Entrelac Shawl

I've been cranking away on the Christmas knitting, and I recently finished another item that is for - - - - -.

(I don't divulge things like that on my blog.  It's my blog, and I like being cruel.  Bwaaa-haaa haaaa . . .)

It's a super-comfy shawl knit in the entrelac style with a wonderfully soft plush yarn called Marble Chunky, which I would definitely recommend for other bulky weight projects.  It's plied loosely, but I don't think the fibers will pill, and the color variation is beautiful and (depending on the project) self-striping in a slow, morphing sort of way.

I couldn't seem to catch the right color shading while I was wearing the thing, but this is a more accurate representation of the colors.

 

There's a bit more purple (not really any brown, as it looks somewhat tan in the photo) and lots of lovely aqua blues and teals.

Entrelac was fun to knit, after I got over the first initial frustration of trying to figure out how wide the shawl would be.  Since it's knit in squares, and then the next square is picked off the first one, it was much more agonizing for me to just "cast on" and hope it would fit correctly, as the pattern I used called for worsted (not bulky) weight yarn.  In the end I did a bit of mental math that involved percentages, phases of the moon, and roasted toadstools, and cast on a magical 128 stitches.  It's a teeny bit small for my tastes, but it works.

 

(Sorry for the up-the-nose hole shot, but I'm half Dutch, and large nose holes are a prerequisite genetic trait.)

Tea-dyed Yarn

A few weeks ago I saw this pattern from Knitspot, and although I've got waaaaaaaay too many projects going right now, I just had to purchase it immediately. I blame it on pre-delivery depression, therefore the cost is accrued to therapy expenses. Completely understandable.

I love colors, but for a shawl I think I prefer something that will match with everything. Therefore, I opted to purchase some lovely 100% Merino Skacel laceweight yarn in a solid white color and tea-dye it for a semi-solid affect (MUCH cheaper than purchasing it that way already).

To do this, I first soaked the skein in cold water for 30 minutes until it was well saturated. Then, I gently wrung it out and put it in my kitchen sink. (My sink was semi-clean. Ahhhhh, just notice and admire. This will most likely not happen again.)

While the skein was soaking, I boiled a pot of very strong black tea. I drank some. Then I drank some more. When I felt happy with life, I took out the tea bags. By this time, the tea was cool enough to pour over the skein with no danger of felting the wool.

Since I'm going for a semi-solid affect, I only poured the tea in three spots on the skein, each spot about 4 inches wide. I poured enough tea over these spots until all the yarn in that area was well saturated.

When I was satisfied with the saturation, I gently wrung it out. I had to be careful not to let the tea sections bleed into the un-dyed sections. Then, I just hung the skein outside in the sun to dry.

"Ahhhh, what a nice warm day to get a tan . . ."

Here's the finished skein, all bundled up and pretty-looking.

"Why thank you! I'm a natural semi-solid, I can assure you!"

Wool is such a diva.

Rustic Shawl - Done!

I am keeping to my "let the wrist rest" pledge, and haven't even picked up a knitting needle. However, I never said that I would stay away from all needles in general.

Awhile ago (actually I think it was way back in the spring!), I started a shawl as a Christmas present for - - - - -. It's just a simple garter stitch shawl knitted from "Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth" pattern and made larger. The yarn is some handspun stuff gifted to me by my Oma, and I'm almost certain it's 100% wool.

It's such a lovely, rustic sort of yarn, that I thought simple garter stitch would really be the best stitch pattern to use. I have a tendency (okay, okay, we'll leave it at overwhelming urge) to embellish things, but I'm happy to say that in this case, embellishments were limited to some beautiful wooden beads.

So, what about the wrist resting part? Well, I had finished the shawl back in the spring, but I'd only gotten halfway through stringing the beads when it was cast aside for more exciting projects. No knitting, just stringing beads. Promise.

The Rustic Shawl is now done and completed, and ready to go in the growing pile of "Christmas gifts" stash (Hmmm, I'm noticing that as my Christmas pile is growing, my stash pile is diminishing. That's a good thing, because I'm REALLY hinting for yarn money from family . . . . hint hint . . . . I know, I'm awful . . . .!)

Here Comes the Bee!

One of my favorite blogs to read is Knitspot, which is written by Anne Hanson. She has the most beautiful designs, and I love that she writes about her ideas, pattern frustrations, and her garden. Anyway, she's been designing this gorgeous shawl called the Bee Fields. Wow, is it ever gorgeous!

Now, if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll know that I've already purchased at least one shawl pattern (which I have not yet knit). However, I'm throwing that aside for the Bee. (Can't help it, I'm a sucker for temptation. I'm not even trying to resist!)

The kits can be purchased at Wooly Wonka Fibers for $32 + free shipping and handling. I mean, really, the pattern and that gorgeous yarn? Wow! I just can't wait to get my hands on it!

The only real problem is that I can't seem to figure out how to purchase the beautiful Bee. I think the other Ann (who owns Wooly Wonka) has been inundated (isn't that a splendid word?) with orders, and I suspect her server has shut down temporarily. It's either that, or my husband has figured out how to ban me from buying more knitting stuff!

One of the things I love so much about the knitting/blogging combination is the constant inspiration. When I post things I'm knitting (or bloopers) I get the most encouraging comments, and when I read others' blogs about knitting, I am constantly inspired to try new techniques and patterns. I found some great patterns recently from snooping other people's blogs.

I decided to purchase my very first pattern online, and here it is! It is called Shetland Garden Faroese Shawl, and I fell in love with it the first moment I saw it. I don't as yet have a shawl or stole for myself, and I figured it was about time for me to start knitting one. Granted, the weather is getting warm now in the Frigid North, but by the time I get this done, it'll be cold again (*sigh*). I love lace, and especially lace that looks like something. Putting holes in knitting in an abstract design doesn't appeal to me, so I fell in love with this lovely pattern, especially as it has so many beautiful garden designs in it.

The yarn I chose is Lion Brand's Microspun in a vanilla color, which I'd already used (in a differnent color) on some socks. I love the durability and incredible softness of this yarn, and I think it will drape really well. The only thing I don't like about Microspun is that it is very splitty, so I have to watch what I'm doing when I'm knitting it. However, I figured that I'd have to pay attention to what I'm doing with this pattern anyway, so it's okay. I got all the yarn I needed from Joann's for a great deal, and the total to knit this scarf (including pattern) will be $20! I couldn't buy a shawl for that, and now I get all the fun of making it, too (and bragging rights :)!

(Just as an aside, did you know that you can special order yarn from Joann's? As I mentioned, all their Lion Brand yarn is on sale right now, but they didn't have enough Microspun of one dye lot. So, I had it special ordered with no extra cost, and still got the sale price!)