Secrets and mysteries

This whole mystery thing where you only get a little bit of the pattern once a week really is tempting! I had a lot of fun just watching as people worked their way through The Mystery Stole 3. I didn't join them as I was in the middle of The cap Shawl, but everybody sure had a lot of fun.

In a few weeks The Secrets of Chrysopolis starts. And I am so tempted! And I don't have time. I really shouldn't join it (well, I already did, but just for a peek). The stole is big, I'll need around 1600 yards, which is just a s much as I used for The Cap. I get 8000 yards from knitpicks next week, but then I am going to start Anne's Garden Stole.

Am in the middle of The melon too, so I really shouldn't.

But I am tempted!

Purple melon

I finally managed to get the colour right!

Melons melons melons

I wonder if it is my craving for watermelon that has subconsciously made me knit The Melon or if it the other way around!?

Goodbye summer

The days are getting shorter and colder.

Soon this part of the garden.....

...will look like this:
Brrrr!

Ravelry

Just because everybody else does it!



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The Melon indeed it is

Yep, Kat was right- It's The Melon Shawl from Victorian Lace Today. The pattern is extremely easy to memorize, but I have to keep en eye out for mistakes which seem to pop up more often in easier patterns!?

I have decided that this shawl has second priority as soon as I get the yarn for Anne's Garden Stole (which I am busy designing too).

I really like the pattern and it is much easier than it looks like.

New project

Well, the yarn and needles for Anne's Garden Stole hasn't arrived yet so I had to find something else to do in the meantime (don't mention UFOs). I started out with a babyhat, but no. I then tried a pair of baby socks. Nooo no, just didn't feel right. I then dived into my stash and rediscovered the mohair/silk yarn Jennie gave me in the final SP parcel (isn't it just great to have so much yarn that you are able to do that). I did some swatching and came up with a simple pattern for a scarf (I prefer simple lace patterns or no pattern at all for variegated yarn) but the only 6mm circular neddles I have are blessed with a wire as stiff as unboiled spagetti, so in the end, for the sake of my arms, I gave up.

In a split second, I didn't even notice it happen, I was knitting......yes, what am I knitting, can you tell?

She's the best!

There was a note in my mail yesterday so today I could pick up yet another wonderfull parcel from Jennie.

Inside the beautiful bag were the eagerly awaited inspiration for Anne's Garden Stole. As I already told her they inspired me so much that I had to order The Second Book Of Modern Lace Knitting right away (now that I had seen 3 of the beautiful circular cloths). Figured I better order The First Book too! And oh boy, by accident Wrapped in comfort found its way into the basket too! You think that's it? No no no, on the way out I managed to sneak in Traditional knitted lace shawl too. After that I didn't dare to take a look at the rest of my search for "lace knitting"!! She also managed to feed both my crave for chocolate and my mohair addiction. As always the picture doesn't look quite right, but I tell you the green and blue is just perfect (not too much purple at all). It is so soft and yummy too.
And some seeds for next year. They will be fun to grow, have never seen them before.
Thank you so much Jennie!

You are a wonderfull inspiration!

Anne flowers

This is what met my eyes when I opened the door on my "Getting spoiled day"

Anne was hiding behind them ofcourse!

You guys see why I have to make her a Garden Stole?

The Cap Shawl #17 In action

It's raining today so these pictures will have to do.

The Cap Shawl #16 DONE

That's it. A pile of Cap Shawl ready for the big block.

And here she is!

Just to show the size (you really can't tell whether it is a doiley or a shawl from the above pictures) I have put a couple of video casettes on it.

Pattern: The Cap Shawl from Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby.

Yarn: Kid Seta. 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, bourdeaux. 210m/25g. 185 g (1554 m).

Needles: 4mm Addi Lace circular needles (60, 80 100 cm)

Size: Blocked to 190 cm in diameter!!

Time: July 11th - August 22nd 2007

Modifications: Smaller needles.

Spoiled

I have been totally utterly spoiled by Anne today

Swimming in 30% hot saltwater

Delicious picnic

Looking at flower and beautiful trees

Laughing my head off

I am tired!

Thank you!!!

Cap almost finished!

Branching Out -Finito

So, here she is, Branching Out. Blocking sure does wonders! I was worried that it looked a bit clumsy and thought the yarn might be too heavy for the pattern, but it turned out just perfect.

Okay, maybe I should have changed the t-shirt. I like when people show things while wearing them as it is so much easier to get a good impression of the size, so figured I better put on a couple of ms. headless myself.

• Pattern: Branching Out from http://www.knitty.com/
• Yarn: 75g Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, 100% silk, 124m/50g
• Needles: 4mm Addi Lace Circular
• Size: 150x14 cm (59"x5½")
• Modifications: None, but I didn't use all the yarn. I think the length is just perfect
• Time: Aug 1st - aug 19th
  

The Cap Shawl #15 -almost there

All of a sudden I was much closer to the end than I thought. But still have about 5½ hours of knitting ahead of me. The diameter is at least 160 cm (63")-unblocked! Is blocking nessesary at all? I think it looks pretty ok as it is!?

Branching Out blocking

Almost ready to be wrapped up!

Anne's Garden Shawl

Yesterday it was Anne's birthday (Happy birthday) and because she means a lot to me my next project is for her. As she loves her garden and has one h... of a garden the theme is quite obvious. It is going to be

"Anne's Garden Stole"

I'll use Knitpicks 100% merino lace weight wool and once it is finish I'll dye it with love and care in a colour I think she will like. The shape will be rectangular and the pattern.... well, that's a surprice :-) So you will just have to come back (and back and back) to see it evolve.

My inspiration are shawls like this and this and this and this and of course my not-secret-anymore SecretPal10 Jennie (thanks).

The yarn hasn't arrived yet (nor the needles) so...

to be continued.....

and of course there are 1 million kilometers of cap Shawl border

The Cap Shawl #14

Does it never end????? I am not even halfway with that border

Torture (The Cap Shawl #13)

That was very cruel of me. I mean, to tell myself not to knit on the Cap until Brancing Out was nicely wrapped up. Actually it was torture. Torture is illegal.

Here's the result.

2½/9 of the way. That's around 400 of the 1475 rows.

By accident I found a new way (well new to me) of knitting on the border. I started out with 2 bamboo dpn's. That didn't work at all so used my shortest circular lace needle instead. It was quite a fuzz to pick up that one stitch from the center panel every other row. By accident I started knitting with the big circular with all the center panel stitches on. And that is SO much easier! Now I don't have to change needle all the time and I don't have to worry about the stitches falling off the big circular when it's just hanging there.

I was a little surpricing that you use slip stitches when you knit-on the border as it reduces the elasticity. But I guess it holds it all together a little. Just have to be carefull when blocking. And they look neat!
The pictures get bigger if you click them

Diagram generator & stashes

Right here is a free pattern diagram generator. I'll be needing one soon :-)

And have a look at this!! I will never ever again feel bad about bying too much yarn.

For the stash

I have forgotten to show what I bought (on sale) in Norway.

5 skeins of Garnstudio silk tweed in black. And a pair of bamboo needles so i could make a swatch.

Still branching out

Figured, that if I want this to be ready for my mothers birthday I better put The Cap on hold for a bit.

The Cap Shawl #12 -The edge

So far so good.

The Cap Shawl #11

I finally finished the center part! The last 11 rounds with 738 stitches in each seemed to go on forever.

Now it is edging time!