stash, knit, repeat

The leaf lace shawl is finished.

…and that’s as far as I got with the photo shoot before Jacob wanted to “help”.

Hopefully I can try again later, because it’s difficult to capture the drape and heft and sheen of this wonderful fabric on film.

Pattern: Leaf Lace Shawl from Fibertrends by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: 5 hanks of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk
Needles: US8s
Modifications: I added one repeat to the “small” size for DK yarn. So that’s 11 pattern repeats before edging.

I love it. It’s truly flexible and can be dressed up or down. It’s shiny, and beyond soft, and actually has a good weight to it (unlike the Forest Path Stole, which floats on air). The pattern is super-easy and looks great. And as I’ve said before, the Pure Silk is an absolute dream to work with.

I’ve finished 2 afghan squares, and I’m having second thoughts about Anne. The afghan is still fun, so I think I’ll keep Anne on the backburner and see how I feel, but… mostly right now it seems like an awful lot of reverse stockinette. I hate reverse stockinette. We’ll see.

In coincidental timing, I’ve finished both the hoodie and the shawl tonight. FO posts will wait until there is proper picture-taking light, hopefully tomorrow. Am I already swatching for the next great thing? Of course I am! What is it? An Elsebeth Lavold cardigan for my maternal grandmother’s birthday, in Silky Wool. I’m totally in love with the Silky Wool. Divine. Inspirational. Gorgeous drapey fabric.

Where did I get it?

Weeeeelll…. I might have done a little shopping when we went to WEBS. It’s not all mine, of course. The Greatest Enabler Of Them All came with me and bought plenty of what you see above. What’s that? You don’t believe me? Well… you’re right.

See that tiny little pile on the right? That’s hers. This… uh… this is all mine. *cough*

In my defense, most of it (all except the red Silky Wool and the sock yarn) is for birthday, baby, and Christmas gifts. And further in my defense, this haul just about doubles my stash. (Which TGEOTA pronounced “pitiable”, I’m sure just to get me to buy more yarn! ;-) I admit to getting a slightly-crazed giddy feeling when I left the store with bags heavy with wool and silk. Speaking of Christmas gifts, does anyone have a recommendation for a sub for Jaeger Cashmere 4-ply, which I can’t seem to find? It’s for a very special scarf.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to petting my acquisitions… I’ll leave you with some sneak previews.

There are changes afoot Chez Stash, and they necessitated a spur-of-the-moment road trip to Burlington, VT this weekend. And what’s a road trip without a little knitting? The hoodie is finished except for some buttons, but I’m saving the pictures for an FO post. Which leaves the lace:

It turned out to be really good car knitting. I finished the ten recommended pattern repeats (for a DK weight yarn and the small size), but I’ve decided to add one more repeat because I have the yarn and I’m enjoying working with it so much. This Pure Silk gets my vote for Yarn of the Year, all the way.

From Burlington, we drove to a birthday party in CT by way of the Green Mountain Spinnery:

I got some of this truly amazing Mountain Mohair in three colors for a sweater for young master J. I was shown around the spinning-related machines (it’s VOODOO I tell you, TOTAL MAGIC!), and fondled much yarn, and generally had a grand time while the hubby and son were playing outdoors. It was a really nice day.

We also stopped at Northampton for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. After lunch, we went to Webs. All of the times I’ve been to the Pioneer Valley, and I even lived there for a summer, and I’d never been to Webs. It took my breath away. I was literally too stunned by choice to buy any yarn. (The baby was getting really cranky, and after the initial interest wore off husband was loudly bored.) I got out of there with a few hard to find patterns, a couple of books, and a firm resolve to visit again. Soon.

In fact, since the husband is in Italy this week, perhaps I’ll visit Friday! Anyone interested in a road trip? ;-)

I have a brand-spanking-new nephew as of Saturday afternoon, so not much knitting. I had a nice long drive to Maine to ponder the socks, though. I think I just love the colorway too much to let myself knit a pair of “enh” socks out of it. So back into the stash it goes, and if I bring it up again before September, please pour forth with fire and brimstone. It is now *definitely* time-out for that yarn.

I do have a little bit to show, though. The Fibonacci hoodie now has a finished front and a tiny little zygote of a sleeve.

I’ve also finished four out of ten repeats for the Leaf Lace Shawl.

That sounds like a lot, except that the shawl is started in the center back with just a few stitches. So, the repeats are getting much longer each time. Still, the yarn is a dream to knit with and I really like the resulting fabric. (Well, as much as one can really tell what the resulting fabric is, with lace.)

So off the list with the Oak Ribbed Sock! With only two projects to finish, I should have a new gift and a new shawl in no time.

Sadly, the Yorkshire Tweed in my last post is no longer destined for anything.

(Apologies for the crappy lighting–things are good and dark and stormy here in Boston.) I had hopes that it would work for Eunny’s Deep-V Argyle Vest, which I’ll be knitting for a friend later this year, but sadly not. The tweed obscures the argyle pattern, and the whole fabric is generally too heavy and scratchy. It might make a good yarn to crochet the steeks with, but for the main body it’s just too rough.

The other yarn is Debbie Bliss Pure HeavenSilk, and it’s a definite winner.

When we have some natural light, I’ll have to capture the beautiful sheen of this yarn. It’s indescribably luscious. And it’s on its way to being the Leaf Lace Shawl from Fibertrends. There has also been small progress on the Fibonacci Hoodie and the socks, but pictures will have to wait for another day.

It seems that my (previously) anti-stash nature isn’t the only thing that has changed recently. True to form, I wove in the ends and blocked the back of the Fibonacci hoodie:

I cast on for the front, but halfway through the first big block of fuschia I got second-sleeve syndrome. (The front and back are essentially the same, two big squares.) I thought about continuing on the Pebble Beach socks, but decided they’re still in quarantine except for car trips. Of course I have plenty of stash to work up, and that Misti Alpaca was tempting, but then I visited my LYS to chat about Bea with the ladies. And now I have two things to distract me this week before taking up the hoodie again:

Any guesses on the identity of the first yarn, or the destiny of either?