I love the look of knitted lace.  Okay, I love the look of any kind of lace. Crocheted lace. Bobbin lace. Knitted lace or lace knitting (for those who make the distinction).

I also have an addiction to laceweight yarn, especially anything that looks like it was spun from the breath of angels.  I’ve got a tonne, or at least more than my fair share of laceweight.  I treat it like some people treat sock yarn: it doesn’t count in the stash.  I love it. I pet it.  I make lace knitting plans with it.

And then I chicken out, because I’m afraid to hurt the pretty yarn.  Plus, I’m not terribly confident working with laceweight.  So what’s a girl has to do what a girl has to do.  I pulled out the crochet hooks, found something far larger than recommended for lace weight, and went to work.

when in doubt, go back to the basics

I like to crochet, but I sometimes shy away from crocheted garments because the fabric is thicker and can be abominably stiff.  By using a larger hook than recommended, I still maintain the drape and flow of knitted fabric.   More importantly, I’m very confident with crochet, so it’s no big challenge to knit with tiny yarn.  I’m not always as confident with my knitting needles, since I’ve only been knitting a little more than a year.

With crochet, I can just pick it up and work.  No pattern?  No problem!  I can make it up as I go.  In this case, I’m using a very traditional shell ground, similar to the skirt on a doll dress Maman made for me when I was a little girl.   It’s very mindless, allowing me to focus on yarn handling technique for laceweight without having to think about minding my needles, too.

like dappled leaves in early autumn

I love this yarn.  It’s been calling to me for a long time, but I haven’t been happy with anything I’ve done with it, until now.  It’s one of the first skeins of laceweight I ever purchased.  I picked it up from Enchanted Knoll Farm’s etsy store.  The colorway is called Wood Elves and the description was what suckered me in.  “Inspired by autumn in Maine.”  I don’t know about autumn in Maine, but the colors reminded me of early autumn here.

like my scarf, non?

How could I possibly resist?  Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year.  (In order: Autumn, Spring, Winter, and Summer.)  I love it when the leaves change colors, like the trees are bearing their souls.  I love the brisk weather, to put on a sweater and not be too cold or too warm.  Having a lightweight scarf that I can wear year round means I can bring those days with me, even when they’re far out of mind.

The exercise of crocheting in laceweight has been good.  I feel confident that I can pick up my next skein and knit away without worrying about yarn handling.  Well, at least once I get this scarf off the hook, which will never happen unless I answer the tea and yarn calling to me.

Sarah Blanch is off the needles.  Hopefully, I’ll get to block it tomorrow and take some blocking shots of it.  There aren’t terribly many of this shawl on Ravelry, and it’s a shame because it’s a very pretty and easy pattern.  The main complaint is that the shawl is knitted side to side instead of up and down, so the pattern repeats are extremely long.

My biggest problem now is trying to decide what to make next.  I have several options, so it’s just a matter of deciding what I want to do next.  I’d like either something more challenging to knit thatn Sarah Blanch, or I’d like something quicker to complete.

more…

I’m stalled on my Faux Woven Shawl. I got two rows done at my chiro’s office today. I just haven’t had my knit on for it.

I haven’t had my knit on for anything yet this week. I feel like everything is in knitting limbo until I get my knit together.

And that’s just my knitting. That’s not my job, my classes, or anything else. All of that is part of the big spiral, too.

more…

I got the last installment of my Reading the Classics Sock Club yarn. Two words: Simply Fabulous! Of course, it’s not going to be socks (again). I thought about putting something with it and making Eunny Jang’s Endpaper Mitts and learn colorwork but I didn’t have any yarn to go with it properly. I’ll have to find other colors to make them with.

Instead I’m planning to make by JoLene M. Treace’s Wine and Roses Mitts with the yarn because they’re everything I want in girly little fingerless mitts and I don’t need to make a yarn purchase to do it.

In Progress

Pattern: Japanese Vines
Source: Download from Another Knitting Blog. $5.00.
Size: The three motif repeat option.
Yarn: Limeade Semi solid hand dyed yarn by Brooke at the painted tiger.
Needle size: US 3, 3.25 mm
Pattern Modifications: I’m planning to knit both ends of the scarf and graft them together in the middle, so the vine pattern runs the “right” direction on both ends.

Half the first pattern repeat, shot in daylight.

The koi pond handpainted highlights socks are still on hold while I battle my spring bout of arthritis in my hands. Knitting with toothpicks + arthritis flare-up == not so enjoyable. Luckily going up just two needle sizes is enough to solve the problem and keep me knitting.

All the first pattern repeat, shot with the flash.

It was a pretty casual day of knitting. I did a little in the morning, before errands and going for a walk and playing World of Warcraft with our friend Steve who comes over to play because it feels more social to have a friend over on our third computer. I did a little in the evening, after errands and going for a walk and playing World of Warcraft. I don’t think this would take long to finish at all if I were working at it with any intensity.

A little detail.

The semisolid yarn really seems the way to go with this pattern and I’m liking the spring green color of the yarn, even if I’m finding it impossible to capture the color of the yarn exactly. Check out the link to the yarn in the project notes to see a picture that does actually manage to capture the color.

The pattern itself is a nice way to play with sock yarn if you’re afraid of sock knitting, or if you’re like me, think that sock knitting is crazy. (Pay no attention to the sock in progress beside my knitting chair.) The yarn itself is really nice, soft and sproingy. Brooke’s done a great job of picking out a base yarn to work her color artistry on.

Boo, just before she got shooed away from the photo shoot.

It’s tempting enough that both my kitty yarn testers have been dying to get their claws into it. I’ve shooed both cats away from my yarn bag and even caught Sully trying to casually walk off with the skein like it was a cat toy. If only I’d been quicker with the camera.