There should be enough yarn for five repeats of leaves plus the bottom section; hopefully, also a knitted-on border along the top.
My plan is to reuse this scalloped border from Jane Sowerby's treasure of a book Victorian Lace Today.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Springtime shawl progress
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Springtime shawl
In Marianne Kinzel's First Book of Modern Lace Knitting there's a square-shaped table cloth that I admire and believe would be fun to knit. As I neither need nor want a knitted table cloth I've decided to modify the pattern to make a shawl instead. Not that I need shawls either, but I do need to make them.
The square design consists of four triangles, so by skipping one of them and knitting back and forth instead of in the round I will get a shawl shape I really like and have knitted a few times before (like this shawl). It looks comfortable to wear, staying on the shoulders far better than a triangular shawl. It seems easier to sit down wearing it too, since the back is horizontal.
I first cast on to knit the "Gerda stole", a pattern on Ravelry, thinking this colour would suit the pattern extremely well. I still think so, but ripped it out realizing I would soon get fed up knitting a rectangle. In some ways I'm very patient, in other ways not.
Off topic: I've been house-sitting and taking care of Sigge for a few days. Very relaxing!
If I may say so myself, I got the size and shape of the "Pacific" sweater right! It's far too hot to wear it these days, but I don't mind. Winter was so long and cold I'm still almost surprised every morning to find it's summer!
Monday, 21 June 2010
"Pacific" sweater finished
One of the many things I love about this yarn (BC Shetlandsuld) is how much softer it becomes when washed. It suits me perfectly, because I prefer working with yarn that isn't too soft and slippery but like most people (I hope!) would rather not wear a scratchy sweater.
Modifications in short:
1. Bluish-green stripes made wider (because I like the colour so much and wanted to make it more dominant).
2. Purl stitches around cables (for a deeper relief effect).
3. Sleeve cap shaped (for comfort and to practise shaping stranded caps with short rows).
4. Parallelograms added to sleeves (to make them more fun to knit than just stripes and cables).
5. Side cable in the middle continued along sleeve (because I like hidden details).
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Royal company
Today I was delighted to get to meet a great knitter and fellow Raveler from Norway for the first time! We first got in touch on Flickr a few years ago. I only wish I could have stayed longer today. Next time in Norway?
Of course, it is always a treat seeing Born to knit, Maria and Karin too. We also caught a few glimpses of the royal wedding (Crown Princess Victoria) from two screens on the café walls, but I do prefer Knitting Royalty and so found it very easy to concentrate on my friends instead.
Speaking of great knitters, my grandmother who taught me how to knit would have turned 90 today. How many knitting hours we could have spent together during the past twenty years!
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
The joy of blocking
I love blocking shawls! This time the total width grew by some 38 cm (15 in).
Tomorrow I've got two knitting-related activities to celebrate the first day of my summer holidays: having lunch with Anna to give her this shawl and see how it looks on her, and in the evening meeting up with my knitting & sewing group from work.
I did manage to knit in public on Saturday, joining other members of group Uppmaskan at the train station in Uppsala.
Unfortunately, I could only stay for some 20 minutes, between the opening of an art show where a cousin of mine is represented, and a colleague's birthday party. Toil and moil...
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Happy shawl!
The shawl I finished a couple of weeks ago got to meet Annika last night. I hope and believe they will live happily ever after!
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
More "Pacific" progress and knitting camp
Here's a better photo of how I've let the middle side cable continue along the sleeve. Another modification is purl instead of knit stitches next to the cables.
I haven't mentioned the knitting camp I'm going to in early August. (My birthday present for myself - sometimes I'm really generous!) It will be such a treat meeting old and new knitting friends, and I'm more than happy with the workshops I've been allotted:
1. Decorative details in Estonian knitting
2. Traditional tapestry crochet patterns from Korsnäs in Finland
3. Different decorative elements with Designer Idol Britt-Marie Christoffersson! "I guess I'm just a lucky so-and-so," to quote a song by Duke Ellington.
Two other knitting idols will be there too: Celia B. Dackenberg, who wrote Ylle & bläck (Wool & Ink) about knitting in literature and writers' knitted garments, and Uuve Snidare whose book Fiskartröjor (Fishermen's Sweaters) is one of my top favourites - she's the one who reconstructed the Russian sweater from Unskijposad. I'm thrilled to pieces!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)