where did the time go?

Today's entry is brought to you by the letter V (as in Vacation and Vomit) and the number 3 (as in the average number of showers per day I've needed since Friday)....

Well, this week is school vacation week.  I took it off to spend some time with the kids.  In some ways I'm very glad I did, as trying to work while a 40 lb moaning creature lays on your lap can be somewhat detrimental to actually getting things done.  In other ways, I look at the knitting I refuse to touch while I am continually bathed in effluvia and sigh.  But, I did do my taxes, so that's something off my mind.

I've been busy.  Very busy.  It might be easiest to do this bit as a photo series.  These are photos of things I've been working on for the show in March at the local coffee shop.  I'm going to give some detail shots, but not too many of the full shawlettes.  I'm hoping they'll be a pleasant surprise for folks in the area who can check them out.  And anything that doesn't find a home from the shop will make it to my artfire store, so it's always possible you'll see them later on that page.

Let's start with this:

malabrigo silky wool in indicita.  Needs ends woven in

Something simple I could knit while being driven places on a weekend.  Which brings us to this:

same yarn, same colorway, testing a concept

Unfortunately, this segues me into these, which I'm debating for the full concept knit:

for the record, going with the bottom for the full size shawl

Yarn makes me think about other yarn.  This was the second package of my last yarn fling.  It had the very pale yellows and the green in the middle above.

I really do like their stuff

Those yellows make me think of a concept that I did out twice.  Once for the show:

detail showing the new increase.  I like this method better.  There aren't missing threads, there are dark beads between leaves.

That one is the shawlette version that uses some really dark red beads.  Then, there's the version that my husband inspired:

to show the natural colored yarn and the pink beads

None of this stuff is blocked, so it does look like limp noodles.  Plus, the two above are in cotton.  The second one with the pink beads is a full sized shawl, but I'm having trouble deciding whether it needs to stay with me as an example of the pattern.  Yep, example of the pattern.... that's my story.  I do not intend to pet it and drool (although we all know that's exactly what will happen).

This leads us to this one.  Same pattern, in a familiar yarn:

man, this is hard to photograph.  It is NOT neon in real life.

Again, showing the increase.  You get a full leaf at the top of each, which almost looks like a flower bud.  I like this effect much better, and have changed the pattern to reflect it.  This may look very familiar.  It is the same yarn I did the original Joie shawl in.  I had just enough left to squeak out a shawlette, so that's what I did.

Then, I think pink.

strawberry smoothie

linen yarn.  Yes, I made a linen shawl.  In worsted weight no less.

And finally, there are these:

don't look like much at the moment

That beauty above is a market bag.  It's made from cotton (also in worsted weight), and I can wash the silly things if the little man has a bad tummy  moment near them.  I love these bags.  I have a bunch, and there are 2 ways to knit them that create 2 very different types of mesh just using a yo, k2tog as the "lace" pattern.  I started with these because I found that the grocery bags you can buy are not typically washable... making them really heinous germ magnets.  I actually have 4 different sizes and styles that I make, and figured that since I can't work on 'ettes at the moment, maybe I'd see if the local coffee place would want these as well. 

Anyhoo, I am hoping small tummies are quiet tomorrow so I can 1 knit, 2 blog, 3 work on hang-tags.  All the fun things in life and cleaning the kitchen too!

nothing to see here.... tralala

I've come to the conclusion that I would be a dangerous woman if I could count to... say... 3.  Effectively.  Consistently.  This morning is obviously not a lace knitting morning, as I've screwed up counting to 3 more times than I can count (haha).  Coffee is not helping, so while my fingers are feeling fine and ready to fly.... I should stick with the blanket until the stupids fall out one of my ears.

This morning, I took my heart in my hands, my finished knits in a bag, and walked the (freaking freezing btw) distance to the Coffee Shop in the heart of my town.  Nice people there, and they know my husband and youngest on sight.  Which is kind of funny and kind of cool.  Anyway, they're doing a craft show there in March and my husband asked me to put some stuff in it.  As much as I grumble, I really can't refuse him anything (but don't tell him that or I'm doomed).

I'm hideously shy.  Something about being able to always find the exact wrong thing to say in any situation.  Need to know what to say?  Ask me, and do the exact opposite.  It's a talent.

Anyhoo, I brought in the last set of knits I finished and blocked to show them and.... they said would be happy to have some shawlettes in their craft expo thingy.  Yay!  It's totally not me, my social retardation was at an all-time spectacular high.  They like the knits, they really like them.  I've been happy dancing for a while, but now I have to knit about 6 more ettes in something other than a triangle shape.  I guess it's time to do some stoles.  I've knit purples, blues, pinks, greens, browns... so I'm thinking some reds, some black, and some white.  Maybe a yellow... although the yellow yarn hasn't gotten here yet.   I do have some gorgeous gold yarn, but am not ready to share it.  It makes me happy when I haven't seen the sun in days, so I'm having trouble knitting it instead of just fondling it.

You guys have listened to me gripe about the not as happy things, so I figured I'd share about the exciting (and slightly scary) things too.  I'll post more about it when I get more details, and I'll blog the remaining ettes as I get them knit so you can see them as they happen.  I won't be not doing the full size shawls in the meantime, and in the almost finished conga line of blocking I have some that I've knit for myself to keep as samples... and to wear because I lurve them.  So I'll have some FO posts coming up soon.

And thanks for making it to the bottom of a non-picture post.  :)

In which Progress has happened

I thought this post would be about the picot edging I put along the tops of the shawls. Instead, the picot edge that never ends met with the concall that never ends and this is the result

I wish they showed better before blocking, but this will be light and lacy.

And number 2:

A more substantial yarn, this will be more solid than lacy, but is still lace knitting.

It was well after work when I took these, my flash wasn't behaving and I wasn't awake enough to make it better. Please bear with me.
In addition, you might remember this little beauty. She's been reworked and is much happier:

Oh I'm so happy this time.  This is my husband's favorite so far.

I have enough yarn left that I'm considering putting a tiny edging across the top as well. But look, she LIVES!
And finally, before I take my shortest of sons out to pick apples this morning, I have a little yarn porn to share:

So soft!  Colorway Rose Quartz

Yarny money shot!

This sexy little number is a linen/silk blend dyed by a local NH artist named Kim Kaslow. She runs an online shop called The Woolen Rabbit. Her color sense and depth are amazing. I've used her yarns previously, and loved every bit of them. I will do a more extensive about the yarn post on this yarn. I got 2 more skeins in this shipment, and each of them is exquisite.
So, look for an about the yarn on Malabrigo and Woolen Rabbit in the near future, as well as a completed shawls post with blocked items featuring Joie, Vines and Leaves, and the free pattern shawls. Lots to do!

lalala I can't hear you

So, the folks who have seen the completed shawlette prior to blocking have all been excited and sure that it would fit within the parameters of my shawl sizes once finished.

I, of course, knew better.  It was made from a single skein of handmaiden camelspin in madder.  Camelspin comes in 300 Meter put-ups, and 300 Meters is a good size, but not huge.  I mean, the thistle shawl took just under 900 Meters to get to the size it is.

Speaking of which, I measured the relaxed-after-blocking thistle shawl and it's.. um.. huge.  70 inches from tip to tip across the top and 40 inches down the center.  I'm 5ft 4in tall, and when I hold it up, the top of the triangle is almost shoulder level with the tip being precariously close to the floor.  And it has room to grow, as it wasn't a severe blocking job.  I just ran out of space to comfortably block on my son's king sized bed.

But I digress.

The true point of this is I just measured the blocking 'shawlette.'  I may have to upgrade the sucker to a shawl after all.  Fleece Artist:  packing magic in every skein.

The shawl is actually straight , the bed is crooked (I use a yardstick)

And another for gratuitous foliage because I can.

it's the most wonderful time of the year.

Next post, who's on first.

Nothing But Knit

Another day at work where there wasn't a thing I could accomplish.

I meant to put this post up last night, but youngest son wouldn't stay asleep.  Seasonal allergies kept waking him up, and he wanted comfort.  But here we are today, with pictures of a pile of finished shawl.
Click to make bigger, but be aware:
 

Yep, lace knitting never looks nice until after the magic of blocking.  No wonder folks always look at my knitting dubiously while in progress...






Oh, and it was a truly rotten and LONG day, so I also finished the knitting of this:

Later today look for new post on shawl 2, the yarn and pattern.







Depending on the weather, you may also get "blocking:  how to turn a pile of limp yarn into something stunning."  Or something like that.

mmmm, camelspin

So, when I don't have the mental energy to keep track of a complicated pattern, I've been poking at my skeins of luxury yarn.  These singletons aren't enough to make a large shawl, but they're enough to wrap yourself in hedonism.  Mmmm, hedonism.

The yarn I wrote about for this shawlette is Handmaiden Camel Spin in Madder.  My camera refuses to capture the colors correctly.  The reds are actually burgundies, the tans are dark walnut browns.  Instead of early fall (which is what my poor camera captured), think late fall.  November browns with the mature reds that go with them. 

Not that I don't love what the camera shows, it's just not what it actually looks like.  Poot on a stick.  As always, you can click the little pictures to get a full sized one.

Anyway, you can see that this yarn colorway will pool.  I decided to knit it in simple leaves, which lets the colors pool into delightful late fall leaves.  I think the pooling works well with this pattern, rather than being a detraction.

Plus the yarn is heaven to knit.  Win-win all around.

globe thistle shawl progess (shawl 1), day 3

Today was actually kind of a wash for knitting.  I only got one more repeat finished.

I spent a great deal of time on the phone today, so instead I put together a couple of pins for keeping the shawl closed.  Personally I can't decide which one I like better for this yarn.

Both of them can be clicked for larger versions.  The one with the butterfly, I made with dark purple, deep sea green, and a grey peacock pearls, and with white and deep marine swarovski crystals.   The follow your heart one I made with a single large half-moon pearl, and 2 golden shadow swarovski crystals.


Truthfully, I think the deep purple pearl gets lost in the beautiful purple of the yarn.  The white pearl stands out more, and it glows within the purple yarn.  I guess my preference is for the single white pearl this time.  Now I need to make a shawl for the one with the deep colored pearls.

Given the amount of concentration the larger patterned shawls take, I'm thinking about putting up shawlettes here as well.  I have several skeins of really nice yarn that I want to test with a simple pattern, but that aren't enough to make a large enough shawl to count for the 200 shawl project.  These would be the kind of knitting that can be done while in groups or while being driven around.  The kind of project I don't need to write a chart for, because I know the patterns by heart.

Something simple, that showcases the yarn at the heart of it.  For instance, I have a skein of handmaiden camel spin in madder.  It's roughly these colors:

Only slightly more brown.  I would dearly love to knit this up, as I'm looking forward to autumn and the colors sing fall days to me.  But it wouldn't make a full shawl to the sizes I've posted I would make here.  I'm thinking maybe I'll knit up a shawlette and offer this as well, for folks who want something definitely luxurious but not necessarily large.  Here's a link to the folks I borrowed the picture from, it goes to the exact product the picture references in case anyone wants some themselves.

I guess we'll see how it knits up.