Filling in the blanks
Let’s say you want to design a shawl composed of lace wedges. You have a lace pattern in mind, and you want each wedge to grow by two stitches …
...moreFO report
Remember that swatching I did a few weeks back? For the stole with a bend in it? Well, over the weekend I finished the stole.
From the back, it …
...moreStill learning
Yesterday, in the Stitch-Maps.com news article announcing the availability of symbols for Estonian gathers, I mentioned that stitch maps are awesome for seeing which stitches to knit loosely on …
...moreMore swatching
Yesterday I spent an obscene amount of time swatching, not to choose yarn, or needle size, or stitch pattern, but get this: to figure out how to shape some lace …
...moreYes, please
One of the best parts of Knitty is the Cool stuff! page. It always alerts me to stuff I want to check out further. Case in point: Everyday Lace by …
...moreElizabeth
Remember the stitch map I showed you the other day for the Elizabeth edging?
That stitch map prompted this swatch:
I think I prefer this …
...moreInstant inspiration
This morning I read Hunter Hammersen’s blog post on Everyday Lace, and do you know what caught my eye? Not the eloquent account of the book’s virtues. Not …
...moreNew Vintage Lace
Have you seen New Vintage Lace? I love this book! Andrea Jurgrau takes vintage doily patterns, lifts out and rejiggers their intricate motifs, and reinvents them as stunning hats, …
...moreSlightly obsessed
In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit obsessed with stitch patterns. So it’s no surprise that, as I’m flipping through Textured Stitches by Connie Chang Chinchio, part of …
...moreTwo-fer
Remember how I said I was going to update my patterns to include stitch maps? Yeah, that project fell by the wayside. (Too many projects! Too little time!)
…
...moreThe cat is outta the bag
What have I been doing for the past couple months? Not blogging, clearly. Not knitting, either. Rather, I've been working on this:
And this:
An experiment
Remember the center-out square of Fountain Lace that I knit a couple weeks back? I decided to turn it into a stole, extending two sides of the square to …
...moreIrrestistible
When I finished Daphne, what did I do next?
- Repair the tattered fingers on my gloves?
- Re-sole DH’s house slippers?
- Fix the hole in my …
Catch-up
Goodness, it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. And today would most likely be another no-blogging day, except I have a tiny case of finishitis. (You know, the complement …
...moreDeviating from Plan A
Lately I haven’t been knitting much because another project has grabbed all my interest, but I still need to have something on my needles, you know? So I’m futzing around …
...moreFitting
Remember how I said the Be Sweet Skinny Wool clearly wanted to be brioche? The Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace clearly wanted to be lace. And not just any lace: …
...moreAlchemy
Blocking is such an awesome thing, isn’t it?
It can take a ruffled mess like this:
And turn it into this:
… ...moreSurgery at 30,000 feet
It’s been a couple weeks, but I still have a story to share from my trip to Stitches West.
Stitches was fabulous, as usual. A real highlight was …
...moreWIP report
In a couple hours I’m off for a fun-filled weekend at Stitches West. But first, I wanted to update y’all on my projects.
The Swirl has really grown:
… ...moreBetter when blocked
Blocking makes such a huge difference, doesn’t it?
It wasn’t my most patient or meticulous blocking job, but I think it turned out okay. Even …
...moreAll sewn up
Last Friday I finally finished binding off the second edging piece for my Estonian shawl – despite the aggravation of having three stitches get away from me and start to …
...moreReassurance
This weekend I totally surprised myself by finishing the first edging piece for my Estonian shawl. Granted, it was a long weekend, and the weather was miserable, so I had …
...moreSanity savers
I don’t suppose it’s any surprise I’ve been dragging my heels on my Estonian shawl project. I mean, really, who looks forward to casting on 565 stitches?
Decision time
Remember that Estonian shawl I’ve been working on for months? Back in November, I estimated that I could knit 15 or 16 vertical repeats of the main pattern before …
...moreAdditional mischief
Yes, yes, I know I’m in the midst of an Estonian shawl, and that I just cast on for a Swirl. But that hasn’t stopped me from contemplating additional mischief, …
...moresigh
The Estonian shawl remains at the top of my knitting basket, but I’m still finding bits of time here and there to swatch for my next Swirl. So far, …
...moreOverdue
Today I finally got around to something that I arguably should’ve done weeks ago: estimating to what length I can knit my Estonian shawl, given the amount of yarn that …
...moreNupp paranoia
Astute readers of last Tuesday’s post might have noticed a thin green line running through my WIP:
That’s a lifeline, a bit of waste yarn run …
...moreMaybe by March
Remember that Haapsalu shawl I wrote about in my last post? I decided to place a narrow border around the whole thing. Traditionally, that’d mean knitting the body of …
...moreIt better be worth it
Lately I’ve been enthralled by Estonian lace. I’m not sure what got me off on this kick, but I do know what’s fueled it along:
- Taking in the …
Thanks
I’ve had two weeks to think about it, and I’m just as certain as ever of two things: Sock Summit 2011 was a smashing success, and I was an utter …
...moreIntroducing Abigail
Last spring I made a couple references in this blog to a stealth knitting project. That project was Abigail.
…
...moreNot for me
The other day I saw a demonstration of bobbin lace. Sheesh, did that lacemaker make those bobbins fly! I have no clue how she could move so fast, yet …
...moreWho woulda thunk?
I had the best time today writing up the pattern for a scarf I plan to knit.
This is odd. Most designers (myself included) would say that pattern-writing isn’t …
...moreA quick fix
I’m a sucker for completing projects, for crossing items off my to-do list. Making progress isn’t enough: I need to finish projects on a regular basis, or I get as …
...moreWhich do you prefer?
Lately I’ve been playing around with lace edgings. Here’s a favorite:
Normally, you’d see it charted like so:
Ya gotta love blocking
Here’s a swatch of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Geisha, in Thistle Leaf pattern from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker, before and after blocking:
Now what?
Last fall, I was surprised and pleased when Mona of Dye Dreams asked if I’d like to design a sock for their sock club. Choice of yarn base? Choice …
...more