A curved shawl milestone

I finished the main body of the shawl today:

I didn't pin it out or anything for the photo - it's just stretched out hastily on the carpet to give you a vague idea. There's a cute picot bind-off that was fun to work. Tonight after the kidlets are in bed I hope to start on the knitted-on border.

Lovely lace

I've been reading the book day and night since I got it for Christmas. I started knitting the scarf at page 82 in a thin mohair yarn, totally different from the yarn used in the book. It came out light and fluffy a bit like a dark cloud. I've also stared knitting Myrtle leaf shawl in a black yarn from Warp & Weft Viva 10 000 m/kg wool silk.
I do not like knitting the pattern, the wrong side is boring, but the shawl looks lovely, I'm sure I will finish it. Can’t wait to wear it.

decided what to start with

At last I've decided on what to start with from the book. Because I wanted to start as soon as possible I started with the silk scarf on page 80 in the book. Why it became that is because I had some dark green silk yarn from Solsilke in my stash.

Hello and update!

Hi there, I just joined last week, and here's my current progress pic:



I'm knitting the melon shawl, too, in Rowan Kidsilk Haze, colourway jelly. It's actually the yarn used in the book, I'm just using the 5 skeins I've got, knitting 9 instead of 7 repeats of the melon pattern in the middle.

This will be the first lace project I'm just knitting for myself, and I love both that pattern and the yarn. And oh, the colour.

melons

I started a Melon shawl for my mom. I showed her the book and she picked the pattern.



Since I love the Jade Sapphire 2-ply cashmere, I am using it again for this. It is a pretty purple color that changes from light to dark, so there are sort of stripes. I hope it looks okay once it's done.

This pattern is really easy to memorize, so anyone looking for a simple pattern should like knitting this one.
- natalie

Hello

Just wanted to say hello to all. My name is Agneta and I live in Sweden. I love to knit especially lace shawl. I love this book. I've looked in it several times since I got it a couple of weeks ago. But I got a big problem:-). Can't decide on what to knit. I want to knit almost everything.

Will my foxy go the distance?

Now that the lovely business of Christmas is over (well, it is in Melbourne!), I can turn my attention to lace. I have so admired the lovely work showcased here at the VLT blog. Something to work towards.

I love lace knitting and have completed a couple of simple projects (Forest Canopy Shawl, Birch Shawl, currently on Seraphim). I want to choose an "easy" pattern from VLT, as I have never done a knitted-on border.

The "Large rectangle with center diamond pattern" on page 20 most appeals to me. I have some Cherry Tree Hill cascade fingering 100% silk in "foxy lady". (This is good, cos I could so use some foxy right now - get me in the mood for the new year).

There are two things I've been thinking about:

1. Is 100% silk a good sub for kidsilk haze?
It is a fine weight, but the drape will be different. Does it suit the pattern?

2. The foxy yarn is 666yds. The pattern calls for 750 yards. Is there a simple way to calculate how much I need to reduce the length and/or width of the shawl? Would losing one repeat in the center panel (width) and two repeats of the ten row chart (length) be enough?

Any thoughts would be warmly welcomed.

Hello everyone...

Phew... boy is it hard to get logged in to this beta blogger website :)

I have a catastrophy to share... I have not decided what to do exactely with my disaster, but it might be less huge when I share it.

A while ago, I started the Cap Shawl (don't know the page number). It is the circular shawl. I got through the "boring" part pretty fast, but not fast enough. I started on the second part and needed to use markers between the different repeats. Something I haven't had to do since my first lace project just short of 2 years ago. Maybe this should have been a hint... a sign from the knitting universe.

Earlier this week I was knitting along merrily when suddenly I realised that although the first part of each repeat (where you have the viney pattern going) was working out correctly, the yarnover/slanty part of several wedges was not correct. In some I had more than the 7 yo-/ combinations I should have had and in some less... Guess I messed up when I put my markers in.

I now have to decided if

• I'm going to try and locate the end of the first part of the shawl, thread a string through all the stitches on that row, remove the needles and rip to the string
• or I'm going to remove the needles, rip it all and start over... including those close to 90 rows of that yarn over k2tog part that I hated to knit

Good thing I have another shawl I can concentrate on in the mean time as it needs to be finished by monday, cos it makes me tear up just thinking about this whole debacle.
One thing's for sure... next time I'm going to use markers from the start...

Cheers, Eva

Scarf with the No. 20 edging

With all the beautiful projects in the book, it was so hard to choose just one! I have to say my favorite is the circular white cape, that is just dreamy. But I want to start small. I picked "Scarf with No. 20 edging" (p. 84), and I am using a lace weight yarn istead of a fine weight yarn. The scarf in the book is 20 inches wide, quite large, and I am estimating that mine will be about 11-12 inches wide.

I am two repeats into it, and I love it. It's such a fun pattern. The yarn I am using is Misti Baby Alpaca Lace in "Lipstick".

Yarn subs

OK, I cannot stop myself from pouring over the details of this book or people's own VLT projects. However, I am trying to use this obsession for good. To that end, I have posted a document on my blog that shows all the patterns with the yarns used in the book and whatever yarn substitutions I have read about on this blog and on personal blogs.

If you have any additional info you want me to add, let me know and I will try to keep the document updated.

New Jerseyan signs on!

Jacqueline and Stephanie, thanks for starting this knit-along! I'm a little late to the party, but not in terms of my love for this book. This will be my first real lace project, and fortunately my mom, for whom I am knitting, has picked an easy shawl for me. I've started "Scarf or Shawl with a Center Pattern" in Knitpicks Iris Alpaca Cloud. What a lovely yarn! I had a challenging time in the beginning with the cast-on, until I discovered the waste-yarn cast-on! It also took me some time to find the rhythm for lace, but I think I'm okay now.

This is probably old news to all of you, but there are errata for VLT. None for the pattern I've embarked on, but for a few others.

And I'm off...

I decided to start with the large rectangle on page 54. The body is a very easy knit, which could get boring, but so far it's a good commuter project and I love the feel of the Handmaiden Sea Silk.








The colorway called to me because it resembles my Lucy.

Finally Here

I'm here! I'm so glad to be here! I'm a new member, and have been so taken with the VLT book that I'm planning to start the Melon scarf after the holidays. I have the pattern, I have the yarn... One thing I have done is to create a sort of index to the book because I kept forgetting where different patterns were located. I'm thinking of making it into an Excel spreadsheet with fields of Pattern Name, Page number, Yarn Weight, Yarn Yardage, Difficulty, Finished Dimensions. I may also add a field for the yarn used for the model.

I haven't knit much lace yet - 2 lace scarves and one shawl from Folk Shawls - but am really looking forward to reading, learning, and knitting.

Curved shawl progress photo

Here's where I am as of this afternoon:

I think I'm in good shape for now, and I'm enjoying it!

Sampler shawl

First of all, I love this book. It took me a while to pick out one thing to start. I had to cast on for something when I received this book and the sampler shawl on page 58 kept catching my eye. The project was decided when I had enough knitpicks alpaca cloud yarn in iris for the beginner sampler. I'm using a #3 bamboo circular. I would be using my knitpicks circulars, but those are occupied with another project.

This sampler is going pretty well so far. It's been easy to knit. The knitted lace sections (patterning on both sides) need a little more concentration from me, but they don't occur that often in this shawl. I do like how they look. There is a mistake in the very beginning. I thought I had corrected it, but pinning it out for the photo made it stand out. Yikes! I'm leaving it in as it is in the very first section at the bottom. One yarn over looks a whole lot bigger than the others. I may just play around with the surrounding stitches to try to fix it. You can't see it in this picture because it was cropped out.

It's fun seeing all of the other projects being done from this book. I'm going to have quite a to-do list by the time I'm done with this one.

Starting... then starting again... and then again....

So I started my curved shawl this evening, using my red Merino Oro which has been sitting patiently in my stash for several years.

That first row was nasty. The cast on is the loop cast-on, which is nice and soft and lacy, but it slips and slides around like crazy. Working the k3togs in that mess was No Fun. I'm using Addi Turbos, which is probably not the best choice because of the markedly not-sharp points and the slipperiness, but they're the only size 3 circs I have, so I'm going with 'em for now. I had to start over multiple times, and it's a good thing the kids were in bed, because there were some not-ladylike words said over it. And when I had finally gotten past that first awful row, and had completed a few more rows, I took a look at the cast-on edge and realized that somehow I had managed to break the yarn at one point, so it was sneakily unraveling on me. More not-ladylike words were uttered. I may have threatened to toss the entire ball of Merino Oro into the fireplace. My husband slipped quietly into another room for awhile.

But I think I'm finally in a zone, of sorts. I cast on and picked my tortuous way across that first row, and then onward. I've completed the fourth 4-row repeat and it's starting to take shape, and I'm even starting to see how the lace pattern is working. If my yarn doesn't betray me by breaking again, I should be in good shape....

Keeping track of yarn subs

I am interested in keeping track of things by nature, which works well in my knitting world. So, I was thinking that if you were interested, I could keep track of any yarn subs that we use in our own VLT projects. You can just post the information (which pattern and which yarn) as a comment on my blog or on this blog and I will start the list. With the owners' help, I can keep the running tally as a file linked in our sidebar.

Happy knittting.

Decisions, decisions

I was originally thinking I'd do the "Large Rectangle with center diamond pattern" on pg 20, since I'm fairly new to lace and it's an "Easy" pattern. But I am terribly tempted by the "Scarf with the No. 20 edging" on page 84... however, I'm somewhat terrified by the Notes saying "Match the tension of the bind-off to the cast-on edge", so maybe not. On the other hand, I'm also lusting after the "Large rectangle in leaf and trellis pattern" on page 54. What to do, what to do...

~ Cheryl S.

Ready, Set... Pause

Hi All, I'm a laceaholic located near NewYork City in New Jersey, US (my blog is Jersey Knitter). Many thanks to Jacqueline and Stephanie for organizing this KAL! I'm eager to start and was set to order the book... but Santa hinted I shouldn't. In my experience, Santa is very good about obtaining highly desired books, not so good about also providing yarn. So I imagine I'll be starting my first VLT project early in the new year.

In the meantime, I'm freaking out over holiday knitting enjoying looking at everyone else's beauteous VLT projects and looking forward to participating soon. Happy Holidays and see you next year!

Decisions, decisions...

Hello all! Now I know why I had to buy that Handmaiden Sea Silk. A few weeks later I read about this KAL, ordered the book, and here I am.

I'm leaning towards the leaf and trellis rectangle on page 54. I've never done a knitted-on border, so it would be a nice challenge. However, I'm also drawn to the Alpine scarf: it looks challenging too, and I'm inspired/awed by Natalie's beautiful FO. I'll do a swatch and try to make up my mind.

For those who have completed projects, did you find that the book's yardage suggestions were accurate?

I'm looking forward to knitting and sharing.

Cathy

Alpine Knit Scarf

Alpine Knit Scarf
Jade Sapphire 2-ply Cashmere, just over 800 yards
Size 4 addi turbos
60"x18" blocked
44"x18" before blocking
November 18 - December 3, 2006

Thanks for the nice comments on this from the earlier post. The scarf (though it's more like a stole) is very soft and has a really nice drape. I didn't make any modifications to the pattern, and fully stretched it was the same size as in the book. It relaxed a bit when I took the pins out, but is still a nice size for wearing.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who wants something interesting to knit. It kept my interest the whole time and it was well worth the effort. It is gorgeous in real life.

There are more pictures on flickr (if you click on the picture it will go there), or on my blog. I hope everyone is having a great time with their lace!

- natalie

Question

Okay I just finished my husbands socks, so now I want to start on a scarf for my mother in law. The yarn I'd like to use is Shimmer from knit picks, which is a lace weight.

However the pattern that I like is on pg 90, it doesn't have a name other then scarf.

It calls for Fine weight (2) and size 7us... so to make my yarn work I would need smaller needles?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated thanks.

Kyrie

Hello!

I hope everyone's projects are going well so far. I received my copy of VLT about a week ago and am starting with the melon stitch stole, with Elann Super Kydd (a kid mohair and nylon blend) and 4.5 mm (US 7) needles.


I'm about one quarter of the way done with the center section. It's going quickly, even though I'm mostly only working on it as a take-along project during the commute. The yarn is very soft, and IMHO, is a great substitute for Kidsilk Haze. I have a few more pictures on my blog.

New Member

Hi Everyone, I was excited to find this kal. I've ordered my book but apparently its on backorder :( Hopefully, will be in sometime next week and on its way to me. In the meantime, I'll just read and enjoy all the pictures! Thanks for having me.
Donna

Photo update

I was able to do a little more work on the Curved Shawl last night:


So far 6 four row repeats, only 36 more then the edging and I am done! This is a wonderful project, but it does require much concentration on my part. I still can't get the hang of reading all the even # rows right to left. All in all though, I am enjoying it and know this will be a favorite once it is finished.

New member

Hi,
I have just joined, and am looking forward to starting one of the projects. Which one? Well, when I can narrow it down fron the twelve I want to do now, I'll let you know. I have enough yarn in the stash, but have already ordered more. I won't have time to start before the new year, so that gives me time to decide. I'm in awe of the ones already finished.
BJ

Starting at the beginning

I was lucky enough to see the trunk show at Stitches East and loved the Wide Triangle. While perusing the yarn at the market, I even bought the same yarn in the same color to make my very own. Here is what I have so far:



I am using glass beads from one of the big box stores in a coffee color. You can see a few more pics on my blog and read about my first Russian join.

I will definitely be making more of these patterns because they are all so great. I already have a few yarns earmarked for future VLT projects.

I've decided

It's the melon stitch scarf on page 146, in a black mohair blend. I hope it's not too hard on my eyes, I've been avoiding black for that very reason, but my mum has requested black and what that woman wants that woman gets.

Got a few little things to finish first, and then I'm off. Estimated cast-on date 8th December.

Anybody else decided yet?

Alpine

I wanted to put up a picture of the Alpine Knit Scarf I am working on before it is finished - as I have only three repeats of the diamonds left to do. This is an artistic representation type picture - the sun was going down and it was really bright. :-)

This is a really pretty pattern and is a lot of fun to knit. It is definitely not boring - I am only now getting bored of the pattern and it's nearly finished. It says it is "experienced" lace, but it really isn't hard, and the edging is done all at the same time, so there is no picking up stitches at the end or any construction type aspects to it. I can't wait to block it, I think it's going to be gorgeous.

The yarn is Jade Sapphire 2-ply cashmere, which I think is my favorite yarn to work with. I am making another shawl from this book for my mom for Christmas, but I'm not sure which one yet. There are too many options!

The Alpine is a gift for my boss' wife for Christmas. She has been asking for a lace shawl from me since last May, but I haven't had a good reason to spend $100 on the yarn to make her one, so now is the time. I couldn't bring myself to use anything besides the Jade Sapphire - it is too nice to work with, and makes the most luscious fabric.

I can't wait to see everyone else's projects on here! - nat

Joining up

Hello all! I've been fondling my copy of VLT for a few weeks now, and I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to make with the 2,000+ yards of rich red Merino Oro I had in my stash. I'm leaning toward the "curved shawl with diamond edging," which I've seen several of you mention already. I'm in love with the stitch pattern for the body of the shawl - so unusual and pretty! I haven't tried swatching it yet, though, so no promises.

Looking forward to seeing more completed projects! That hexagon shawl below is stunning.

New lace knitter

Good morning! I'm going through my copy of Victorian Lace Today for the, ohhhh, 20th time....at least. Now that my order of Zephyr from Sarah's Yarns has arrived, I can get serious about which gorgeous lace piece I'm going to knit first. It will probably be the Melon pattern stole in the Curry color of Zephyr. Or maybe the Leaf & trellis bordered rectangle on page 54...or maybe the Victoria Shawl on page 154 in Indigo Zephyr.....or.....well, you see my problem. Too many shawls, so little time. Maybe if I give up sleeping...

Arachne

New here

Hi my name is Kyrie and I just got the book also. I bought it on a whim and have found it to be the most helpful book I've bought so far. I really love the way they have written out the instructions with the harder stitchs. I can't start anything right now, because I have to finish the socks I started for Christmas.

Anyway I'm really excited to be part of this group and have been inspired to hurry with the size 11 1/2 socks I'm making. Right now I'm down the to arch...so maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel yet.

Hexagon Spider's Web Shawl

Hello, my name is Alison and I am insane. I got this book a couple days after its release and I fell in love with a lot of the shawls, but for some reason the huge, Hexagon Spider's Web called to me. I told myself that it would be lovely in some of Webs coned alpaca silk. I'm in a purple phase, so I was thinking eggplant. I placed my yarn order and got the yarn and started the shawl. I worked on nothing else and realized, hey, I have a holiday party coming up and this purple will go lovely with a silver dress. So, I figured out exactly how many rows I had to knit each day in order to finish and block by December 2 and tried to do at least one more and neglected housework, husband and kids, but I did finish.

More details and specs on my blog. I do love this shawl and I love the book and will probably do tons more in the book, but hopefully not at such an insane pace. I can't wait to see what else everyone is working on!

How to Join?

This is just a quick post to clear up some administration issues.

In reading the posts on this KAL blog, I have stumbled across a couple of comments asking how do people go about joining. This has proven to be problematic because often there isn't an email address attached to this comment and I have trouble contacting the person.

So to clear up any confusion I have decided to reiterate the joining instructions here. If you would like to join this KAL, please send myself and Stephanie an email to victorianlacetoday AT gmail DOT com with you name, blog address (if you have one) and your email address.

We will then send you an invite and add you to the participants list.

I hope this helps make thing a bit clearer for people wanting to join.

Hello

Hi, I'm Brenda and I am somewhat new to lace knitting, and I want to make almost every project in VLT. But, due to my lace newbieness, I've decided to make the first wide-bordered scarf in that section (p.80) with the highly descriptive name of "Scarf." Wednesday I received my order for a skein of Sea Silk in the Berry colorway. It is really lovely, and the dim light outside makes taking a good photo of it impossible at this time. But, I hope to cast on soon and post some photos.

I am very glad Catherine and Collette are making the Curved Shawl because I think that is gorgeous and it would be my choice for a second project. I look forward to seeing everyone's projects!

A quick hello

I just wanted to drop a quick hello to all. I am very excited about this book and expect to make many projects from it. Just like a previous poster, I will be doing the Curved Shawl first, and in a color similar to that pictured in the book. I have a hank of Alpaca With a Twist in Ruby Slippers that is screaming at me to be used! However, I work retail management and the next few weeks will be busy, so I don't know how much knitting I will get done. After the holidays, I plan on doing a lot. Thanks for letting me be here, I think we'll all have lots of fun!

Excited!

I can't wait to get started! The book is one of the nicest photographed knitting books I've seen. There are so many beautiful patterns I know I'm going to have a hard time choosing which to do. Notice, I didn't say 'which one to do'. Surely there will be several that will be required for me to do.
Good luck everyone!!

We have buttons...

Thanks to the generosity of Marsha and Janice, we have some wonderful KAL buttons which you can all use. (But please save them to your own server).

If anyone still has some ideas for KAL buttons that they want to submit, please feel free to do so. The more the merrier as far as I am concerned and I like people to have choice.

This is good! Things are starting to all come together. Now if only my book would arrive.

New Member

Hi, I just joined and wanted to introduce myself, my name is Colette. I bought VLC early in Nov with the B&N gift card I received for my anniversary. I love this book, there are so many projects I have earmarked I wasn't sure which to start first. I finally decided on the Curved Shawl because I had the perfect yarn for it - I am making it in Cinnabar Zephyr, it is almost the same color as the shawl in the book.

I can't wait to see what everyone is knitting!

Greetings!

I doubt that I have ever had some anticipatory excitement about a knitting book before this one, and thankfully, I am not disappointed.

Knitting lace is probably my most favorite type of knitting - okay, maybe second, if socks count. So many of the patterns in this book are destined to be on my to-do list!
Finally, I can begin to use my stash of lace yarns..............

Looking forward to this KAL! Hopefully, we can find any pattern errors, and avoid needless head mashing and hair pulling!

We need a button, though!

Hello All!

I am so glad to have found this KAL! What a wonderful, gorgeous book. I have been lace knitting for about two years and can't seem to get enough. Other than socks and currently scarves for the Red Scarf Project, lace is all I knit. Total obsession. I have been reading the book over and over to decided which project to start and with what yarn. I guess this is half the fun-planning and dreaming. Greetings to all. Happy Victorian Lace knitting!
Sue J.

Hello everyone

My copy of Victorian Lace Today arrived yesterday. I pre-ordered it from Amazon about a month ago - wow - what an amazing amount of research went into writing it!

It is much more than just a pattern book, I would so love to be able to see all those historical knitting pattern (called 'receipts' back then) books in real life, wouldn't you?. I love how the writer has really tried to find out what these women did for a living, whether they were rich or poor, career women or aristocratic, whether they made any money out of the publication etc., etc., etc. It made me so proud of those knitting pioneers, knitting from this book will be more than just knitting, it will be a historical statement.

And the photography! Such wonderful stately manor gardens, interiors and architecture - it really made me miss the time when I was living in England.

The other great thing is the size of the projects. A lot of rectangles and scarves mean that we're not looking at six months of knitting, like some of the shawls in a gathering of lace - which means you can knit more projects in less time.

There is one little thing that makes my brow furrow a little reading this book. The location is unbelievable, the photography outstanding, the lace is truly gorgeous. But the the models may have been styled by Richard Simmons - ugh - they are typical to me of the knitters review's style - frump in polyester. They look like they may have been borrowed from the love boat wardrobe department. And what's with the daggy fringes and long bobs? It certainly ain't Rowan in this regard, even though they must have taken a cut in the product placement department, so much ksh!

Still, it's not enough to put me off loving so many of these projects, I'll definitely be knitting a lot of these scarves/wraps for next winter.

Looking forward to seeing what we all choose, I'll let you all know further when I make up my mind fully.

Happy selecting!

Great idea!

I received my book last week and can not stop looking through it!. I am a looooong time lace knitter and have many a book :)
What struck me about this book is the beautiful pictures, the lovely patterns and the price! It is almost unbelievable to have this beauty with every single page in color, including the patterns for that kind of money. To whom ever made this possible: Thank you!
I have black Zephyr that is just itching to jump on the needles. The hard part is what do I start with?

Button request

Well I'm imagining that this KAL will take a bit of time to gain momentum as people either buy or order and wait for their books to arrive. However in the meantime does anyone out there have enough tech savvyness to design a really cool KAL button. We would be happy with all submissions so that we can give people a choice.

If you can help us out, email us your creation to victorianlacealong AT gmail DOT com.

Welcome

Hello Lace Knitters!

I hope you're as excited as we are about the new Victorian Lace Today. The patterns are fabulous and the book itself is a work of art. I don't know about you, but there's just something wonderfully classic about lace, yet it is still contemporary enough to have a place in today. As the weather turns cold in the northern hemisphere I love a lace wrap for the office or that special evening out. And a lace scarf is always gorgeous under that winter coat. For those of you living in the south (like Ms Jacqueline), this is the perfect time of year for throwing your favorite lace over your shoulders before heading out to dinner and a movie.

We are imagining this knit along as an ongoing thing where knitters can post for advice or thoughts on patterns and yarn or just share their stunning projects. As with any KAL, it is what all the participants make it. We want this KAL to be something everyone can enjoy so therefore there is no time limit. Start knitting today, next month or next year and finish your project when it suits you. Lace should be savoured and enjoyed.

We're so glad you've decided to join us. Have a great time and good luck choosing your first project (personally, that's going to be the hardest part).