Half Curved Shawl frogged

I was this close to finishing the main body of Half Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging with shy of 3 repeats of chart A. I had to rip it off because my cat jumped on me on a WRONG TIME. I lost sts at the end about 10-15sts. Couldn't take the frustration, so decided to frog it all.



But now at the 2 repeats of chart A. I must say, it's going a lot easier because I kind of memorized the st pattern.

Fir Cone Border Scarf

I'm knitting the scarf with fir cone border on page 96. I'm having trouble with Chart A, row 3. I end up with an extra stitch at the end of the row. I've ripped and restarted this border at least fours times with the same result. I've modified the pattern by making the first stitch a k2tog which evens out the stitch count but leaves a slight difference at this spot on the edge.

Did anyone else have trouble with this chart? If so, how did you resolve it?

Also, my chart legend shows the edge stitches with the shading reversed. RS stitches are shaded in the chart but not on the legend. WS stitches are not shaded in the chart but are on the legend. I've choosen to ignore the shading and to work the stitch as instructed.

I haven't seen any errata for this particular pattern. Has anyone else?

Scarf, p.80, finished

I finished and blocked the Scarf from page 80 at last, see way back when. I knitted it in this beautiful alpaca (with a little bit of nylon because it's intended as sock yarn) that I got from Fyberspates' sock club. It's a mélange of blues and pinks with a little bit of purple, which the camera can't quite rise to, even when you click.

I had been going to make it quite long, but as it progressed I decided that it wouldn't do justice to the pattern, so I've made it so that it can be crossed or tied after going round the neck once, which shows off the ends better. I think I'll give it to my niece; it's her colours and I don't really 'need' a scarf myself. I have scarves the way some women have shoes.

I'm not one of nature's lace knitters. Or at least, not yet. I found the pattern for the middle a bit dull to do rather than rhythmical, and I think it's not helped by the fact that it's in garter stitch. On the other hand, it took me three goes to do the second end (which is done as a border) because I was too lazy to look up the technique and kept trying to work it out for myself. I still like the idea of doing more from VLT which is a fascinating book, but I should choose more carefully next time.

Melon in a heavier weight

I had to share my progress on Melon. I using Knitpick's Elegance for a more substantial wrap. It has taken me a while to really enjoy this pattern, but I believe I'm a changed woman. Simple enough for tv. Not so simple that it's tossed aside. The perfect pattern! More details on the blog, of course! I'll post better pictures once the sun breaks.
-Lola

HEEEELP!

I've been meaning to post for a while about my finished Victorian Ruby, but a catastrophe has nudged me to cry for help.

When I was blocking my Alpine Lace last night, I discovered some holes. Not dropped stitches ... I'm quite happy rescuing those. Not a broken thread ... that's doable. But a plurality of broken threads. My best guess is that gentle squeezing did it in.

There are 5 or 6 holes, scattered throughout the shawl. Can anyone offer advice as to fixing/not fixing, method of fixing? Potential repairs are complicated by the fact that the yarn is gently shaded from blue to purple over hundreds of yards.

Then there's my finished Victorian Ruby, with Kid Silk Haze in a pewter-y color. It doesn't have any recalcitrant holes.

Scarf w/French Trellis Border

Scarf w/French Trellis Border
Yarn: Knit Picks' Alpaca Cloud in Horizon Heather (pale blue)
Blocked size: 15 1/2 inches by 57 1/2 inches

I'm quite happy with the results which is good since I made this one for myself [wink]. It really didn't take all that long......I wasn't in that big of a hurry to finish it and took time out for reading and viewing the Harry Potters. The only issue I really had was the center section, which is my favorite part. But I had to concentrate to keep from dropping yo's for some odd reason. All in all, I love this scarf....but then again, it's VLT...what's not to love about it. And, I know you are shocked by the mere fact that it's not red, pink or fuschia....I actually can knit in another color. HA!

Another red scarf with No. 20 border

I finally finished my scarf. It needed to sit and mature for about six months before doing the second half. Then it only took two weeks to finish. The yarn is Misti Alpaca Lace. More details are on my blog.

Thank you, Jacqueline and Stephanie, for the fun knit-along!

Finally got off from CO

Curved Shawl w/ Diamond Edging

I'm knitting this Curved Shawl with Diamond Edge using JaggerSpun Zephyr Silk/Wool in violet color for about 3 days now. I couldn't got off from the CO at all. The pattern called for loop CO and using size 3 (3.25mm). After ripping off so many times, I sized down to US 2 (2.75mm) and still used the same CO, it was a success. I'm now on 1st 12-row repeat plus 6 rows. Yay. I find 2.75mm needle is easier for me to manage the sts.

Watermelon

WIP: Another melon shawl, this time in Malabrigo laceweight.

Knitting Through the Looking Glass: Alpine Knit Scarf

Knitting Through the Looking Glass: Alpine Knit Scarf

Gorgeous Pamela!

Alpine Knit Scarf

Here is the finished 'Alpine Knit Scarf' I knit for my ISE4 pal, photographed relaxing on a bench in the Sydney sunshine...


And up close, to show some of the lace pattern detail a little better...


And finally, a close up look at the diamond patterned ends...


Project Details:

'Alpine Knit Scarf' - from Jane Sowerby's 'Victorian Lace Today'
Approximately 5 and 2/3 balls of ONline Linie 164 'Java' in shade #05
KnitPicks Classic 3.0mm circular needles
Cast on 103 stitches instead of the original 121, and worked three double rose leaf patterns across the centre panel instead of the original four
Total number of repeats of double rose leaf pattern in centre panel: 58

I am beyond happy at the way this scarf turned out, as the final drape of the lacy, knitted fabric in this yarn once it was blocked was incredible and by far exceeded all of the expectations I had when I first started the project.The scarf turned out so well that Michael (my husband) still can't believe I gave this scarf away, but I knit it for someone who has had bad experiences with swaps in the past so I'm glad I was able to send her something to help restore her faith in people.

And of course I can always knit another one for myself, as for once I've had the foresight to buy enough extra yarn to do just that -- I always knew giving this scarf away when the time came would be difficult.

As you can see...


... I've already cast on and worked the first diamond pattern repeat of the second scarf, mostly as an encouragement to myself to work on it from time to time between other projects.

For anyone who is interested in more details on the 'Alpine Knit Scarf' I knit for for my ISE4, and some of the (mis-)adventures I had knitting it, they can be found here.

Alpine Lace Scarf - finished!

Helen's Lace in the Purple Iris colorway, knit on size 4 Addi lace needles. I added a few extra repeats of the rose leaf center; the blocked shawl is 21" by 74".

I really enjoyed this project. It's challenging at first, but not at all difficult, and keeping track of two patterns made it interesting to the end.

It was a good exercise in blocking too. I tried threading waste yarn through the long sides of the border, which helped make the edge straight. Watching the pattern open up was a thrill.

This is a birthday gift for my sister. I can't wait to give it to her!

Scarf w/French Trellis Border

I'm not one to actually have a lot of projects on the needle. Two to three is the norm for me, but with the completion of my last two projects I actually found myself without anything on the needle, as it were. I mean, come on....my duty as a knitter is to immediately find something and get it started. It didn't take long, all I had to do was open up my Victorian Lace Today. What's not to love about this book. It didn't take me long, since I have my 'must-do' items marked by a post-it note. Next up: Scarf w/French Trellis border...page 98. This is something that caught my eye from the beginning, but I wanted this one for myself so I moved it behind some other projects. So far, it's by the book, the only thing I might change would be the length, we'll see. The yarn, is Knit Picks' Alpaca Cloud - in Horizon....it's a pale blue in case you can't tell.
I will share the little helper that I've used before. See that yarn holder in the upper left corner...here it is up close....

You recognize that don't you?? Yep, it's a CD holder....it's keeps the skein from rolling all over my lap. It's perfect for lace weight yarn....for heavier yarn, you might put the top back on with a hole cut in the top for the yarn to feed out of.

Victorian Ruby, er, Blue

I finally managed to log in and post. I finished this one in early June. This is the Victorian Ruby that I did in a smokey blue. I followed the book exactly (I think) using Kid Silk Haze. The only change was the color. This was a gift for my son's music teacher. She is taking a year to teach music in China so this was for her to remember us and perhaps to keep her warm in the winter.

Curved Shawl Started

I've started on the "Curved Shawl" from Victorian Lace Today, using the Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb used in the book, but I'm knitting with US2 needles instead of US3 since I knit loosely and don't want to run out of yarn. Sheesh, it's like knitting with thread. In fact, I used quilting thread as lifelines. But the yarn is amazingly stretchy and elastic. I'm hoping that it will be the perfect complement for a cute little red-and-white silk dress I bought recently.

The first few rows were really hard for me - I wasn't used to working with such a super-fine yarn, and with the loop cast-on, it was pretty sloppy at first. And of course, I couldn't tell if I was making any mistakes since the pattern wasn't established yet. But once I had a few repeats done, and a couple of inches of fabric on the needles, it got much better. The lace pattern isn't too difficult once you get into it, and now I can at least read the lace enough to usually notice pretty quickly if I've made any mistakes.

It doesn't look like much "at rest", but when stretched out, you can really get a good idea of what the lace will look like when blocked.

Progress, at last

I finally cast on something from this lovely book, but it wasn't the intended first project. I needed something to do on the plane to London and planned on knitting another Clapotis, but it wasn't to be. Instead, I cast on the trellis shawl (page 62, I think) using Cider Moon's Icicle in Pandora's Rose. Not sure if I like the variegated yarn with the pattern, but so far it is a very simple project and I am about a third of the way done. There's more info about in on out blog.



Next up (after finishing my Sockapalooza socks) will be the melon shawl in Habu Textible's Cashmere. If I don't start it soon, Lola might kill me.

Ava

Here she is..........

Here she is, Scarf with #20 Edging. I'm happy with the results all in all. It was knitted differently that what I've previously done and it wasn't bad at all. With each pattern that I do from this book I seem to learn something new and I think that's pretty cool.
In my rush to leave the house this morning, after I unpinned the scarf to make pictures, I forgot to measure the thing. Sorry! The yarn is Misti Alpaca and it took about a skein and a half.Now, I'll be honest with you.....there's a booboo with this scarf. Totally my fault or rather, my mis-interpretation of the pattern. I did not realize what I had done until about half way through the second edging. You know, I'm not even going to tell you what I did, because I figure, if you don't notice, I'm not telling...[wink]

The end is in site..........

All that's left is to finish the picot edging and block, so stay tuned......

Back for another scarf.....

While I've been off doing other knits, I was determined to come back for another knit from VLT. This one will be my 4th from the book and the 3rd one to be a Christmas present. I've choosen the Scarf with No. 20 Edging this time.

This one is in Misti Alpaca and as you can see, Red. Although, my camera does not do this color justice. I did several read throughs of the pattern before I started to be sure I totally understood the concept of the knitting since this one too is a bit different. However, it's an easy knit so far. I'm on the 12th repeat of the first edging and I just started this past weekend with limited times for knitting. [keeping my fingers crossed]

Agneta: A Handsome Triangle

Here comes a Photo of my A Handsome Triangle. I'm really pleased with it but the picture doesn't make it justice. The yarn is Babyalpaca from Stäket.

I've also started on The shoulder Shawl in Syrian pattern with yarn from Ullcentrum, colour Karamello

Handsome Triangle is done

Handsome Triangle is done (finally) and blocked (took forever to dry--all day! LOL), and though I got bored knitting it, I love the results.

There are more pictures--lots more!--on my blog.

Finally blocked!

This is the "Scarf with Fir Cone Lace" and it has been completed for some time but not blocked. Blocking it took a discussion with my husband as to whether the water would damage our dining room table (it didn't, especially with the heavy blanket I used under it) and worst of all, time and patience to poke all those needles in place. In the end, it worked out fine, though I did run out of both time and patience during blocking. Has anyone tried the needle and thread method mentioned in "A Gathering of Lace?" I envy not only the knitting on this blog but the ability to do expert blocking. I have a more detailed photo on my blog, merrypurl.com.

Finally getting close to finishing

I ran out of yarn and I had to spin some more. But I'm finally getting close to finishing my first lace project (and would have done it if we weren't watching the "Good German" last night). Also spinning for the next project. I'm making sure that I spin plenty this time! ;-) Photo of next yarn can be found on my blog: http://merrypurl.com/page1/page1.html

2 new projects

Here is my new project from this book. It is a drop stitch scarf. I wanted the edging longer so I repeated the edging pattern.
Here you can see the transition from the border to the main piece. With the verigated yarn (from Knitpicks) , the stripes run different directions.

Here are two closeups of the border pattern and how I increased it.







This is the leaf trellis scarf.
I wanted it wider so I repeated the leaf trellis main part one more time. The yarn in this one is Zepher.

Home Stretch

I am finally closing in on the home stretch of my Cherry Leaf shawl. After many false starts with different edgings (I did not like the one pictured in the book), I read online that the pictured edging was not the same edging written into the pattern. So, rip, rip, rip again... and I finally decided to do the edging as written. I would like to finish the shawl over the holiday weekend, but I probably will not have enough spare moments to finish it before the end of the week.

-Heather

First finished project

Here is my first finished project from this book. It is the Spider's-web shawl. I used kidsilk haze and increased the repeats till I ran out of yarn. I did the 1/2 hexagon version. I love the shape of it.




I added beads to the bottom of it because it was so light. I thought they would help keep the bottom down.


I have not yet blocked it so it is going to be large.






Here is a close up of the pattern. You can see the transition from one pattern to another.




Now onto my next project
Happy knitting.....................Colette in MB

Ready to start!

I am ready to start working on a shawl from the book, maybe I will start the lace rectrangle. I have two skeins of sea silk (will have to pick up more) and I think this will work great with this pattern.

However, I don't think I understand how to work the borders. I have Sharon Miller's Heirloom Knitting and I still can't figured it out. Is there someplace on the web, or a book that shows clear instructions on how to knit a border?

Thanks,

Carol

The Victoria Shawl

.... is finally finished. I'd planned to get this done in time for Easter but failed and put it away for a while. Dug it out again on Monday to finish half the border. A disaster struck. I ran out of yarn on the last short side. Long story short - I used a similar coloured yarn adn over dyed it and this is the final result:

More pics including pics of how it was before over dyeing on my blog. Also got lots of yarn candy photos posted today on my blog so check it out and get ready to drool. The shawl btw is for my Mum and we're off to Norway on Sunday. I hope she likes it.

Yet Another Scarf, page 80

When I first looked at Victorian Lace Today, I thought I was mostly interested in it for the history and that I was unlikely to get round to knitting anything from it, but I have seen so many scarves here from the pattern on page 80 and I thought they all looked lovely - nicer than the one in the book, I have to say.

I got a lovely skein of Alpaca (with a little bit of nylon) from Fyberspates' Sock Club, and as soon as I saw it I knew I couldn't possibly hide it inside my shoes, so I used that. The pattern is so simple that I feel as if I'm cheating. I've done about 25 inches, but I was getting a bit glum because it looked, as one might expect at this stage, really tatty. I could see people looking sorry for me when they saw it, because they thought, 'Poor thing, she's working so hard on that awful-looking rag.' So this morning I blocked what I've done so far and I'm much happier.

The photos don't show the full beauty of the yarn, which has flashes of purple and lavender.

When I block it again after finishing it, I think I'll do it a bit more severely, but I'm pleased with the points which are sharper than I expected to get in alpaca. I now don't mind working to the other end, although I am slightly apprehensive about guessing how much yarn I need to have left over to do the points at the other end. Any tips?

Alpine Lace Scarf

This project had a rocky start, with much drama and cursing and frogging. But after the 3rd or 4th time I ripped everything back, I finally reached The Moment: you know that instant when everything clicks, and the pattern knowledge begins to shift from your head to your hands? Now I’m enjoying it very much. The two patterns, border and center panel, require enough concentration to keep me un-bored but not so much that I miss my subway stop, and the repeats are fairly short which makes for a lively knitting rhythm.

I’m using Helen’s Lace, one of my favorite yarns. It has a slight sheen and a delightfully soft/crisp texture. I’m also thrilled with several new toys:

Addi Lace needles: Wonderful! Good points, seamless join, enough “grab” to keep stitches from sliding off.

Tiny stitch markers from Debra’s Garden are ideal for lace. Love ‘em, and Debra is a pleasure to deal with.

Knitting tote: The small Knowknits bag is sturdy and easy to stash in a handbag.



Mini crochet hook: Loose crochet hooks fall out and get lost. I discovered this cute little guy (one of three in a set) at Halcyon Yarn (scroll down). It’s nice to have it right there when I need to fix a mistake.

To keep the pattern close at hand, I print it on photo paper (both sides, so I don’t have to twist it) and hang it from the Knowknits strap. Yes, I’m a dork.

Scarf (page 80)

Scarf
page 80
yarn: KnitPicks Shadow Oregon Coast
needle: KP 24in size 3, and crochet hook G

This scarf was really fun to make. The pattern was not hard to memorize, and it's so compact to bring this project anywhere.

rahardjo-knits