Saturday, February 10, 2007

Boundary Waters Shawl (So I didn't spin the yarn for it. So sue me.)







Since I dyed that Crystal Palace Laceweight Yarn last weekend, I decided to try it out for the Boundary Waters Shawl rather than to try to spin something. True, it's more green than blue, but it's interesting knit up. I have a thing about wanting to do both of the shawls from the pattern book I had been carrying around for so long. I understand these patterns may be re-issued in the Fall of this year so others won't have such a tough time finding them. I didn't pin this section out very tightly as it's on a small circular needle and I didn't want to have to go to a longer cable yet.
I'm half way through the 4th pattern repeat for the Wedding Ring Shawl so Boundary Waters is a nice break for me. I suppose I could work on the Peacock Feathers Shawl but for some reason I'm not really interested in it at the moment. You know how you start a project and just loose interest sometimes? Well this shawl gave me trouble for awhile and I had to pick back 4 rows of work. That's enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth believe me. They were really long rows too. Besides, when I have time I knit on the Flower Basket Shawl and the Shetland Tea Shawl. They are much more satisfying and I can even knit them when I'm not 100% awake and still not screw them up too bad.I know I am breaking my own rule "Never knit when on drugs or stupid." but sometimes you get so bored that you just go ahead and break the rules. What can I say? Bad knitter, no chocolate!
This leads me to a question. One of the persons responding to this blog asked about a easy lace to knit as a beginner. "Anonymous" wanted a suggestion. It's been a long time since I knit something a beginner might consider easy so I was wondering if anyone else has a suggestion they want to post here for possible easy projects? Can anyone suggest their favorite lace-related book a beginner might like to use? It might help this newbie out.
Also see above a picture of the WRS on my Inox needles. One of the things I've disliked about knitting on gossamer weight yarns is the problem of getting the stitches over the transition point between where the cable is connected to the needle. The yarn's tend to get "hung up" at the join. In order to mitigate this problem I've knit looser, I've tested a bunch of different needles and I have decided to keep the yarn bunched up on the needles as much as possible so that as little of the work ends up on the cable as possible. This will work for the center at least. It won't work once I pick up all the way around the center to do the boarder but I will just have to put up with the irritation once I get to that stage.
Also see above a really pretty colorway in "Andrea" by Schaefer Yarn. Same yarn as for the Peacock Feathers Shawl, it's 100% silk, Approx. Wt:3.5 oz/1093 yds. It's from the "Memorable Women" color concept and this one is "Margaet Mead", the famous anthropologist. It says the gauge is 8st/in and they want you to dry clean it. Ha Ha Ha to that. It's going to be a shawl and it will be hand-washed and like it!
I will not buy more yarn before Stitches West, I will not buy more yarn before Stitches west, I will not..... you get the idea.
Until much later! Good Knitting!

18 comments:

Colleen said...

I'm a beginning lace knitter & I just finished the Shoalwater Shawl from Fiber Trends. It's garter stitch & the repeats are easy to get the hang of plus it can be done in 4 different weights of yarn.

Anonymous said...

I am also a beginning lace knitter and I really do admire your lace! I am knitting for two years and my passion is lace. In Germany knitting is often boring and I am living in a kind of a desert of lace knitting ;o) I have noticed that many beginning lace knitter start with the "Kiri" which you can find here: http://www.alltangledup.com/movabletype/my_images/my_patterns/kiri.pdf
Maybe it is helpful for a beginner. I think it might be an easy pattern to start with.
Arlene

fleegle said...

Well, here's a little tip for that annoying crack. Get a small bottle of Gorilla glue. It's water activated, so it will seep into the crack. Excess wipes off before it sets, making an invisible, smooth seal.

Or, you can half-hitch a length of silk in the crack and kill two birds with one stone: add a lifelife automatically and seal up the crack temporarily.

And before you ask, yes, I probably do have unmodified needles somewhere in the house!

And no, there is zero chance of either an afghan or a sampler afghan. I don't knit knitted afghans. My toes poke through and they are too heavy to lift.

The knitting is stunning, as always! I sigh in envy.

Lacefreak said...

Dear coleen,

Thank you for suggesting a good starter lace shawl. I didn't even think about the fact that one that gives instructions for different weights of yarn would be helpful for a person new to lace. I looked at your finished shawl on your site and it's really really pretty!

Lacefreak said...

Dear arlene,

You poor thing! A lace knitting dessert is about the worst thing I can think of! You must surf and shop the internet alot for lace yarn and patterns. I'm happy if my site gives you a little something to look at and keep connected to those of us who love to knit lace. Thank you for suggesting the Kiri shawl. It looks like a good starter lace shawl and has the virtues of being a free pattern, impressive when done even if it is simple, not so boring to knit because you have to pay attention to the decreases! Great suggestion!

Lacefreak said...

Dear fleegle,

Some day your family will inhert a lovely box of knit samples and they will say, "What the F***?" Ok, so no knit afgan sampler. You are correct, very heavy and hard to wash too.

As for altering the needles, I think there may be a sacrificial pair lying around the house. No lifelines for me. Tried it, hated it, too old a dog to be taught a new trick. However, for everyone else out there a lifeline may be a good option and save alot of sanity. Mine was lost long ago I fear :-)

I'm glad you enjoy looking at the lace. I may complain about knitting it at times and I may be very slow, but it's still fun to make and fun to share the results.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jane,
thanks for answering me. I would be glad if I you will allow me placing a link in my blog to your website. Sorry for my poor english. You do a great job in lace knitting! I have also knitted the Shetland Tea and it's been a great fun. Huuuhhh...so many patterns and so less time!

Opal said...

Boundary Waters is looking lovely. As for beginner lace, I think the Flower Basket and, as one other readers suggested, the Kiri would work out great. Also I hear that the Leaf Lace Shawl is another great beginner lace pattern.

Anonymous said...

ooh--look at all the lovely pictures on your blog today! :) Your WRS looks so soft and fluffy delicate...

Are you using Inox needles? I've never been able to knit loosely enough to make those joins bearable. Maybe I just need to relax a bit. :)

Arachnera said...

My first shawl is (it is in progress) the Snowdrop Shawl. Admittedly, you need to be able to read charts, and the instructions... They're not bad, you just need to be able to figure things out.

Lacefreak said...

Dear arlene,

Please feel free to link my blog if you want to. Glad you think it's worth sharing!

Lacefreak said...

Dear Opal,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to put suggested patterns for those new to lace in the side-bar! Boundary Waters will just get bigger and bigger and take forever to go all the way around, just like Mountain Pines. I don't think it will be as big a shawl though.

Lacefreak said...

Dear Alice,

Yes, I'm using Inox. It's weird. I tried a heck of alot of needles and ended up with the one suggested on Sharon Millers Heirloom Knitting site by accident. The stitches stay on pretty well and I have learned to knit looser to make it easier to get the stitches to slide. Still a pain in the "you know what" however. I'm glad you enjoy the pictures. I'm not the best photographer but at least it shows some progress :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear Arachnera,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm putting it in the sidebar for people who want suggestions in the future!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the suggestions on beginning lace projects. Now I have somewhere to start.

Lacefreak said...

Dear anonymous,

I hope you have fun knitting a little lace! I'm doing the Flower Basket Shawl right now and as long as you use stitch markers between the repeats and move them on the next row, it's really pretty easy.

Good Luck and Good Knitting!

Anonymous said...

What?!? All that time you were telling me "never knit when on drugs or stupid," you weren't following your own advice? :-) By the way, water can be green too. So it's all good.

I don't know how you do it with so many projects going on! Boundary Waters Shawl is quite lovely. The color fits! WRS just looks so incredible and scary!

I finished Lotus Blossom yesterday. I'll be taking pictures and blocking tomorrow. I'd suggest that pattern for a first-timer. :-)

Now that my mind is clear, I wonder what to do next? I got the sweater to do. Am thinking of doing a hat. Just have to find a lace pattern to add to the list. Gotta use the stash, you know. :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear jason,

You never heard the phrase, "Do as I say, not as I do."? I went ahead and broke my own rule, but it was on yarn that, if I screwed it up, I could actually see to fix it in the next row, and belive me, there was some of that going on. I did it anyway because I'm like a little kid who is bored bored bored bored bored when sick. I still don't suggest people new to lace do it because they may not be able to fix it in the next row like I do. I looked at your lovely shawl on your blog and I think it's stunning. Just beautifl! As for the next project, I think it's time for you to surf the net for inspiration or spread out your pattern collection! Happy Knitting and I'm glad you are feeling better!