Summer knitting round up! (part 1)

Part one is all about shawls! I managed to start and complete 5 shawls since the beginning of June. 5!

Homage to Ricky

Lava is Hot, Hot, Hot

Merope in Green

Maia
The latest one is "Frank's Lucky Mom":

Pattern: #10 Beaded Shawl from Vogue Knitting, Holiday 2008
Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr in "cinnibar"
Needles: Knitpicks Options, size 4
Notes: My friend, Frank, asked me to knit a shawl for his Mom, for her birthday. She has been lusting after them in the Long Wharf Theatre Gala Silent Auction for several years, but has managed to get outbid each time. (good for the theatre, but bad for her) I talked with him about what he was looking for, what she would like.. you know, like you do. We decided that shiny is good, color is good and not pastel. Right. I don't think that Frank understood how open-ended this project still remained. I sat down in front of the yarn wall with my laptop, and cruised ravelry and my books searching for the perfect pattern. I know Frank's Mom pretty well, and she is not a "flowery" or "geometric" person. She is an exotic person. I was looking for something that felt Spanish, Indian... maybe Moroccan. I knew I wanted beads - or at least charted and easy to add beads. I came up with three top contenders, and after much deliberation, decided on the Vogue shawl based on sheer awesomeness.

It is, for all intents and purposes, a half circle. BUT, it is also squared off. whaaaaaAH? You see, my dear readers, it is three triangle sections, making it a half of a hexagon. It fits like a half circle shawl, AND is squared off at each triangle. This happens because you are increasing on the two center spines and the two outer edges, instead of evenly across on the "pi" rows like you do in a half circle shawl. Maths are good...

Anyway, it is a unique shape, and the motif feels exotic and non-leafy, and it is beaded. Oh boy, is it ever! Literally a bazillion beads. The beading was totally worth it though. It looks so nice. I am proud to hand this over to Frank for his Mom. He is going to get the "best birthday gift" award, if I do say so myself.

The pattern was confusing at first, since the edging is odd... but once I tried it, we were golden. I like that the beads are denser toward the end, making the bottom edging heavier. The half hexagon is awesome, too. It stays on the shoulders without a pin, and is long enough to wrap up and over the shoulder if desired. As a woman with a sizable butt, I appreciate the lack of "arrow at my butt" on this shape shawl, as well. (What woman wouldn't like that aspect?)
All in all, I am very happy with it, and I hope Frank and his Mom are too!
So, I evidently had an ass-ton of knitting time this summer, because part two is just as packed!

Why I long for Knit- A -Longs

When the Thursday Night new Haven Stitch n Bitch decided to have a shawl Knit-a-long, the first question from almost everyone was "which pattern?" We have quite a diverse group of people, with a wide range of tastes, skill levels, and lace experience. Choosing one pattern would be hard. How do we keep experienced fearless knitters, people with a mess of lace shawls under their belts, and new lace-kateers all going on one pattern?
We decided not to decide. :) Instead, we are having a "knit at your own pace, everyone knit the shawl you like, and we'll cheer each other on A-Long" Since that is a smidge too long of a name, we'll stick with "Shawl KAL".
I decided to knit this one:

Name: Lava is Hot, Hot, Hot!
Pattern:Faroese-Style Lace from Shawls and Scarves: Best of Knitter's Magazine
Yarn: Touch Yarn Merino 2 ply
Needles: Knit Picks classic circs, size 3
Notes: I choose this shawl for the KAL because it was on my "books yet to knit from" list, but also because it was a construction style I hadn't knit yet. It is cast on at the CB neck, but grows straight down the center, with two "triangle" side growing out of each side. You can see the straight center panel below, and the sides.

It also has a slight curve to the sides, making the whole business stay on your shoulders with absolutely no problem. Good knitting engineering! The yarn was a good all purpose base yarn - like Merino Ono, but being variegated, it was hard for me to imagine the final outcome. I loved the colors in the hank, but knit up - there is always potential for it to look like utter HORK. I officially think it does not look like hork. I think the combination of a very liner/ geometric pattern and big swaths of Stockinette makes the color shine and not distract from the final piece.

The edging was a wonderful change of pace when I finally got to it. It is knit on side ways, using up the live stitches as you go. This means, to those of you paying attention, that you only have 5 stitches to cast off at the end. 5!! The worst part of lace knitting is casting off. Trying to get a stretchy edge, that looks neat, and is consistent over 500 stitches sucks. This was way better. I've done edging cast offs before, and I can safely report that I still love it.


Overall, I had a great time knitting this shawl, and I loved doing a free form Knit A long. While most of the group is still plugging away, it is so fun to have a cheering section -and that is the final step of my KAL. Cheer till the last one's done!

It's Shawl A Long Day!!

As of 9:30 this morning, I was here:

I'm writing this at 12:30, and have reached row 15. I already have 100 stitches. I have to follow two charts simultaneously, keep a seed and garter stitch border going, and I'm knitting on size 3 needles. I usually knit lace on 4 or 5's, but this will be huge if I knit on that big of needles.

That cast on above? It is 7 stitches wide, 2 garter, 3 seed, 2 garter. It is 56 rows long. This is why I don't read patterns too carefully before I start. I probably would have changes my mind.