FO: Eirwen
Pattern: My own (almost ready for publication)
Yarn: 1 skein Tosh lace, colorway: citrus (the orange); 1 skein Sweet Georgia merino/silk lace, colorway; dutch (the golden yellow)
Yardage: 1 skein Tosh lace (950 yards; 868 meters); 1 skein Sweet Georgia merino silk lace (765 yards; 700 meters). I had a fair amount of the Sweet Georgia left over and a small ball of the Tosh lace.
Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3s) 40″ circulars
Dragons Ruff
Dragons Ruff is now available for purchase as a download, for $6.00 either on Ravelry, or directly through the blog … buy now
Inspired by the ruff many dragons are depicted with, this shawl consists of a background of garter stitch mesh interspersed with strips of stockinette that add depth. It’s finished off with a deep garter stitch border that grounds the entire piece.
Knit in one piece from the top down, this shawl begins by casting on 9 stitches at the back of the neck and increasing 7 stitches every other row to shape this shawl into 7/8ths of a circle that stays draped elegantly over the shoulders. Finally, an eyelet-increase row is worked just before the garter stitch border, and just before the bind off to ensure that a thorough blocking is possible.
Yarn: Madelinetosh ‘tosh lace,’ 950 yards (968 meters), 100% superwash merino, 1 skein, shown in ‘nebula’
Needles: US size 2.5 (3.00 mm) 40 inch (101 cm) circular, or size needed to obtain gauge
Notions: 7 stitch markers, tapestry needle
Gauge: 6.5 sts/inch; 12 rows/inch (6.5 sts/2.5 cm; 12 rows/2.5 cm) in washed and blocked garter
Blocked Dimensions: 24 inches (61 cm) from center back to each point along the hem
Skills Used: casting on, binding off, knitting, purling, k2tog, yarn over, weaving in ends, blocking lace
Oh dear…
…it’s been a month again since I last posted, and I’m sorry to say that sporadic updates are going to be the norm for a while (if they ever weren’t the norm). Mostly because the distinct lack of free time since I got back to school has meant that knitting time has been scarce and time to even think about blogging has been even scarcer. Anyway, lets jump into the knitting update.
Some of my swatches and yarn from the last post have moved onto WIPs in varying states of completeness.
First up the mittens, first one’s almost one. While I really loved the first green & blue pair (FO post about those coming soon, I finally washed them), I’m absolutely in love with this pair. I think the blue & black really make the pattern pop, they fit better into my everyday wardrobe, and I’m much happier with my fair isle. The knitting on the last pair was much too sloppy for my taste.
Fire breathing shawl anyone? I’m completely in love with this pattern, the yarn, the color, everything about it. Even though I don’t get much of a chance to work on it, it sits on my desk and I look at it longingly. Hopefully I’ll get some time to work on it soon.
The pile of Cascade Greenland is quickly turning into a sweater. Maybe a Rheinbeck sweater. Rheinbeck sweater? Rheinbeck sweater, yep, I’ll be at Rheinbeck on the Saturday. I don’t know if I’ll have time to finish the sweater, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m almost done with the decreases to the waist (about 7 more rows) at which point I’ll start increasing for the hips and introducing white stripes in a to be determined pattern. At this point I’m planning a turned hem, cap sleeves, with i-cord around the neck and arms, and a substantial metal zipper to top it all off. We’ll see what happens.
The black eyelet shawl is off the needles, but still very much unblocked. I’m planning on blocking this week, photos and pattern finished up and put together next week, then to the tech editor, and published by the end of October. I know there’s a lot of space in that time line, but with the way knitting/designing things have been going the past month, I’m trying not to push it.
And finally…
I got a new bag. It’s the Namaste Hermosa (scroll down), and it’s become my everyday bag, replacing my beloved but falling apart owl covered Strand bag. I’m planning on writing up an in-depth review eventually because most of the reviews I could find were kind of pathetic, but over all I like it, and most importantly it can carry everything.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I’m going to try to post more frequently, but at this point I’ve learned not to promise when it comes to blogging.
