Projects finished, projects started

After almost two years in our house, Nick and I are getting around to some of the small home improvement projects that have been nagging us. Behold: the front entrance.


It looks so plain and unassuming, but I assure you, hours of work and weeks of procrastinating went into this scene. First there's the handrail. There never was one there before. That was purchased, sawed off, stained, and then sat in the kitchen for a month before we got around to actually attaching it to the wall. The wooden stairs were scratched and notched and in desperate need of repainting (the previous owners were kind enough to leave a lot of half-empty paint cans in the basement, so this didn't even necessitate a trip to the hardware store), but I quickly discovered that alkyd paint, once dry, is extremely slippery. That led to a trip to the hardware store to buy the stick-on tread tape that along with the handrail, should decrease the chance of having visitors severely injure themselves before they've even made it inside. Then I painted the moldings. Lassy helped.

And you should hear the new doorbell. Now we'll even be aware of when visitors are on the doorstep. A novel concept, admittedly.

On the knitting scene, I've managed to finish a cute little baby cardigan for an upcoming shower. One of my co-workers is expecting a baby boy early next year.


I improvised the pattern using a simple cardigan pattern from a Sirdar booklet. I basically went through my stash looking for anything that was machine washable and suitable for a baby sweater, and came up with two small balls of the dark colour, and half a ball of the lighter denim yarn leftover from a pair of Blu baby jeans I made last year. They're different yarns, but both DK cotton, so I just threw them together and this is what came out. I had just enough yarn (it was a close finish), and decided to accent it with some cute contrasting buttons. I think the mom-to-be will be pleased with it.

In other baby news, my dear friend Deanne had a girl recently. I sent her the second JoJo cardigan that I made some time ago. Finally, a little girl to claim it! Happily, that gives me an excuse to knit another baby girl sweater now - I always like to have one in reserve, as there are more babies on the way in my circle of friends.

My newest distraction is a new lace project.


This scarf bears the daunting title of "Scarf with Edging 21 and Insertion 25 from The Knitted Lace Pattern Book, Thompson Bros., Kilmarnock, Scotland 1850". For anyone familiar with the book, it's easy to guess that this is from Victorian Lace Today. This is for my mom. She picked out the yarn, Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, when we were in Halifax in June and I dragged her to Loop Yarns not just once, but twice in one weekend. I've been wondering whether I should have used a smaller needle size (the pattern is actually written for fingering weight yarn), but I'm going to trust in the magic of lace blocking and hope that it will turn out as beautifully as previous lace projects that I had my doubts about.

My other big project this week? I'm dehydrating a bunch of food for an upcoming backpacking trip with my Guides. My whole house sticks of onions. You can even smell in outside on the sidewalk. I can't wait to be finished!

Two Years in the Making

I have finally finished the Mystery Stole 3 project. I started this in the summer of 2007, thanks to encouragement from my friends in Ottawa (c'mon, everybody's doing it!). I've been knitting on it intermittently even since. It's followed us through three different homes, and has kept me company through many, many Sunday morning Coronation Street marathons.

I finished the knitting last weekend, and blocked it a few days ago.



I'm very happy with the result. This project marks the first time I have attempted a "mystery" project, as well as the first time knitting with beads(They're small blue seed beads. They didn't show up well in the photos., but they really pop out in person). It is certainly not without mistakes - there are some glaring ones to my eye, but it seems that only I am able to find them.


I knit the symmetrical variation of this stole. The original involved a very asymmetrical shape with a bird's wing on one side - a stunning project, but this being my first major lace project, I wanted something a bit more traditional-looking.

I'm very happy with the result, and seriously delighted to get this long-term WIP out of my knitting basket, finally! Soon, I hope to have another even longer languishing project to show you. Quilting, this time.

Quick Show and Tell

Thanks for the kind words. Lassy is doing well, but we're appreciating him all the more now!

Just a quick post to show you my latest Swallowtail Shawl, knit last week. Here's the poor lump prior to blocking:


And here's the full spread blocking:

I even added a few clear blue seed beads to the outer rows, but they didn't really show up too well. If I did that again, I would use bigger beads.


The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss in Aegean. This was the first project knit with my new Knit Picks Options needles (I got the traditional nickle-plated ones. Lovely to knit with.).

I did this shawl as a quick project for one of my favourite annual events. The community band program in my hometown, has a fundraiser called "Sweet Music". It's a big dessert buffet combined with a concert and silent auction. Nick and I were both members of the band for many years growing up, and they even played at our wedding. We try to give something back every year, and we look forward to getting a chance to catch up with everyone (and fill up on cheesecake) at the auction each year. Hopefully they'll have a bidding war over the shawl!

After four times through, the Swallowtail is still a fun knit for me. Overall, it's gotten easier, but the nupps still make me swear a little bit from time to time!

And now I'm off to knit night. I finally got my act together and met some of the local Ravellers in St. John's. I just have to decide which project to take with me.

July catch-up

Wow, I was doing really well there for a while with the blogging regularly, and then June happened....

My most recent adventure was a five-day camp with my Pathfinder Unit (Pathfinders are Girl Guides aged 12-15, and I have been so lucky to have ended up with the most amazing group of girls!). Even though the weather was crap-tastic and cold, we had a lot of fun. More adventures are planned this summer with a couple of weekend backpacking trips coming up.

So, back to the main theme of this blog... what am I knitting these days?

My main focus has been my Mystery Stole 3, which I abandoned last summer somewhere around my second house move. I picked it up again a couple of weeks ago, and it is now my concentration knitting in front of the tv. Unfortunately, it just looks like a big black blob, so I haven't photographed it in a while. Further updates to come.

My mindless travel knitting has been this plain stripey sock. I bought the yarn on a whim on my last trip to Wool Trends, mostly because I loved the colourway - these are definitely my colours. The yarn is called Boston, and the company is Wisdom Yarns. I'd never heard of it before, but it's very similar in structure and price to Regia and Jawoll sock yarns. Nothing too special, but gee, I do love those blues and greens! Just one more sock to go.


I was actually at Wool Trends to pick up this:


It's a Lady of the Lake jacket kit by Fleece Artist. I had been admiring these at my LYS for some time, but the only colour they had left was a bright turquoise. It was way too loud for my taste. But then I found out that Fleece Artist will custom dye kits to order, and that was just too amazing to pass up. This colourway is called Paris, and I chose it by looking through a piles of skeins of SeaSilk. It came out a little brighter than I expected in the kit (though still not quite as bright as it looks in this photo), but I think it will look great when the colours all get mixed up together. I haven't examined the pattern too closely yet, but I think that it's knit holding together strands of the two different yarns together - Curly Locks (or the right) and Kid Aran (on the left). Now I just need to decide which to start first, this or my Ivy League Vest.

Something I've been doing over the last months is trying to catch up on all those things that I wouldn't allow myself to do while I was finishing my thesis. It's been a strange experience, catching up with the rest of the world on a number of fronts. I finally read the last Harry Potter novel (Sigh. So good. Hard to believe it's all over), and continuing the trend of being last to the party, i joined Ravelry. I've actually been on there for a few weeks now, but I haven't had time to do too much with my page yet. Come find me if you haven't already - I'm KBH over there.

I've had several requests for kitty photos, so I'll try to get some of those soon. Lassy is doing well, and has started going outside now. He seems very happy running about the neighbourhood and checking out the neighbour's garden.

I can't promise that I'll be updating the blog too frequently in the coming weeks. I've got a business trip to western Newfoundland this week, and off to Calgary the following week. Hopefully I get lots of plane knitting accomplished anyway! I'll leave you with a FO photo of my latest Swallowtail. I gave it to Nick's grandmother on her 80th birthday. As a life-long knitter, I think she appreciated it.

Blocking never gets boring

This will just be a short post tonight to show off my newly finished Swallowtail Shawl. Because who doesn't love a good lace blocking shot?



I gave it a soak in a Eucalen bath and threaded it onto the wires this evening. Hopefully I'll get around to taking FO photos before the weekend is out.

It's been a busy few weeks chez Hedgehog Knits, with travel and meetings and not a lot of fun. And I'm off to Manchester again in a week. At least the weather has improved, so I've been making time to get out walking and biking. So long for now.

Finishing up

The return to the foggy, chilly St. John's spring has been a bit of a shock to the system, but it's good to be home. Finally, yesterday, we got our first really nice warm spring day, and being Victoria Day weekend (when traditionally, you can start planting things in Newfoundland and not have to worry too much about frost), we spent yesterday planning and starting our patio garden. We inherited a pot of chives from the previous home owners, and put in some strawberries and shallots yesterday, and started seeds for lettuce, spinach, and zucchini. The peppers, tomatoes and herbs will have to wait until it gets a little warmer though.

After a good day of moving planters and dirt around, I sat down in the evening to put together Marjorie.

Marjorie from Knitty.com, size medium. Knit on 2.75 mm circular needle with GarnStudio Silke Tweed.

I really enjoyed knitting this sweater and the fit turned out to be just about perfect. It had just the right degree of intricate detail to keep my interest, and I knit on it almost exclusively from the time I started it. It took two months to finish, but since I haven't had a lot of knitting time lately, and it's a fine gauge, I think that's pretty good for me.

One word of warning about the yarn: it leached a lot of dye. See?


That's the first of four soakings, and even the fourth one still gave off a bit of colour. It's almost as if they didn't rinse the fibre at all at the factory after dying it. Strangely, none of it came off on my hands while knitting and the colour of the yarn didn't fade at all after all that soaking. I am going to have to be very careful about washing this sweater separately.

Now I have returned to knitting on Gatsby Girl and I also started yet another Swallowtail shawl during my flight back from England.

I'm just starting on the second Lily of the Valley border. It surprises me how fast I can whip one of these off now. Perhaps it's time I tried another shawl pattern... or finished up the Mystery Stole that I started last summer. Here's to clearing out some of the long-languishing projects while I'm in a spring cleaning kind of mood.

FOs and the start of the tour

Ah, it feels good to finish something. Especially when it feels as though the unpacking and organizing of the new house will never end. A couple of little FO's to show today.

Here's the Swallowtail shawl, finally blocked and dried, and looking lovely if I do say so myself. I'm very happy with how this turned out.


And, at long last, I have finished the Tofutsies socks.

Ribby cable socks (my own design) in Tofutsies. 72 st on 2 mm needles.

I have been dragging these around with me since the summer, mostly as commuting knitting. Squeezed in between other projects, they seemed to drag on forever. The ribbing is K4 P2 cable2 P2, although the detail of it is rather obscured by the striping.


I can't say I'm particularly fond of this yarn. I heard good things about it, so I tried it when it became available at my LYS. To me, it's not much different from cotton, and I am not a fan of cotton socks. It's also fairly dense, and not very stretchy, so I think the socks would pool around my ankles after a couple of hours. These are going to be a Christmas gift for someone with slightly skinnier calves who I think will get a kick out of the colours.

In other business, I promised you a tour of the house. There still aren't many parts of it that are fit to be photographed. We have open and emptied most of the cardboard boxes at this point, but there is still a lot of clutter sitting around, each item waiting to be given its designated place. And we certainly haven't gotten around to details like hanging up the artwork. So, if you'll excuse the clutter, I'll show you my office:


Here's the part I know you'll love.... built-in yarn storage!


Have I mentioned that I love this place?

Now, I hope you'll bear with me for another couple of weeks of scarce postings. I'm off to Ottawa next week for my Ph.D. defense, and that means I have a presentation to prepare, studying to do, and general nervousness and self doubt to get over. Moreso than wanting to do well, I just want to get this over with and never have to think about it ever again. Wish me luck!

This cat can block...

or at least get in the way! Lassy and I blocked the Swallowtail Shawl yesterday. She was very helpful with setting out my blocking mats.


Then she chased a toy beetle under the mats.




And then, the all-important naptime.



This is her natural position, lounging importantly. She already knows that she owns the place.

Finally, I had to bar her from the room to get this blocked out. I hope she'll understand.


The new blocking wires are a godsend.

Traveling again

Whew. It feels as though I've hardly been home this fall. Following the late summer trip to Manchester, I had to go to western Newfoundland for a little field work. Then there was a quick weekend for meetings in Toronto (sorry to my Toronto friends, I didn't have a moment to spare this time! But I'll be back in February.), and now I'm in Calgary on a week-long training for work. I'll be back home for a couple of weeks before I have to head off to Ottawa again for my defense. Don't get me wrong, it's all been rather exciting. But sometimes I'd like to be able to see my husband in person and enjoy just lounging in the new house. Oh, the house? Right. I promised you more pictures. I have only one with me right now:

This is what hubby likes to call "Kelly in her natural habitat". That's the first test drive for knitting on the new couch. I'll have to take some more photos when I get home. Lassy, the cat, has finally joined us in our new home, so I will have to provide the long-awaited kitty photos soon too. Yup, it's a real knitting blog now. I have cat photos!

My flight to Calgary was ridiculously long, but the upside is that I managed to get more knitting done during the trip than I have in the past month. I started a Swallowtail shawl (the second one for me) as we took off from St. John's, and after several hours lounging around Halifax and then Toronto airports, I had the rosebud lace section finished by the time we touched down in Calgary. I've been working on the border in my spare moments since I arrived. Here's a shot of it - please excuse the ugly hotel chair!


It should be ready for blocking by the time I get home, and will likely be a Christmas present. The yarn is Knit Picks Shimmer (70% alpaca, 30% silk) in the Turquoise Splendor colourway. I'm not delighted with the stripy pooling that's happening - I was hoping for something a little more random - but I can certainly live with it. Re-knitting this pattern has been a really interesting exercise. The first Swallowtail shawl that I knit was my first project in laceweight yarn. I found it pretty challenging, especially at the beginning. It felt clumsy, it was hard to "read" my knitting, and the P5tog nups really tried my patience. It has several obvious mistakes in it. Now that I've been knitting lace for a while, this project is going really smoothly. I haven't frogged once - although as you can see, I'm still cautious enough to have put in a life line before the borders... can't be too careful. (Note to self - always carry dental floss when traveling!) Even the nups seem much more manageable. It shows me that my skills are definitely getting better. I have been thinking about tackling a major lace project, like a full-size shawl. This one has really caught my interest. Maybe in the new year.

It occurred to me recently that, in the craziness that has been my life lately, I completely missed the passing of my one-year blogiversary. I've been pretty bad with anniversaries in general - I have been away from Nick and out of the country for our first two wedding anniversaries! I'll mark the date on my calendar (for the blogiversary - I know when my anniversary is!) and try to do something special for next year.

I'll up again from Newfoundland next week. I've got a great little FO there to share.

Off across the pond.

Well, that didn't take long. I'm off on my first business trip to the UK tomorrow, on rather short notice. Ordinarily, I'd be very excited, but I just have so much to do right now! Hopefully I'll get a bit of free time in the evenings to catch up on the non-work commitments that I've been neglecting a bit lately.

I'd love to hear if anyone has suggestions for a good yarn shop in Manchester though. (Sarah?) Surely I can make time for a little souvenier yarn!

Before I get off to start packing, here's a quick update on what I've been working on lately:


My Mystery Stole, at the end of Clue 4. I've decided to be an old stick in the mud and to make a more traditional symmetrical stole - the original pattern is a bit more, um, artistic than something that I'm likely to wear. I'm opting for the alternate instructions which means I have to knit another whole piece like this, and then join them via a knitted panel in the centre. I've already started on the other half. I'm really enjoying knitting it. The beads are a bit irritating to work with, but I think the effect is worth it. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is going to be a long-term project, to be worked on when I have time to fully concentrate on it. I'm not going to hurry it.

And, as always, there is a pair of socks on the needles. This is the first one completed.


The yarn is Tofutsies, which I picked up at Yarn Forward in Ottawa just before I left. I like the way the striping works out on these, but I'm still not sure if I'll keep them for myself. I'm not a huge fan of cotton in my socks, but this blend is a little different from what you usually find.

These will be traveling with me next week, and I will probably bring along my gorgeous skein of Collinette Jitterbug as a back-up in case I finish this pair. I haven't managed to dig out the Jitterbug to photograph it yet, but the colours just take my breath away. So pretty.

One advantage of being so busy and frazzled lately is that I haven't been feeling the need to start any new projects. I steal a few moments to work on my WIPs when I can, but I don't have the free time to browse patterns and daydream about yarn purchases like I used to. My new Interweave Knits came in the mail this week though, and I have flagged the Tangled Yoke Cardigan and the Mirepoix Bodice for future knitting, probably substituting Knit Picks yarn for the latter. I am impressed with this issue, much more so than the last couple.

I'm not likely to be updating from the road next week, but I'll try to take some good photos of my travels to share when I return. 'Til next time!

Long time coming

Well, would you look what I found when I was packing. I finished this lace scarf over a month ago, but I never did take any FO photos. You'll have to excuse the less than idyllic setting of my balcony over the parking lot - my place is in a shambles right now and I don't have time to take a scarf to the park for a walk. I'm lucky that I can still find the camera to be honest!

Bramble Leaf Lace scarf from Victorian Lace Today, in SRK Collection Ovation, Purple Haze colourway. 4mm circular needles (I think).

This pattern is one of the many scarves with wide end borders in VLT - I think it's actually called something like "scarf with trellis border and bramble leaf insertion". As a very early lace project for me, I wanted to keep this simple so I left the border off and basically just knit the "insertion". I think that the first time that I try a knitted on lace border, I want it to be in something a little less frustrating than mohair!

Thoughts on this project... The yarn is really lovely and soft and I highly recommend it. It's a silk/mohair blend, very much like Kidsilk Haze but just a little thicker. Since I bought it from a bargain bin, it was much more affordable than its Rowan cousin. I used a little over two skeins and the scarf is just over 6' long. As I think I mentioned in a previous post, the pattern comes out a little different from the sample pictured in the book - this seems to be a recurring theme with VLT. The centre garter stitch panel is narrower in the photo.


These photos also highlight my need to obtain some good blocking wires. The pins that I've been using have made the edge all wonky. Perhaps when I finish my Mystery Stole, I'll get around to mail ordering a set. Suggestions for suppliers would be very welcomed.

I had a bit of a yarn adventure yesterday, but unfortunately none of us thought to bring a camera. Leanne and Nancy took me out to Wool 'n Things in Orleans for the first time. Wow. It's a very well stocked little shop. They carry the full line of Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Berocco, Noro, Fleece Artist, all the really good stuff that is hard to come by in my usual haunts. Highly educational, since I got to fondle a lot of yarns that I have often heard about but never seen in person. I have made some notes for future projects, and my wallet may have suffered some damage involving Jitterbug and a lot of silk. Photos tomorrow if I can find the yarn amidst the pile of boxes! Honestly, it was really fun to shop with other keen and excited knitters, and I think we managed to enable each other into buying stuff we really loved. I'm going to miss my Ottawa knitting friends and access to so many great yarn shops. But then perhaps my bank balance will be better for it!

Sucked in

I had a lovely time at Knit Night on Friday, despite spending the last half hour ripping out everything that I had knit on my Brigit sock during the first two hours. Apparently complex cables don't mix well with conversation - who knew? I ended up with a cable twisted the wrong way, purls where there should be knits, and too many stitches on the needles. Argh.

Then I got to see a few versions of the Mystery Stole 3 in progress. I had seen Leanne's stole on her blog last week, and though intrigued, I thought that I had too many projects on the go already. Then the Yarn Harlot talked about the lure of the shawl, and I sort of considered it. But then I saw a couple of the shawls in person, got to pet them, and started considering the possibilities for laceweight and beads in my stash. Leanne talked me into it... "Just join the group, and then you'll have the pattern. You don't have to keep up with the group. You can do it later when you have time." That sounded logical.

Alas, I am weak:



This took a large chunk of my weekend, in between starting to pack boxes, and running a few errands. I didn't even go into the office on Saturday - I don't remember the last time that happened. I have completely sold my soul to the Mystery Stole project. So this is knit up to the end of Clue #2, and apparently I have to wait four whole days until the next clue is released. That's probably a good thing!

I'm knitting with black 3-ply laceweight merino on 3 mm needles. The yarn is from China, so I can't really read much of the label. I bought a big lot of it on eBay a while back, and it's very nice to work with aside from a few knots that I've encountered. I'm using dark blue seed beads, sort of a frosted metallic colour. They're hard to see in the photo, but they show up better in person. I still have no idea what the theme of the shawl is based on this little bit.

Registration for the Mystery Stole is now closed - sorry to tease you! But I think the pattern will be available for sale later on, after the knit-along is finished.

This post is brought to you by pink SRK yarn

I just recently realized that I'm only knitting with Kertzer (SRK) yarns at the moment. Strange coincidence since I've never tried them before. First, the bramble leaf lace scarf you've seen before:

It's pretty fuzzy, but mohair is hard to photograph in low light. It's just a big ball of fuzz right now. Incredibly soft fuzz, but still. This is SRK Collection Ovation in the Purple Haze colourway (discontinued). I'm well into the second ball now, but luckily I managed to find a supplier, in Ontario no less, who still had some in stock. The fine folks over at Knitters Attic have set me up with another ball, which should get me a respectable length of scarf. I intend to knit some kind of edging at least on the ends, but I haven't yet decided what one. Hopefully Knitting on the Edge will come in handy here.

Also this week, I finally started Lola:


The yarn is James Brett Marble, also by SRK, in Berries. I like the sort of gradual striping effect, but the colour somehow looks a lot brighter knit up than it does in the ball. But that's okay, I could probably use some brighter colours in my wardrobe. The back knit up fairly quickly, but then I set it aside to think a bit. I'm knitting the smallest size, which is going to be pretty clingy on me. I'm trying to get over my irrational need to make everything bigger "just in case", and ending up with baggy sweaters. The ribbed fabric is really stretchy, so I think it will look okay, and end up as the kind of sweater fit I typically go for in a store-bought garment.

Warning: mindless rambling ahead.
The problem is, I'm not going to have enough yarn for the long sleeves that I had planned - I thought that 4 X 100g of DK would be plenty, but I've used almost 1.5 balls on the back. Since this is a stash project (and acrylic at that), I don't really want to buy any more. I could manage cap sleeves, but then would I wear a short sleeve acrylic pullover? I don't know.... I've considered converting it to a cardigan, as I do wear short-sleeve cardis in the summer but since it's going to be stretchy and on the tighter side, then I wondered if buttons might pull it out of shape and look rather funny unless I used a lot of buttons... There's always a zipper I suppose but then I think I would want a different neck stlye.... I don't know. I'm kind of at a loss right now. So it's back to the lace knitting for a bit while I ponder the possibilities. Your suggestions would be most welcome.

It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster of a week. I spent yesterday showing family friends around town, which was very fun - but they're in town for heart surgery for a six year old next week (who by the way, loved her new teddy bear). We're hoping for the very best for their family. And now we've had some really scarey news about the health of a family member back home, and Nick and I are worried sick. At least lace knitting is good for taking your mind off of things. I can't say the same for school work though! As my friend ms. m has pointed out, the thesis is my biggest WIP right now, and the sooner I can get it done, the sooner I can get on with my life. It's just hard to stay focused sometimes with so much on your mind.

Thank you for the kind comments about my finished vest. It fits very nicely, and I have already worn it a couple of times. It was fun to knit and I should get a lot of use out of it.

Inching along

Just a quick update on progress, as there's not much news to share this morning.

I've finally got the vest past the point at which I frogged it before. And yes, I tried it on and it appears to fit nicely. I've split for the armholes and am working on knitting up the back. I'm mostly following the directions for Leftovers, but adjusting for different gauge and sizing. I really hope the bottom isn't going to decide to roll like this once it's blocked. It seemed okay stretched out when I tried it on, so I think it will settle down.


The lace scarf that I started on the weekend is also plodding along slowly:


I really like this having one lace project for concentration, and a second mindless stockinette project for my more blah moments. I have been resisting the urge to start Lola, or Soleil, or Shedir (all linked in the sidebar) until the vest is finished, but I have also been pondering frogging a couple of older (alas unwearable) projects and knitting cute summer tops out of the yarn. The free patterns section at Drops Design is providing much of this inspiration. Argh, I need to spend more time working and less time browsing knitting sites and fantasizing! And on that note, back to work...

I'm a bit too old for this...

But apparently the Easter bunny showed up last night. I think Nick really wanted an excuse to eat chocolate.

I made some big progress at school last week, which involved late nights on campus. I decided that I deserved a bit of a break, so I took the whole three-day weekend off, other than a bit of end-of-term marking that just couldn't wait. It's done wonders for my state of mind. Aside from spring cleaning the apartment from top to bottom (I swear the dust bunnies were starting to plot against us!), I've been delving into all kinds of new things.

First off, on Friday night, I went to my first knit night at a coffee shop just down the street. Who knew that they've been meeting there all this time?! I got to meet several people who's blogs I read regularly, including Leanne and Sarah. (Leanne has a great photo of the event up on her blog). It was nice to meet some friendly local knitters, and I'm sure I'll be back soon. There are two organized get-togethers a month, I think.

I was so relaxed that by Saturday morning, I was itching to start another lace project. I had a couple of balls of SRK Collection Ovation, a pastel blend of mohair and silk. After a bit of time skimming Victorian Lace Today, I was drawn to this pattern, the "scarf with French trellis border from Weldon's 1890 and brabmble leaf center":


Except I wanted something a little simple. I decided to just start at the leaf panel, and leave off the two borders. Here we are after four chart repeats:


I'm liking it so far. It's just the right amount of intricacy for my level of skill and concentraton at this point. It's got patterning on every row, but the garter stitch borders are simple. Speaking of which, the outside garter stitch borders are actually a lot wider (8 sts) than the ones shown in the published photo shown above (I'm guessing 3 sts), aren't they? Funny, Grumperina was just pointing out a similar inconsistancy in the pattern that she's knitting from the same book. I sense a trend. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to have enough yarn to get very far with this. I've set it aside for a bit while I hunt for a couple more balls online. This colour, of course, has been discontinued.

Today, I got back to spinning a bit. I plied up some wool singles that had been sitting on my spindle for a while. It turned out rather disastrously. Nothing to do with a mess like that than use it for dye experiments. So I got out the Wilton cake colours and had a little fun. I might even be able to salvage a toque's worth of yarn out of the whole mess. I'll post photos of that soon - right now it's drying in my bathtub.

But more interestingly, I broke out the silk that I recently purchased on eBay. I had been wanting to try silk hankies, since I've heard they're an easy way for beginners to get into silk.


There's four different coloured hankies in there, and a bag of white silk top, which I might play around with blending if I ever manage to get some carders. After a bit of frustration at first with picking apart the layers, and having the incredibly fine fibres stick to everything including my hands, I finally managed to produce some yarn. It's the finest I've managed to spin yet (and probably as fine as I can manage without a lighter spindle). The silk it so strong that it resists breaking off even when it's really thin. Now, any ideas on what to do witha tiny ~7 g of fingering weight silk?! I guess I'm going to have to buy these hankies in multiples if I ever want to knit anything with them!


I also ran my French market bag through the washer and the dryer yesterday, but it's still not felted enough, so I'm off to throw it in for another go. Back to the office, and the real world, tomorrow. It's been a fun little vacation of dabbling, but I'll probably go back to knitting stockinette on my vest now!

My Sunday in Photos

I finished my Swallowtail Shawl last night and blocked it out this morning. Whadda ya know... lace blocking really is like magic!

Pre-blocking.

Wet blob.

All pinned out.

Final product.

Swallowtail Shawl, in light blue Misti Alpaca Lace (colour CD 42), size 4.5 mm bamboo straights.