Lace Lust!

It has been a while since I talked about knitting on here other than just in passing. I started this blog expecting it to be a knitting only blog because that was really all that was going on in my life at the time. Life sure has changed a lot in the past year. Well, I am dedicating this post to knitting only. I recently completed my first lace project. I have always found a lot of lace shawls and scarves really beautiful but I was so intimidated by the charts. I think the charts scared me because you read them from right to left which is not how we are used to reading things. I guess though when you are holding you needle up in front of your chart your are reading in the direction that you are knitting. The chart for the pattern that I was working was pretty simple and I did write it out just to ensure that I wouldn't mess it up too much. So here is a crappy cell phone picture because I forgot to pull out the camera while it was blocking.

I am really proud of it and it was such a fun knit. For any knitters out there who might be reading along you can find the pattern for this shawl the anti-craft blog. I have also finished another small project recently, but I am unable to share because it will be going into a swap package as well. I feel like I have so much knitting to do, but I am kind of uninspired by anything lately and when I am inspired I just don't have the materials available on hand or the time. I think in the new year I will be taking a break from swapping and focusing on knitting and spinning for myself and loved ones. While I truly do enjoy swapping it has just become very time consuming and overwhelming. It will certainly be hard to stay away. I still need to finish my Gail which was going so well and then just crashed and burned. I think I will frog the whole thing and start over. I also need to find a size 1 dpn to finish Walt's socks that are so overdue. I have some yarn I need to finish for a swap package. Hopefully, there will be lots of photos of finished objects in the near future.

Back To Knitting

My knitting world has been very strange lately. Lots of new techniques and unexpected projects. I started working on my first every lace project, which is Gail this beautiful shawl that kind of looks like peacock feathers when it is all finished. I am using this beautiful yarn that Francesca sent me.

 So, things started really well. I was really shocked and concerned that I hadn't had any issues. I mean so many seasoned lace knitters where really having problems with this shawl. So 1st repeat done, and the 2nd, and the 3rd, and the 4th, and the 5th, and then the 6th repeat came and something went so wrong. Not really sure what happened but I was suddenly short a stitch. So I tinked back a few rows and things were good and then suddenly I was short 1 stitch again. WTF??!!?? Well, the last lifeline (so thankful I used these I tend to skip those extra steps like swatching) was at the end of the 4th repeat which meant I had to take out the 5th & 6th repeat. Not that big of a deal because I am certainly a process knitter and well I am really enjoying the process of this shawl. Got almost to the end of the 5th repeat and I was short 1 stitch again all of a sudden. I feel like I am losing a stitch somewhere on my purl row but I can find it. Hmmmm. I am starting to get frustrated just because I hate not being able to do something right. I CAN follow directions! Well, Gail is currently taking a backseat since I working on a top secret project for Francesca. I will say that it requires about 700 yards of fingering weight and is Halloween themed to go with the theme of of next swap package. It is going really well and rather quickly. Walt even really likes and he doesn't often drool over the things that I knit. Speaking of Walt his socks are still on hold. They will be the death of me. They have become a project knit instead of a process and well I have just kind of been avoiding them. I know they will be fantastic when they are finished, but I have frogged them about 3 times now and just can't really stand to touch them at the moment. They are also plain socks which can be so boring at times. Lastly, I recently made a bunch of coasters to sell at the First Friday event. I was only given a weeks notice and had to whip up what I could as quick as I could. I also made a ton of soap in different scents, bases, colors, shapes, etc... I still have some lace/fingering weight yarn that I am trying to spin that has been sitting on the back burner since my spinning section of the couch has been blocked by a tote full of randomness.