A Lace Shawl

I wanted to make a special wedding gift for my SIL but I wanted it to be a surprise. I asked her 'non-knitter' opinion on several different shawls, claiming the participation in a competition. She selected the Omelet shawl by Joyce Fassbender.

My yarn choice was Sweet Georgia's Silk Merino Lace in a deep blue.

The pattern is a pain to work on, I have to pay very close attention to every single stitch I knit, but I'm chugging along...

And with less than a week til the big day, I finished. Off to soak and block this beauty.

The bride loved her surprise gift and enjoyed wearing it most of the incredibly beautiful fall evening that was her special day.

My first pair finished

They are done =)















And I got my badge!

(I forgot to enter it on the other finish lines, but one is enough for me)

and now I'm off to craft my next pair that my son has requested ...

Anecdotes of a Cardigan: Gretl

When I returned from Germany this past spring a bag full of yarn accompanied me home. No, this was not from a shopping spree - this yarn is much more special. I inherited it from my Oma.  She had bought it to make a sweater for herself a long while ago, but alas the rheumatoid arthritis in her hands will no longer let her hold needles and pursue her most favorite craft.

The yarn is StahlSche Wolle Hochland Soft Tweed, an Aran weight yarn with a blend of mostly wool, a little alpaca and some acrylic, viscose and cotton. It is a very light grey and white blend, with flecks of colors throughout.  Sadly I have found out that this yarn has been discontinued.

So the search for the perfect pattern began. After dismissing what seemed a plethora of patterns because I did not have enough yarn, or the pattern did not suit the yarn, I settled on the "Greta Cardigan" by Kathryn Ashley-Wright. 

It took me three tries to get it started correctly. First I twisted my cables wrong, and I knew it would drive me crazy - even no one else would notice. So I ripped it all back. Then I noticed a couple of discrepancies in the pattern, however Ms. Ashley-Wright answered my questions promptly and we got it all figured out.

So - now I'm happily working away on my first cardigan and I cannot wait to wear it. 

Legolas of the Fall

Thanks to a birthday gift certificate to my fave LYS, Dublin Bay Knitting Co. I obtained a most gorgeous skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot Sock yarn in the color Sandstone.  This yarn is so incredibly soft and squishy, I knew I had to make something special out of it.

Then during a swap on Ravelry I was gifted the 'Legolas Kerchief' pattern by Susan Pandorf and I knew that the combination would be perfect.

I loved working with the yarn. It just flows so nicely over the needles and into your project, you wont even notice how fast it works up. The drape is perfect and it wears like a cloud.

I was not so pleased with the pattern. The set up section is too concave for my taste and it really had to be blocked heavily to form into shape so as to lay over the shoulders and not curve away from them.  I did a third repeat of Chart 2 and had already decided I would not do the ties, instead increased the edging over the last few rows to create another 1/2 leaf for bind off.  For each leaf tip I used the suggestion from other people to single crochet along the tip of the leaf to start on the next one, so as to not have hundreds of ends to weave in.  Now that the project is blocked and I have worn it, I am contemplating adding the ties on after all. I have yarn left and I think it would be a nice way of wearing it - tied to the back. We'll see.

I think I will make this pattern again, however I will change the set up - maybe to a simple triangular increase - or maybe short rows.

I have learned that I almost never ever follow a pattern. I always change or tink with it. It has to be mine, right?