Webs

This is my first adventure with lace, based on another pattern in Hoverson's book. It's a little cobwebby scarf made with Rowan Kidsilk Mohair (Candy) and size 10 needles. A bit of dark pink fluff goes a long way, especially against the steeliness of a cloudy day.

I must admit that I do find it difficult to work with lace-weight yarn. Everything feels so slippery and when I do drop a stitch the mending requires micro-surgery. I'm also finding that it's important to keep the stitches loose because when I pull too tight the piece twists as I knit. So I feel like I'm knitting on the edge with this one, and not completely happy with the results. But I do like the challenge.

I'm also venturing into the delightful but very tangled web of fair isle knitting. Last night, I made a swatch for a baby-sized cardigan with a diamond pattern:



At first, I found it difficult to manage both colors, but once I understood the structure of the pattern, I was switching between them pretty easily. I did have a lot of tangling, and I'm not sure if that is something I'm doing wrong, or just one of the messy side effects of fair isle knitting. [eta: I received some generous guidance from a fellow knitter at the Angel Yarns Knitting Forum who recommended looking at http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2006/01/yarn_dominance.html. Now I think I know why my yarns were tangling. Hopefully this will solve the problem, if I can follow the instructions.]

I'm really excited to knit this one for Elsa.

For the love of hats (and a pair of gloves)

Hats. I love to make hats. They are small, manageable projects, with infinite possibilites. And nothing compares to the climactic satisfaction of decreasing the final rows, when the whole thing starts to come together. Everything speeds up as the stitches get fewer and fewer until they are down to almost nothing. I'll even suffer through making a pair of gloves just so they can be companions to a hat.

My inspiration

No words necessary.

A beginning: Two FO's

Hello fellow knitters, mamas, and anyone else interested in my handmade creations. Every beginning is really a middle, so I thought I'd start with my most recent creations: a luxurious scarf made with a cashmere blend wool and two strands of colorful mohair, and a pair of lovely fingerless gloves made with Koigu merino wool. Both of these projects were inspired by patterns from Joelle Hoverson's beautiful book, Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

The scarf was knit with 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss superchunky cashmerino (red), 1 skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze Mohair (marmelade), 1 skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze Mohair (candy) on size 11 straight needles. The whole scarf is knit in an easy rib pattern (ki, p1), and all three yarns are twisted together to create a luxurious, textured effect. I am tempted to keep this one for myself, but I will part with it and give it to my mother for a holiday gift.






The gloves were knit with Koigu merino wool on size 3 double pointed needles. The pattern is a bit tricky; it's actually a k2, p2 rib pattern that gets pushed over one every four stitches, creating a coiling effect. Almost looks like cables, without the sweat. This yarn was very thin and sometimes difficult to work with, especially on the dp needles, but the effort was worth it. These gloves will be perfect for driving, or typing on a cold winter's night. Plus they're practical for mamas who need all of their fingers available.