Tag Archives: stone croft shawl

Good news/bad news

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So, I’ve got good news and bad news about my shawl.

Good news: I’ve made it almost to the end.  I finally decided to stop adding repeats and start the border.  It’s a nice size, and I love how the pattern looks all worked up in this yarn.  I think it’s going to look even more fabulous when I’ve blocked it out.IMG_2611

Other good news: The border is looking good.  I love the way the faux-cable ends so crisply and the border takes over.

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Still more good news: I really enjoyed the stretchy bind-off the pattern calls for.  It looks a bit messy now, but I think it’ll block up like a dream.  I’m going to keep it in mind for future projects.

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And here’s the bad news:  I totally lost at yarn chicken.  And, since this is the only skein I have of this yarn, I can’t just grab a couple yards of yarn from somewhere else.  So I’ve got two options:  undo the bind-off and the last couple rows and re-knit an even narrower border. (The border is already more narrow than called for in the pattern because I procrastinated starting the border in the first place.)  Or, I can rip all the way back to the body of the shawl, remove the last faux-cable repeat, and start the whole border earlier, make it wider and (hopefully) not run out of yarn before I’m ready.  I’m not super stoked about either choice.

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What would you do?

Triangles

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It’s been a while since I did a triangle shawl, and I forgot one very important thing about them.

They’re triangles.

I realize this seems obvious; it’s right there in the name.  But it’s one thing to pick out a project and another to actually knit it up.

The thing about triangles is that they start out skinny, then get wider and wider as you go.  (Again, very obvious.)  So, when I started this shawl two weeks ago, it was a breeze!  I flew through the first 5 charts!  It was knitting up so fast, and I was having such fun with the project.  IMG_2585

Then, the inherent triangle-ness took over and the rows slowly became longer and longer, and the shawl started feeling like it was slowing down.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like it.  It’s a very satisfying pattern, and the contrasting lace panels are fun to work.  But it’s getting to be slow going.IMG_2590

Also, I’ve been trying to see how many repeats I can do before I have to start the wide band of edging.  I’ve got more yarn than the Small size calls for, but less than the Large, so it’s kind of a guessing game.  I swear I’ve said “OK, I’ll work one more repeat, then I’ll start the edging” maybe 6 times at this point.  I really like this yarn and want to use every last bit, but I also have very little interest in losing yarn chicken and having to rip it out again.

Maybe I’ll do one more repeat, then I’ll start the edging…

A New Project Emerges!

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I’m so ready for this one, folks!

I showed you my stash yarn last week, and have decided to go ahead and start knitting with some of it.  Specifically, this skein of Local Color Fiber Studio Whole Flock.  It’s deliciously crunchy-looking (and a little crunchy-feeling, despite the angora, but in a good way).IMG_2519 It’s something I’ve been looking for an appropriate pattern for since last winter.  In fact, I was almost to the point where I was going to say “screw it!” and just turn it into a simple garter scarf (boring!).

Since it’s so rustic-looking, I decited to pair it with a kind of feminine, lacy pattern.  But I didn’t want the pattern to be too fru-fru, since that’s not really my style.  So, I poked around on Ravelry for a while, and found this lovely triangular shawl.

It’s the Stone Croft Shawl by Judy Marples!DSC_0051.jpgIt’s a fairly geometric shawl, with a wide band of the “netting” that runs along two sides of the triangle, and a pretty column of faux-cable lace in the middle.  The perfect balance of pretty and femme, without tipping over into “girly.”  And, since the shawl is knit from one point, out to the wide end, I think I’ll be able to use every last scrap of my special yarn (or at least that’s the goal right now).

I’ve already got a few inches under my belt, and I can’t wait to see how it looks all finished up.  I bet this yarn is going to block really well- I’m excited!IMG_2563

Have you started anything new lately?