamboo Lace--Sarcelle. Sure, the results look a bit sloppy--I'm considering this a swatch. A fresh start is called for because I've beaten this poor bit of yarn senseless.
It was touch and go for awhile, I had to rip and restart several times and I've had to unknit/reknit quite a lot. This is my first experience knitting lace where there is action on every row, rather than having a nice restful purl-only row between. Although I know how to read a chart, I just couldn't seem to get the hang of reading the wrong side rows from left to right--I kept forgetting--it's seems counterintuitive. After all the misfires, though, I think I've learned the stitch pattern well enough that I'm not hanging constantly on the chart anyway.
The US2 needles seem to be a good size for working with the very fine yarn and I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have the Addi Lace circular. Actually, it isn't quite sharp enough for purling two stitches from the back (is there anything pointier?), but it's a marked improvement over regular needles for everything else.
My only remaining reservation is that I fear this project is going to take a loooooooooooooooong time and once I can do that stitch pattern with my eyes closed, it's going to be dreadfully tedious. Still, I think it will be worth the effort when I have a beautiful shimmering gossamer shawl in my favorite shade of green.
While I'm on the subject of working on something for a long time, I want to give an update on Shippo. I've been working on this for well over a year, not that I have anything against it. In fact, I like it, but it just never seems to be a priority. Nora was waxing poetic about working with Habu stainless steel and I mentioned this project to her. Shippo is knit with a strand each of Silk Stainless Steel and Shosenshi Paper into a very long isosceles triangle. It's not stiff, but the fabric has a lot of memory.
I should just finish it, already. Ugh.
I've had an array of connection/camera/computer problems for the past several weeks, plus I was off on my annual pre-Memorial Day beach trip, and, oh, yeah, we bought a house (yikes!). Let's say I've been a bit distracted. Still, I've managed to keep up with some knitting. I worked on Tuscany at the beach and finished all but the cast-off which I completed the first night back. Here it is all blocked and finished.
Tuscany is from "No Sheep for You" and knitted with Handmaiden Sea Silk in "Peridot". Perfect springtime mid-Atlantic beachy colors.
No sooner did I finish that I cast on another shawl, a Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style.
This is my second Shetland Triangle. I finished one a year ago as a wedding present for a friend. This one is for myself and I'm knitting it with Tilli Tomas Voile de la Mer (color: "Atmosphere"), similar to Sea Silk, but a tad weightier and the silk/seacell split is 60/40 rather than 70/30.
There's not much to show so far, so I won't bother, but I'm still trying to figure out what to knit with my Pureknits Bamboo Lace. Sarcelle is the latest candidate (I've ran through a few already). Maybe I'll have something to show next week. Unlike Voile de la Mer and Sea Silk, this stuff is very, very fine and therein lays my problem. My experiments with Sarcelle, thus far, have suggested that the key to being able to knit with such a fine yarn is to use a small needle. It's much easier to knit with a US2 than a US4.
Finally, aren't these beeyootiful? These were a very nice surprise from Kris as a thank you for helping her out with some Kid Silk Haze a little while back which resulted in one of the most gorgeous cardis ever seen on the Internets.
This naughty project is going to the corner for awhile.
See why?
Somehow, I guess, a stitch marker was moved (who moved it?--surelynot me!). I didn't notice it until I had divided the sleeves of this future pullover hoodie from Knitting Pure & Simple (with Cascade 220 yarn in "Aqua"). This is nice mindless knitting, but I guess I took the "mindless" part a little too much to heart. It's going to be too warm for wool, soon. Things aren't looking too good for little hoodie. I'm very annoyed.
So much so that I cast on some lace. I enhanced my Handmaiden Sea Silk stash recently simply because this new color was irresistible. Peridot.
I practically swoon every time I look at it. I'm making "Tuscany" from No Sheep For You.
It looks to be an elongated triangle of my beloved leaf lace (perhaps with the extra lateral width, I will avoid what Mason-Dixon Kay memorably refers to Jemima Puddle-Duck Syndrome).
I finished "Stevie" (from, It's a Tape Thing).
t's cute.
I still need to find a brooch closure of some sort. Jillian found these--pretty nice.
Oh, and I think I have enough yellow/green cardigans for now.
I still have a surfeit of Rowan Cotton Tape in several colors (although it is dwarved by the burgeoning Cork reserves I've been quietly amassing--bwah-ha-ha-ha!). I'm not sure how I ended up with so much. Oh, well, the weather is warming up, it knits up fast, and there are several nice vintage patterns for it by La Kim.
And, "Wicked"? It wasn't naughtly, but it got put in the corner, too. Limbo still exists for knitting projects.
I am Xtremely happy to have the Buttercup Knitting Conservancy as part of Team Knitopolis, along with myself, Print o' the Wave Stole (Stoli), and Handmaiden Sea Silk (Glacier).
They're small, but Xtremely dedicated. Up early, working on Stoli, stich by stich, with Xtreme care.
With Plum in the lead, Saffi on assist, and Lucy calling the pattern, all was running Xtremely well this morning until the tiniest member of the Buttercups snapped from a combination of the excitement of seeing Glacier all soft, blue, and round and a sugar surge brought on by a third of a Cocoa Puff she had eaten earlier.
Mayhem ensued but Lucy and Saffi were quick to react.
Lucy subdued the wee one before much damage was done to Stoli and Glacier, and soon, Team Knitopolis was back at work. Well, all expect for me. It was Xtremely early in the morning for lace knitting, after all.
While it's not too complex, the motif in the Print o' the Wave Stole is not one easily memorized--at least by me. As you can see, the chart is giving me a headache. I'm mildly dyslexic and all the lines and symbols are jumping around like crazy. I've color coded it to help keep my place and keep the k2togs and sk2pos straight. I've only gotten through 3 pattern repeats, because I keep having to back up because I flipped row 7 and 9 or whatever.
Having said that, I love the pattern and I passionatetly love the Sea Silk. The colors are stunning and the yarn is delicious. I've already placed an order for more in the color Straw, which is delicate shades of gold (quite a departure for me--I ususally gravitate toward the highly saturated colors).
I'm going to have to be very patient with this project, but I think it will be well worth the suffering!
(psst--j/k, it's really kinda fun)
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