Saturday 20 February 2010

"Leaves dancing" shawl finished


Comparing the difference before and after blocking is always fascinating, especially when it comes to lace knitting. In this picture you can see the main pattern fairly clearly, but the bottom border looks all crumbled.

Nothing like the points in this picture:

Modifications
1. Three sections instead of one to get a crescent(-ish) rather than a triangular shape.
2. Rows 29-56 knitted three times instead of twice, since I used thinner yarn and needles than the instructions call for. It was easy adding rows and repeats to the design. (But I ended up with almost 700 stitches!)
3. At the very end I added six rows, continuing the pattern in the last section to close the points.
4. I skipped the crocheted edge, partly because I preferred the idea of knitted points at the very edge, partly because I was simply too lazy to try to understand the instructions. Charts with explanations in German was ok, but written instructions with abbreviations proved too much when I was eager to finish the shawl. Here's a picture of the original edge.
4. Stitches picked up along the hypotenuse (or what would have been the hypotenuse if I had knitted the original triangular shape) to add a border. I think it helps making a shawl look finished.

Measurements
Width top: 155 cm/61 in.
Width bottom: 390 (3x130) cm/154 in.
Lenght back: 70 cm (27½in)
Length diagonal between each section: 95 cm (37½ in)

The yarn, Viva (a wool-silk blend) from Finnish Wetterhoff, is wonderful: beautiful and a delight to work with. There's a lot of surplus dye in it, though, and it bled a lot when I washed the shawl. I rinsed the shawl at least fifteen times.

I like it that winter doesn't keep people from using their bikes!

Edited to add: here's a link to the shawl pattern.

Saturday 13 February 2010

"Leaves dancing" shawl: progress


WIP "Leaves dancing" shawl
Originally uploaded by Asplund

I'm very fond of this design: it's both beautiful and fun to knit. At first I wasn't sure about the rib effect of the knit and purl lines, but now I think it enhances the shape of the leaves.

It makes the wrong-side rows less monotonous to knit too, since they don't consist of purl stitches only. (Which is what I often prefer since it requires less concentration, I should add.) I also think new leaves are incorporated into the design in an elegant way.

Sunday 7 February 2010

Birthday party


Maria
Originally uploaded by
Asplund

Yarn shop Marias garn in Stockholm is four years old, and Maria and her family celebrated yesterday by inviting knitters for coffee and cake.

Of course, it was a great afternoon: I met new knitters (new to me, that is) like Eldstickan and Lisa and got a chance to see fellow Ravelers balconyknit and TanjaL again.

Maria loves purple, and she is a great knitter of sweaters and shawls (among other things) so I had made her a mini sweater knitting a mini shawl. Would you believe it, Maria herself was also working on a purple triangular shawl!

I started knitting a new shawl at the party, using a pattern from Junghans-Wolle that Fadenstille was kind enough to send me. Danke schön! My main challenge this time is using a pattern in German, but since it's a lace pattern it isn't too difficult, charts and symbols being international.

Any modifications? Yes! Today I actually ripped out what I'd made yesterday and started a new version; it will be three repeats wide instead of two for a crescent rather than triangular shape.


It's still winter (in case you didn't know!) but the sky was clear today. The cathedral is like Garbo, beautiful from all angles.

Friday 5 February 2010

De-frocked Monk


"De-frocked Monk"
Originally uploaded by
Asplund

A collar instead of a hood makes "de-frocked" a perfect addition to the name. Thanks for your suggestion, Lars!

Perhaps I'll add a couple of buttons and crochet hooks for them; it depends on how the sweater looks and feels when I wear it.

The white cast-off is my addition to the sleeves; I also knitted the vertical stripes in moss stitch and garter stitch (instead of knit-purl ribbing).

I'm afraid I haven't found many pictures of the original design for comparison. Interweave has one here (preview page 7) and via Ravelry I found a version of the design on Flickr.