Posts Tagged 'shawl'

New FO – The Shattered Sun Shawl

Published May 9, 2012 Knitting 1 Comment
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The Shattered Sun Shawl is from Sweet Georgia Knits in Vancouver. Designed by Felicia Lo – this pattern was so gorgeous that I cast on almost as soon as I saw it. Ravelry Project page here.

The recommended yarn was not carried anywhere here in Toronto, so I substituted for IndigoDragonfly MCN Sock – in a colour called ‘What the Hay!?’.

Indigodragonfly

The pattern is well written and easy to follow. The complex looking lace is really only 2 rows and it was a quick knit for me. As a bonus I got to knit most of it in Boston :) This was my sunny casting off spot – in the courtyard of the Boston Public Library.

Like all newborn shawls it was wrinkly, not exactly pretty and way smaller than I’d expected…

… but it blocks out beautifully. Finished dimensions were 19″ deep and 43″ in the wings. I can’t wait to take it off the board and wear it – it’s so beautiful and summery looking.

For the record here is how I blocked it – I ran worsted weight blocking wires through the top and then flexible lace weight wires through the last row of yarn overs at the end of the lace. I blocked aggressively to open the lace right up.

For the ruffle border I just gently arranged it by hand in an even fan and left it to dry that way.

It’s a lovely little shawl – I haven’t tried to wear it yet but I think it’s safe to say I’m in love :)

New FO – the Citizen Shawl

Published April 2, 2012 Knitting 8 Comments
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Citizen shawl

I was looking for something cuddly to make out of some of the alpaca skeins I bought last autumn at Alpaca Acres in Stratford. Alpaca is so soft and luxurious – I knew it would make a great wrap!

The Citizen Shawl

I selected the Citizen Shawl by Liz Abinante. I have knitted her Travelling Woman shawl a few times and thought this would be perfect.

Citizen Shawl

For anyone trying this pattern out, a few warnings! The pattern has got a few holes in it – the most important one being that you should end up with 251 stitches before the lace pattern, instead of 248, so make sure you download the latest version.

Citizen Shawl

Here is my Ravelry project page where I list all the changes I made to the pattern. It’s easy enough, and some of the changes are obvious, but I think they might be tricky for someone new to lace knitting.

Citizen Shawl

The shawl was a gift for my lovely friend Annie. Her and her partner Jane have created the most beautiful home, filled with art and warmth and music. In fact, their home is so lovely it deserves it’s own post later on this week!

Citizen Shawl

I still have 3 precious skeins of Alpaca left in the “Sandy” colourway – I’m looking for a fabulous summer wrap pattern! Any ideas?

New FO – The Age of Brass and Steam

Published January 9, 2012 Knitting 2 Comments
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I wanted something simple to show off a skein of TFA Olive that I picked up – I wanted something for my neck, with just enough pattern to look interesting but little enough that the beautiful colour in the yarn could really shine.

Age of Brass and Steam

I chose the Age of Brass and Steam – a free pattern on Ravelry by Orange Flower. What a quick knit, it cast on Saturday and was blocking the following Saturday. Easy, mindless and beautiful. The simple construction allows the varigated yarn to really take centre stage. For some reason, though I’ve been in love with Olive for a while this is the first skein of it I actually bought, so I felt pressured to find just the right pattern for it.

The Age of Brass and Steam

One skein of TFA DK weight yarn goes a long way, so the only pattern mod I made was that I kept going for a while after the last eyelet row.

The Age of Brass and Steam

In retrospect I probably should have stopped at the last eyelet row, because I kept going the edges have a tendency to curl that no amount of blocking will fix. I love it anyways though – it’s hard not to, just look at that colour!

The Age of Brass and Steam

I give this pattern the thumbs up for sure – definitely recommend!

 

Sugared Violets Shawl. Kinda.

Published August 26, 2011 Knitting 1 Comment
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I think I really messed up the pattern along the way, adding way more eyelet ridges that was necessary and running out of yarn before I could do the 2nd repeat of the fleurette mesh, or the garter edging… but nonetheless I’m happy with it.

Sugared Violets Shawl

Sugared Violets (Ravelery Project page here) is a gorgeous design that I will definitely be attempting again. Aggressive increases give the shawl a great crescent shape – my favourite and very easy to wear.

Sugared Violets Shawl

I think I might have lost track of what my stitch count was before I started my eyelet ridges.  I kept thinking the shawl wasn’t deep enough, so I kept adding eyelet ridge repeats, with the result that I didn’t get the full effect of the fleurette mesh. The pattern is so flexible though, that this hasn’t really made a bad difference. It still opened up beautifully.

Sugared Violets Shawl

This absolutely gorgeous yarn is one of the treats I bought in Victoria. It’s a skein of Sweet Georgia yarn in the colourway ‘Cayenne‘. My first, I’ve been dying to try it out for a long time. It’s great to work with and blocks beautifully.

Sugared Violets Shawl

The next time I try this it will be with TFA Blue Lable charcoal :) It think it would be a gorgeous piece for fall!

The finest thing I have ever knit.

Published April 21, 2011 Knitting 2 Comments
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Yarn: Mirasol Tupa, in gold.

Pattern: The Travelling Woman by Liz Abinante

Mods: I did 5 repeats of chart A – and used 5 mm needles on a light worsted instead of the recommended fingering weight yarn.

Finished size: I haven’t taken proper measurements yet, but it’s roughly 6 feet feet across the wings and 2 feet deep. It took just over 4 skeins.

I love this yarn – what a pleasure to knit with, and it blocked so beautifully! This shawl was knitted specifically to wear to the Lion King (which was spectacular, absolutely go see it if you haven’t already) and the colour and the sheen of the yarn were perfect. Tito bought me a dress specifically to match the yarn – that’s how beautiful this stuff is. The shawl has gorgeous drape, shows off the lace beautifully and is warmer than it looks.

It is, in my humble opinion at the moment, the very finest thing I have ever knit.

travelling woman shawl

travelling woman shawl

travelling woman shawl

travelling woman shawl

Awww =o) Couple shot. We took this with a self timer right before finally seeing the Lion King – which I’ve been dying to see for about 10 years but due to a series of mishaps never did until now. Best. Christmas Gift. Ever.

Travelling Woman Shawl

Published January 25, 2011 Crochet , Knitting 5 Comments
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Travelling Woman

I’ve just completed my very first knitted shawl! The pattern is the Travelling Woman by Liz Abinante. The yarn is TFA Blue Label in Mallard. Thank you Tanis, for the recommendation! This was an ideal first lace shawl – the purl columns as well as the sk2po column make it easy to read your knitting and keep track of where you are.

I wish I had a nicer room to take photos in . Ah well, soon! In the meantime, though I loath the apartment I love the paint colour =o) I wasn’t kidding when I said turquoise was my favourite colour, I could seriously paint every surface in it and be happy.

The shawl reminded me of this silk sundress I have hidden away in the closet. I can’t wait for warm weather, I bet they’ll look great together. Yes, it’s a match made in heaven.

I was able to make the shawl a little bigger by doing 3 repeats of chart A – I have a feeling I could have squeezed in one more repeat – there is still quite a bit of yarn left. One skein of TFA goes a long way! Have I mentioned how much I love the way TFA blocks? It was like night and day, the shawl opened up so beautifully, and the details in the lace became more visible.

This was my very first shawl, crocheted in TFA Blue Label, in Grape. It was also the beginning of my love affair with this yarn. However, at the time I didn’t know much about blocking, and though the shawl was lovely it didn’t fit quite right. After seeing how much change blocking brought about on my Mallard shawl I decided to block this one and see what happened.

It worked like a charm! The lace opened right up and my painstaking beadwork is much more visible. It’s also better shaped, with longer wings. I can’t wait to wear it out!

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