Slave to Edging (Border for Sampler Stole Done)

Three blog posts in a row. Why you ask?

I'm going to be knitting edging for awhile. Edging for Boundary Waters, Edging for Sampler Stole and if I'm not careful, I will end up finishing Legends of the Shetland Seas just as I finish the edging for these two and then I will have to do that as well. Finishing off work is obviously one of those things that is the hardest for me to do. Still, I will not start anything new until the edges are done so it gives me incentive. I have several projects I want/need to start so enjoy these posts because it will be awhile before you will hear from me as I slave away on the edgings. Hence three blog posts in a row. I didn't want to leave you without giving you something to tide you over :-) Much Later!

Sampler Stole & Legends of the Shetland Seas (Progress of a Sort)

Though I have not touched my Wedding Ring Shawl of late (I just sit at my computer and admire missalicefaye's shawl instead) I have not been totally idle. I have been doing some spinning but have stopped for the time being so I will have more time to knit. Since some madness seized me and I joined the "Spun Stitches" spin/knit along, I have started yet another stole. But these stoles go quickly as you can see from the progress on the "Sampler Stole" by Hazel Carter. At the top of the page you can see the first repeat of "Legends of the Shetland Seas". Yet another stole by Hazel Carter. I am knitting the Legend Stole out of hand spun yarn I made from Lisa Souza fibers. I plied BFL with Merino in the "Petroglyph" colorway and got a yarn that ended up being 36 WPI. I'm using US 2 needles to knit it and the colors are very earthy and quite subtle. I did not skein the yarn but wound it straight from the bobbin with a ball winder. I put a toilet paper roll that I had cut down to fit over the core of the ball winder so that my yarn will not get all messed up as I use it. If I left the ball alone, it would eventually block the yarn, but I don't have that much over twist in my plied yarn so it's not difficult to knit with and the stole will have to be blocked anyway so what the heck! As for the "Sampler Stole' I have completed the 162 row border and will now pick up the reserved stitches at the other end and do it all over again. It goes very quickly and I really want to get this done so I can give it to Yarn Place and then focus on my other shawls. I feel a little guilty about not working more on the WRS but I still hope to work more on it this weekend. I hope everyone out there is having fun knitting. I know I am. Have a Good Evening!

Samper Stole (row 55 of border)

Still Knitting on the Sampler Stole. I'm up to row 55 of the border and there are 162 rows in all . I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but I find the odd dropped stitch from time to time even though I tug on my lace periodically as I knit to try to catch them early on. It happened on my WRS center and it happened with this one too. You can see it in the top shot at the bottom of the picture. It's the third diamond counting from left to right. I have picked it up and will just have to"tie" it in place and hide the ends. No way am I going to rip back to that point! Once again, not perfect but not too bad. Does anyone out there have any experience with trying to starch Shetland Lace? Sharon Miller had described doing it but if you store the lace, you have to wash it out and re-block it since you don't want the buggies to be attracted to the starch. As if the wool itself was not already an enticing little snack for moths. A word to the wise. If you Xerox /enlarge a chart from a book like I did, don't forget to check for color-coded changes in the chart symbol instructions. This pattern had several and I didn't transcribe them to my copy so I had to pick back a few rows when I realized that my stitch count was off. I should have looked more closely a the "legend" that explains the stitch symbols. In some rows, the symbol for Sl1,K2tog,psso was supposed to be K2tog at the beginning of the repeat so the stitch count would come out correctly. I guess knitting lace is always a learning experience :-) I added a shot of the un-pinned stole center so you can more easily see the color shifting of the yarn. What exactly is it about variegated yarn that has me hooked so bad? After all. Lace shows to better advantage when your eye is not distracted by shifting colors, or so it is commonly believed. Yet I still like those color changes. Guess only time will tell if I am disappointed in the results. Until then, I'm enjoying the knitting. Good Evening to all!

Sampler Stole and Spinning Lace Weight (Who says they aren't cardiovascular exercise?)

I have decided that, as long as the spinning is to produce lace weight yarn, I am allowed to show it in this blog. See one bobbin that contains 4 ounces of Merino from Lisa Souza. I'm now spinning 4 ounces in the same colorway "Petroglyph" but in BFL and the color is different in this fiber. The BFL is not as soft, but very sturdy. Once I fill another bobbin, I will ply the two into a sample. If I hate it, I will order more merino. If you check out Opals blog you can look at her very pretty and very nicely spun lace weight yarn. I really enjoy knitting with yarn I spun. I can be reasonably sure that I won't see the exact same shawl on anyone else and the lace makes great gifts for family and friends.

I have finished the 7 pattern repeats for the center of the Sampler Shawl (7 repeats & rows 1-12 of a 46 row chart). I'm now working on an end border. It's 162 rows for one end and then I get to go back and do it again for the opposite side. The yarn is pretty if you like variegated yarn. If you hate that kind of yarn, then you will bemoan the color shifting. I think this particular ball of yarn is pretty but I don't take great pictures so the colors are actually a little darker in real-life than what you are seeing. The green ball of yarn that you see was sent to me by Lynn Lam of Yarn Place because I'm making the Sampler Stole for her shop. I thought this was very nice of her since I was not expecting it. I'm happy to make the stole for them since they have stocked so much yarn that I can actually use in one place :-) I just hope I do a good job on it so I won't be embarrassed to see it up in the shop! This yarn is apparently very much like "Lacy Lamb" (I don't have any Lacy Lamb in my stash) for those who are familiar with that yarn. I'm looking at the Victorian Lace book to see if there is something in there that would suite this yarn. Pretty color! Still working on Boundary Waters Shawl but won't post it until I'm done with the border and can start the edging. Good Evening All.

But I Digress... (Sampler Stole by Hazel Cater in"Graceful")

The ladies at Yarn Place asked if I would knit them something for the shop so I pulled out a ball of "Graceful" (color F03623 Summer) and I'm doing a relatively quick knit of Hazel Carters Sampler Stole from "A Gathering of Lace" using 2.5 mm Inox. Never fear however. I am also knitting on Boundary Waters because it's the closest to being finished so I can try out the shawl/lace blocking frame my brother made for me. I stretched this rather hard for these shots so I doubt it will actually block to this look unless I decide to try a "steam" block. Another variegated yarn, but the color changes are gradual and this colorway does not have radical shifts in color so it's quite pretty. I knocked off a row of WRS and was overcome by just how much smaller that yarn is than the Graceful. I have got to be insane.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone out there for responding to my anxiety over trying to alter the border for Spider Mutant. Somehow my brain went on vacation and I could not figure out how to proceed. No doubt guilt for having altered the pattern at all, classic that it is. I think I have a pattern for the border worked out and will take some quiet time to double check my stitch counts before starting. I will post and I will want everyone to be honest and let me know if this turns out to be a "reeker" as my friend Louise puts it. IE a really bad border. I hope not but sometimes things don't go as planned. Thanks again for the help!

I must go and read a book now because my hands want a rest. Good Evening and Good Knitting to everyone.