So as you can see I decided to continue knitting this shawl just because this is an enjoyable pattern to knit. As of today I'm at the halfway point and still having fun so much so I think I want to knit this again with a little heavier yarn. This pattern calls for a fingering yarn and the yarn I'm using is a lace weight yarn.
This past weekend I got the chance to drive to Tampa and stopped by the local yarn shop there. I haven't been to a yarn shop for awhile so it was a treat. I picked up these 2 beautiful yarns.. I just love the colors!! They also had these little fiber bags for $3.50 that looked fun so I had to get them. Now to find just the right patterns to show off these pretty yarns. (^_^)
(click on the pic for a larger view)
My anthropoligie capelet # 2 is all finished. I added a wide crochet button closure at the neck and a large crochet button. The lace edging is called quill eyelet lace and is very similar to razor lace. If you like this edging it is from Knitting on the edge by Nicky Epstein. This capelet is for my daughter's birthday which passed already so I need to get it in the mail asap.
I started a new project last night and I think I'm going to scrap it. I know that it's not blocked and projects tend to look a lot different after they are blocked, but with every row I just keep thinking .. this just doesn't look very nice. I don't know if it is because of the thick and thin nature of the yarn or my knitting is crappy or maybe both. As fun as this is to knit I'm afraid to go any farther. This pattern is Coquille from Knitty fall 2010 and I have looked at others on ravelry knit with noro sekku that looked really nice. Guess I'll have to decide what to do.
Shoes can be fun... I love these and bought them with lots of coaxing from the man. I thought they were a bit of an extravagance and was going to pass them by but I'm so glad I didn't. I just love them. I originally saw them at Universal for twice the price which makes them so much better.
Progress on my second anthorpologie capelet. I used 3 shades of blue. I kind of like it. Sometimes I get these ideas and after the fact I'm not sure if it worked out or not. This is the progress after a week of knitting. The lace on the sleeves is all that is left to knit and I have another idea for the closure. Lets see if that will work out. And I just love this yarn...Kauni wool 8/2 Effektgarn!!
Yay.. a finished project. My Anthropologie-inspired capelet made for Abby who just turned 5 in May. It wasn't the original project that I started to make for her but time seemed to slip away and I was only half finished after a month and a half so I decided to make something that would knit up a little faster, which it did. My mods: worsted weight yarn, size 7 needles and I casted on 61 stitches. I also added a border on the bottom and the sleeves. I purchased some fabric the other day to make 2 sundresses that I will hopefully get to work on today. The patterns are vintage and I had originally made them for her mother long ago. So glad I didn't throw them away. I looked at the patterns at Joann's fabrics the last time I was there and was shocked at the price. I could just purchase a dress for the price of just the pattern. That wouldn't even include the fabric and notions. The little buttons I picked up on sale a while ago and now found the perfect use for them .
This year I seem to be playing catch up. Below is a another capelet. This one is for Abby's mom who's birthday was May 31st. This is the progress after 3 days of knitting on and off. The yarn is a lighter weight then the pattern calls for and I'm using needles to match the yarn gauge and not the pattern gauge. I casted on more stitches and will do more increases and hopefully it will work out. The good thing is that my daughter is just about my size and I can gauge the size by how it fits me. I'm graduating the color from dark to light and will add the same lace border as I did for the childs version. I like that lace pattern because it is very easy and it matched the number of stitches that I ended up with.
Doing a little of this and a little of that..I finished this little corespun art skein which I spun from one of my batts. I added lots of silk ribbons, some threads and lace. I'm still over spinning a bit. Maybe the yarn isn't perfect but it sure is fun to spin and so I think I'll have to be satisfied with that. The remedy is just to spin more!!
At my Tuesday knit group last week I started another project that I was hoping to be able to finish up quickly. Then I decided to add a lace edging that took me 3 days to decide on. Once I finally decided on one I like and figured out the stitch count the actual knitting isn't taking that long. Tomorrow is my day off and also my birthday and I plan to knit in between other stuff we have planned for the day. The man and I have been having one day off a week on the same day. For three years I worked on his days off and he worked on my days off and it was really hard for us. So for about a year now we have had the same day off which makes a world of difference. Not sure what we have planned for tomorrow yet. (^_^)
I can't believe I finally finished this shrug and now I know why I was dragging my feet. The finished product is not at all as I had envisioned it and I probably will never wear it. I guess it is the combination of stripes and then the ruffle edging. I wasn't expecting the edging to be so ruffly. I would probably wear the shrug if it was a solid color. Project notes.. FAIL!! I guess not everything will turn out wonderful..On a more positive note.. I can now start on a new project. I usually use the summer months for finishing projects that have been hibernating for a while. I have two project that I haven't touched in a very long time. One is the Gail shawl and the other is a lace scarf I was knitting with my handspun yarn. I would really like to finish both projects. At the moment I can't seem to get interested in starting something new. Or maybe I just can't make up my mind as to which project to knit first.
This week I have been doing a little core spinning.. and I say little because that is all that I seem to have time for. Every skein I spin has been improving. The skein above is from two small little batts of wool, bamboo, tencel and some silver angelina. To that I added some sequence yarn that I had left over from a project. I'm pleased with my progress. Below is another batt called "your full of it". Wonderfully soft wool/tussah silk blend. This batt will make self striping yarn too. I decided to tear off strips in color progression and as I spin it I have been adding scraps of silk ribbons and threads. I love how this is spinning up. The yarn is really smooth and silky and wraps so nicely around the core thread. This is another batt that hasn't sold on my etsy shop. If the yarn ends up as good as it has started it will end up in my shop. Anyway it is really fun to spin!!
Many years ago when we had our house built we thought it would be nice to line the very long driveway with palm trees. They were so little who thought they would grow to be the monsters they are now. Every 6 months we have them trimmed and every time they are trimmed they seem to grow even bigger and more difficult to trim. Who's idea was that anyway... 0.0
