Small Knitted Doily

I've had this done for some time now, and just got around to blocking it. It's Flacon , a small doily found on Yarnover.net. It was a simple knit, about 3 hours. I can't remember if I used 0s or 1s, it's stretched quite tightly to get it out to 7".

Knit Mandala - Mindful Knit

I've been on Ravelry since November and have been reading lots of posts, but not contributing at all. I found an interesting group, Into The Labyrknit, and have started to knit-along with their first Mindful Knit, a knit mandala.

I've just finished Round 25, and should have 182 sts. I am knitting with #30 Cebelia on #1 needles, and just managed to switch over to my 16" circular needle. It's a bit tight, and I hope it will ease up enough to let me slide my stitches without interruption.

This is my third start, and I think I will keep this one. I started with #2s and it was too sloppy, plus the color wasn't right. My next attempt was on 1s, and went much better, but I had trouble with the yo, ssk combination and kept losing stitches. This attempt I used yo, sl1, k1, psso, and my stitch counts are good.

I'm not sure if there is a visual difference between skpsso and ssk, I can't see it on this project. I can see a size difference in my yos, and I'm not sure that will block out. This last increase round I gave a little tug to my knit stitch before I psso, and perhaps that will even things up a bit.

Oh, and by the way, the little blue belly-button is how I start my knitting in the round. I cast on 4 stitches, knit about an inch of I-cord. After I double my stitches to 8, I change thread and start knitting the pattern. I'll cut it off and unravel it later, and use the long tail I left at the beginning to secure the first 8 stitches.

Christmas Knitting Loot!

Knitting loot! I know I've raised my children right when they indulge me with gifts of yarn! Sock yarn at that!
The kids' gift to me is a sock yarn sampler from Knit Picks, Neutral Colors. I am in love with all the yarn, and will locate my #0 needles later today so I can start a pair this evening.
The sampler has yarn for 6 pairs of socks, plus a skein of Tofutsies that Diametrag added to the package.
I am torn between the self-striping Felici Pebble, and Essential Flint Tweed. I like the little flecks of colors in the blue/gray, but the brown self striping is so pretty!
J ordered two books for me, Vogue's Ultimate Sock Book and A Gathering of Lace. I've looked over GOL in the bookstore, but never bought it. I love this book, the pictures are luscious! I especially like Frost Flowers & Leaves. That is now on my Maybe-Someday List.
Thanks, Family, for indulging my knitting addiction! When I'm done cleaning, nothing will stop me from casting on socks for ME, ME, ME!

Generations Purse from Knit Picks

I received a catalog from Knit Picks last week, but didn't settle in to read it until this weekend. I knew there was a lot of information about lace knitting, and I enjoyed looking at the shawls.

Then I found the pattern for the Generations Purse, and I couldn't help myself, I had to knit it! I used #10 crochet cotton and #1 dpns; my bag is 4 1/2"W x 6"L. I think this will be perfect for a ball of thread and tatting shuttle. I haven't blocked my bag, I put a colored card inside to give it a bit of shape and show off the pattern.

Of course I had to tweak the pattern just a bit. I am seriously challenged when it comes to sewing seams, so I was determined to make this project seamless. I cast on 76 stitches and did 2 rounds of double knitting to create an open tube, as described on Alwen's blog. It was a bit tricky to switch to dpns and establish the lace pattern. At first I kept the 38 sts in the lace pattern on 1 dpn, and used 2 additional dpns with 19 sts each. After I got tired of struggling with 4 dpns, I determined where to divide the lace panel so I could knit with 5 dpns. (sts 10 - 28 on one dpn, 19 sts on the others)

I'm not sure if my eyelets at the top line up as the pattern intended. I would have had to make some adjustments for knitting in the round, but I was watching tv and finished the first eyelet round before I realized there was a problem. It was late, I was cranky, and who cares about eyelets, anyway!

My only problem was with row 9 of the chart. Row 9 has a double decrease symbol, but the legend to the right says this: "slip 2 knitwise, k2, pass 2 slipped stitches over." I went to the Knit Picks site and downloaded the pattern here. This version has written directions along with the chart, and Row 9 says "slip 2 sts knitwise, k1, psso". However, the legend on the chart is also incorrect. I did neither, I slipped 1 stitch, k2tog, psso. I freely admit mine doesn't look as nice as theirs, and if I ever do it again, I'll slip 2, k1, psso.

I think I'd like to knit this one again, eventually. I'd like to conquer that annoying decrease in Row 9, and align the eyelets properly. But most of all, I'd like to knit it in a darker color. Ecru isn't real practical for a bag that is intended to carry a tatting project. I would like to find a dark rose, or perhaps a sky blue to make this really practical. I wonder if I could use 2 strands of #30 Cebelia? hmmmm. Maybe I'll try that later.

SamplerM is done!

February has been a pretty good month for knitting. I have two finished projects now. SamplerM is done - 28 lace patterns! I haven't bound off because I am considering sampling more lace, garter patterns this time. I am using #10 crochet cotton, so it might not be a true reflection of what I would get in a lace-weight shawl. If I need my needles, I'll bind off then. For now, I'm content to let it sit awhile.
I'm always surprised when people ask me 'What will you do with the Sampler?' I will probably put the patterns and sampler in a drawer or a box. I knitted the sampler to expand my knitting skills, not to create a tangible knitted object. I will probably refer to it for inspiration when I am trying to select a knitted lace pattern for a shawl or other lacy project.

Blocking the KISS Pi Shawl

I blocked my KISS Pi Shawl this morning. I pinned it out on our bed, I was afraid of leaving pins in the carpet. I decided the easiest way to block it was to fold it in half. I stretched it out to 31" from center to point. I don't need it any bigger, even in my teens I never was 5 foot tall.

The blocking went okay, but it isn't as even as I'd like. It's not a lot of work, I can always try to improve the shape if it's obviously lopsided.

The second picture is fairly accurate for color, and I like to see the patterns all together. It's not an elaborate shawl, but darn it, it's DONE! The yarn is not sitting in my stash, waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect pattern, the perfect time.

I'm sure you have noticed the green gingham fabric. My SIL made curtains for her first nursery, and passed them on when I had my children. I didn't hang them for long, but have used them twice now for blocking shawls. It was especially handy to block my daughter's wedding stole. When I blocked Diametrag's shawl, I considered sewing the curtains together to fit her rectangular stole. I decided against it, and now I was able to use the gingham for my shawl.


Details for the knitters: KnitPicks Shadow, lace weight yarn, color Oregon Coast, 4 skeins, not much left, size 5 needles, Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi Shawl with lacy patterns selected with simplicity in mind, blocked to 31" radius.

Would I knit another? You bet! In fact, I am seriously considering knitting a similar one for my Mom in Texas. I would give her this one, but I know she would dislike the brown. A lot. I am also thinking of another shawl for me, maybe not a Pi, but a shawl based on garter lace, so there is not the problem of right side/wrong side. I would like it lacier and a vibrant dark color. I feel some pattern hunting and swatching coming over me. Must clean house, must wash dishes......augh!

KISS Me Again, I'm Done!

I finished this afternoon, and this shows how much yarn I had left in the skein. That's a good estimate, as far as I'm concerned. I swatched, ripped and measured the yardage before I started knitting on my edge. It was time well spent and I will gladly do it again.


My husband took this picture, I'm all twisted around because I'm terribly camera shy. Of course the shawl isn't blocked, you can see it isn't laying flat, but I'm so excited that it's done!

Still working on the KISS Pi Shawl

Alwen inspires me with pictures of her half-Pi shawl. She's almost done, and I know how good that feels! I spread out my KISS Pi shawl this morning. I've finished the 30th repeat of my edging, and have only 6 more to go. I'm excited to think I could be done in a week.

I remembered to take a picture with a yardstick, and I'm delighted to see my shawl measures 28" from the center to the edge. It's not the biggest shawl, but it should be big enough for me.

I weighed my skein, and have about 10 grams left. I should make it to the end of my edging without any problems. Whew. I am very pleased with the way the lace patterns look together, and wouldn't hesitate to do another. I might use a size 6 needle instead of size 5, just to open it up a bit.

KISS Me! I'm 2/3 done!

I'm just starting the 24th repeat, and with 36 to go, that makes me 2/3 done! While the puppy napped, I spread the shawl out on the floor, and snapped this picture. I wanted to see how my patterns looked all together. I forgot to measure it while it was spread out, but unblocked, the shawl measures 28" from the center to the point of the edge. I've got 3 other projects calling my name, socks, a bobbin lace bookmark, and another circular blanket/afghan.

Edging for my KISS PI Shawl

I finally settled on an edging for my KISS PI shawl. I think this picture shows the subtle variegation in this yarn. This is not the simplest edging I could find, but it is the one I liked. As you can see, I have finished 2 repeats. I check my chart and make a tally mark for each row so I know where I am. Perhaps after another 15 or 20 repeats I'll be able to leave the chart behind. With our new puppy in the house, I can only knit a few rows at a time, so it may be quite awhile before I get into the rhythmn of this edging. I really wanted to have it done by now, but I just can't set aside the same amount of knitting time as I used to.