stash, knit, repeat

Three guesses what’s finished, and the first two don’t count.

Pattern: The Shoalwater Shawl by the infinitely talented Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Andrea by the equally-talented folks at Schaefer Yarn
Time Elapsed: Just under a month?
Thoughts and Modifications: First of all, if you have any variegated yarn in your stash, I highly recommend this pattern. It’s one of the few shawl patterns I’ve seen where the color changes are an integral part of the shawl, instead of detracting from the lace.

That said… I’m really not sure I’d knit with this yarn again. It tangled whenever it could–even with my ball and swift, it took over an hour to wind it up. The colors are lovely, though, and it produced an amazing shawl.

The yardage is a little on the slight side–1093 yards; the pattern called for “about 1200″. I didn’t check my gauge, but I’m sure I would have used up at least 1300 knitting the shawl as written. I eliminated the last 20 rows and an applied i-cord border to the top of the shawl, and had maybe 3 yards of yarn leftover.

I don’t think the removed length and i-cord detract from the shawl, though. It’s still a nice generous size and could probably fly on its own, so gossamer is the fabric.

As usual, more rambling and pictures on the shawl’s FO page.

*****

I still have the Phyllo-Yoked Pullover on the needles, and the stockinette part goes so quickly (and the Calmer is so luscious) that I’m sure I can finish it in time. I cast on for Friday Harbor out of Regia Silk to have something tiny for our upcoming travel, and those might wind up being a gift for my mother-in-law.

So the holiday madness will likely stand at: Afghan out of Ultra Alpaca, HP Scarf out of Cascade 220, Fir Cone Lace Cardigan out of Silky Wool, Shoalwater Shawl out of Andrea, Phyllo-Yoked Pullover out of Calmer, and Friday Harbor socks out of Regia Silk. Not what I’d hoped, but not too shabby!

*****

We’re headed East for a few weeks. In case I can’t blog from the road, Happy Holidays to all who celebrate!

I am triumphant today, for two good reasons.

I finally have an FO entry for you on the Fir Cone Lace Cardigan.

Pattern: Fir Cone Lace Cardigan from Vermont Fiber Designs. Knit in the Large size for my grandmother.
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool, I believe color 21. Used just over 6 hanks.
Time Elapsed: Just over three weeks, I think?
Thoughts: This was a very easy and enjoyable cardigan to knit. The lace patterns are extremely easy to memorize, and produce a very pleasing design.

Be warned that there is zero waist shaping in this pattern, and the lace isn’t going to pull in like a rib does. Now, my grandmother (bless her) went through almost a dozen pregnancies, and I think the square fit and slightly dropped shoulders are going to do good things for her figure. But for someone like me, with 8″ of difference between bust and waist, it bags kind of unattractively.

Further, the construction doesn’t really provide an easy way to add waist shaping, since it’s knit in one loooooooooong row to the armhole. I’m not sure how you’d decrease attractively.

Even so, it’s extremely comfortable and classic in look. The heathery quality to the Silky Wool marries well with the lace, and I love how airy and light (yet very warm!) the fabric is.

Merry Christmas, Grammie! I’ll share a photo of her wearing it after the holidays. More information and photos and rambling, as usual, in the FO pages listed in the sidebar.

***

I’m so glad to have that FO shoot done for two reasons. One, it’s extremely frustrating to try to get good shots of a sweater made for someone who doesn’t have your measurements. :) Two, I finished the Shoalwater Shawl today. It’s blocking right now, so I only have a wrinkled pruney unblocked lace photo for you. And “picot” is another synonym for “hell”, and yes of course I ran out of yarn, and it’s 20 rows short, and I had to hunt all over the house for the few yards of sample I had just to finish binding off the damn thing, but…

…even with all that, I think it looks damn fine.

That darn fir cone lace cardigan simply refuses to be photographed.

Well, okay. It’s not so much the cardigan’s attitude at stake, here. Hopefully soon! Gnaaahhh!

***

I’m on the last lace repeat of shoalwater and I’m starting to get mighty nervous about the yarn shortage potential. So I brought her into my LYS to get advice from the shop ladies. They’re of the opinion that:

• I miiiiiiiiiight squeak through and be okay,
• They have some nice Misti Alpaca in a soft brown that would work if I want to bind off in a contrasting yarn,
• It’s not strictly necessary to end on the exact row Evelyn Clark specifies. (The instructions: 4 full repeats, then rows 29-50 once more. Why? I have absolutely no idea.)

So at least I have options! While I was there, I found this:

How could I resist? As homesick as I am for a New England fall? It practically leapt into my hands, I tell you.

***

As I was inwardly cursing myself late last night for falling behind on my Knitting Schedule, wondering how I’m going to get all of this holiday knitting done, plotting out exactly how much holiday knitting I can do once we go back East in 2 weeks, and who I’m not seeing until after Dec 25, and etc. etc. etc., I had a realization.

This is my hobby. And being a full-time parent of a particularly active toddler means that I only have one. If I’m not enjoying this, I’m doing something wrong. So I let myself accept the fact that I am simply not going to do even a fraction of the knitting I’d hoped to do. I don’t even want to work particularly hard at this. I’m going to finish the shoalwater shawl and the phyllo pullover, both of which are already on the needles, and then I’m going to knit precisely what and when I want.

Loved ones in my life, expect great knitted things to arrive out of the blue at random points over the next year, rather than in one fiber-crazed orgy at the holidays. Because I’m having some fun with my knitting, over here.