Another Textured Shawl

I've finally finished this Textured Shawl!! It's seemed like forever since I cast on. I really love the stockinette and textured pattern combo. You can see the modifications I did to this particular shawl here. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk in Plum, it's a light DK weight yarn that it worth trying, very soft and silky ... beautiful drape!!

This is a great shawl to get your feet wet in shawl making, give it a try!! You can't go wrong because the recipe is free ... check it out here. Also, don't forget to try my Shawl Cast-On Tutorial to get you started.

First Snow and a Textured Shawl

So we finally had our first snow of the year, it was beautiful. The next day we went up to NY State and it was even heavier there. Forgot my camera, but there was a 5" blanket of pristine white coating everything we drove by, it was glorious!!

On a knitting note ... here's my textured shawl, pictured here with a make-shift blocking board. You can see my Textured Shawl recipe here and it will connect you to the original 'recipe' as the designer calls it. I used 4 hanks of Blue Sky Alpaca's 100% alpaca sport weight yarn. I wasn't sure if it would be itchy to wear, but I wore it for the first time today and it's wonderfully soft and warm. The alpaca does shed a little, but it's still worth anyone out there giving it a try. Especially for those who are wool-sensitive, you'll love it!!

I was also thrilled because the pattern allowed me the freedom to use almost every last bit of yarn I have, all that was left was the tiniest remnant leftover. So exciting ... it's the little things, right?!

See an upcoming post for the shawl cast on that makes the smoothest edge.

Gail! My New FO

Although it's been months since I've blogged, I actually have been knitting! Lots of hats and quick knits for other people, and a baby blanket that I should have finished at least 5 months ago (because the little guy was born in June, oooops!!!!) Recently I've been on a search for a shawlette/scarf for myself for the winter transition. Something luxurious and green. What I found was one absolutely gorgeous skein of Halcyon Gemstone Soft Twist Silk yarn (sport weight/100% silk) ... a perfect match for my miniature version of Gail (aka Nightsong). You can find the original here, there are also some pages that will help you to knit this pattern here.

This was an incredible treat for me, a sumptuous yarn to knit with, which made knitting a dream. I was almost tempted to frog the whole thing and start all over again just so that I could knit with this yarn. If you try you'll never regret it, you'll love it and anything you make with it!!! Guaranteed!!!!

Family & Hand Knits

My brother-in-law finally has his fingerless gloves, and just in time for the winter to almost be completely over. He really likes them, but won't wear them to work (which is why I made them for him in the first place, ironically!!) ... he's afraid of ruining them. Hand knits are great because there are always more to be made and give away.

In many ways knitting has fulfilled the spirit of generosity within me, but there just never seems to be enough time each day to devote to making things for others ... you know with life and all getting in the way ... but I find myself falling asleep at night thinking about what projects I have, or my new-found love for entrelac and what colors I will be able to work with next. I think it's gone from love to obsession to disease. There are times when I just want to stop and do something else, but something compels me to keep coming back. I'll see a baby who needs a burp cloth, a mother-to-be and want to make a cozy blanket for her new child, or someone who looks like they need a scarf.

Or ... my sister who keeps reminding me that I have yet to make her the scarf that I have been promising her for over a year. Sorry Sis, but I promised you pics of the scarf I'm working on for you. It might be hard to see what it's going to look like finished since it's still in its beginning stages, but let me know what you think. ;)

Entrelac & a Hannah Fettig Knit

Entrelac is one of my latest endeavors and, so far, the most interesting type of knitting I've done yet. It doesn't hurt my brain like some lace knitting does, and once you have the general concept of the pattern down you're golden. It's a pretty straight forward way to make something really beautiful and multidimensional without much complexity. I LOVE IT!!!!

I used a free Entrelac Scarf pattern online and just started knitting. I decided to do something a little smaller to start, and since my friend's baby boy has been, let's say, rejecting some of his formula recently, I thought this would be a pretty and functional way to get started with Entrelac. Using some washable and relatively cheap (b/c of baby puke and all) worsted weight cotton yarn, it took very little time, although that's not saying much since the piece is no more than a 4x6" rectangle. Regardless it was a great intro to this great way of knitting and fun too!! I thought it would be really lumpy, you'll know what I mean if you try it, but it blocked surprisingly easily and very flat!! Here it is ...

I have also started and finished (another quick one!) one of the patterns in Hannah Fettig's book Closely Knit, the Bird's Nest Pin Cushion. The nest itself was a little challenging for me, but I realized it was because my dpn's were too small (I found this out because my nest only fit four eggs ... it should have fit at least five ... ooops!!). The yarn I used was Sirdar Eco Wool and the eggs were some left-over periwinkle 'Cloud 9' from Cascade. My mom loves it and I hope she will be able to use it soon!!

What's so funny?

I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I posted last!! Last week was sort of a recovery week after Gman's (hubby) vacation...and I finally got to do a photo shoot for some FO's. I would like to post some of these as free patterns, that'll have to come in the future though.

I've never been one to make hand knits so that they can be destroyed, but my friends 2 month old son is so cute he deserves cute burp-cloths too!! To me that's funny, so against my normal MO! Usually I'm more of the 'I'll knit your baby a big cozy blanket!!' type, but I've been working on so many things lately that I just wanted to knit something that would be quick and easy. I'm excited to say that I'm actually getting a handle on crochet and I've added crochet borders to both of the burp-cloths(there must be a better name?!). I'll show them once the second one is finished.

In the meantime ... the above are photo's of my recently designed scarf and fingerless mitts finally finished ... the Alvina Scarf is a reversible cable knit using Malabrigo Worsted (post for pattern soon to come!!).

What's really funny is that I'm so unphotogenic ... it took us about 40 pics just to get a couple good ones!!

Fingerless Wonders

Not that what I have created gives a great representation of these two patterns, but at least they are cozy!!! [That's all that really matters, right?!?!?!]Sorry for these pics, a bit fuzzy, I know I should stop taking my own pictures and let someone else do it, scheduling issues. Oh well! :)

The slightly modified fingerless mitts are made from two different colors of Plymouth Brushed Suri Alpaca (100% Suri Alpaca) from my stash that were left over from a couple of other projects. I had two colors left and wanted to make opposite mitts, I knit them on US 7 dpn needles and modified the original pattern by picking up stitches at the thumbs and extending the knitting there in 1x1 ribbing, and also made them a little longer at the fingers to make mine a little more suitable for our Connecticut winters.....sooo warm and cozy!!! [Perfect to keep warm while knitting.] The free and simple pattern is from knit and tonic, I'm sure I'll use it again and again. [Both were knit in one evening.]

The huge fingerless gloves are for my Bro-in-law who works outside a lot. He requested something to keep his hands warm and dry while he's working, but still have the dexterity...so these fingerless gloves, from Marnie MacLean were a perfect solution. I modified the pattern to the size of my BIL's hands and the yarn gauge I was working with (Cascade 220, charcoal black, 1 skein, on the same US 7 dpn's as for the fingerless mitts). The first one took me forever, trying to tweek the pattern so that it worked with my yarn, et al...but the second one took me no more than a couple of evenings tv time.

I absolutely love knitting patterns like this, because they are functional of course, but also because they are quick knits and there's great satisfaction in having something finished within a night or two!!

I hope you enjoy the links to these two great designers and there equally great, yet simple, patterns.