Swallowtail Kauni still flightless...

I seem to be having a problem with the third chart on the Swallowtail shawl. I may have ripped it back to the lifeline five times now. Meanwhile, as it sits in a "time out" periods, I finished one really big sock for MP and started the second one. Maybe I have found the cure for second sock syndrome (SSS).... Knit a lace pattern that for some reason won't "click" in your brain. There's something very calming about miles and miles and miles of stockinette (which this size sock requires if you're using fingering weight sock yarn) while one meditates on the possibilities as to why they can't get the blasted lace pattern to work. I totally gave up on the nupps. I do not heart purling 5 together even if it isn't that difficult - seems I don't have the patience for it...at least with a pattern that keeps eluding me. There I am spending all that time getting those nupps purled, and then have to rip it all out anyway because things weren't lining up in the right spot. So, I'm fine with going "nuppless" - just really would at least like the y/o's to end up in the right spot - thank you very much. Meanwhile - my hunny's getting socks for his big ol footsies this winter. Plain ol' mindless knitting, but he's a guy, and he doesn't care so much for anything fancy. Works for me and my pea-brain.

More Shrek Slippers

Can you even stand how CUTE these are?


And if you're wanting matching father and son "Donkey" slippers from Shrek - they have you covered!

Swallowtail Update

I'm progressing along through the "budding lace" chart. I'm almost finished with it and have finally managed to "get it", so now I can get a rhythm going as I knit.



It's intriguing to me how the light changes in the Fall. I was auditioning different spots on my porch to photograph the progress here, and kind of playing around with where I'd put the shawl. This was one choice, and then I thought ... hmmm, maybe the crepe myrtle would be an idea.




And, speaking of "hmmmmm" - up flew Inspector #5 to make sure I'd done Chart B correctly. I bribed him with sugar water to give me the stamp of his approval, on account of, I don't like ripping back. And anyway, I took out the lifeline last night, so it's all or nothing right now. (I'll put it back in after I finish this repeat.)

He was good with that.

Leftovers

Hey, thanks for the nice words on the Cherry Leaf shawl. I wish Blogger let you write back to poster's in the comments, but unless I have your e-mail address already, I can't. Don't mean to seem like I'm ignoring anyone who leaves a comment here. I love that you came by, and especially appreciate that you'd take the time to comment.

So, anyway...there I was with a couple of balls of Kauni left after the Cherry Leaf shawl was done - guess I should have just kept knitting and adding more repeats and it would have come out bigger, but I was anxious to finish it, so just did what the pattern called for. I learn as I go along...

And, since I have leftovers, I decided to start on the next thing down on the list of things I'd like to make - Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 2006. I'm off to a decent start. Had to rip it out a few times after this picture was taken, but I do believe I finally got this part figured out. There are lifelines involved, and I've switched the needle size up to the same ones I used on the Cherry Leaf shawl. Love the Addi Lace needles.

Blocking Cherry Leaf shawl

It's kind of smallish. Stretched out it's got a 54 inch wingspan (137 cm) by 30 inches deep (76 cm). I guess if you're a tiny little thing, that's not smallish...but my wingspan is longer than that. :-) Love the pretty Kauni EG colors though. If I make this one again, I'm going to use at least a DK weight yarn.

Weekend progress, Cherry Leaf shawl

Well, I rounded the corner at the point. Not sure if it will be my last attempt, or if this will be a shrug and fudge and call it good. It appears to still have the ridge, but this ridge pulls flat, so I'm thinking once it's blocked it will be fine. I can't imagine this blocking out to be the size I'd want in a shawl, so likely this one will be a gift to someone smaller.

Oh...*that* back loop...

I kind of like the lace edging that the "Shoulder Shawl in cherry leaf pattern" has in Victorian Lace TODAY. Apparently, according to some comments I have read, it is not the same one as illustrated in the book, but it's nice and "Victorian" looking, so I like it.

I have to rip it out though. And I'm almost to the tip of the triangle on my first side of edging. **sigh** [Denial - Queen of It - right here baby!] The instructions say to knit the B chart, and as I go along, I'm supposed to "knit last border stitch thru back loop (tbl) together with a center triangle stitch (which is the stitch at the edge of the shawl selvedge that's waiting to have this pretty lace edging connected to it). However, the way I'm doing it is making a ridge on the front side of the shawl [which I no likey, and which I have just been kind of watching grow thinking - maybe it'll block out - then I do the pull and stretch thing and squint me eyes and say - mmmm....maybe not].

So...this rippage will be my first hurdle. Go back and start over and make sure that ridge ends up on the OTHER side - or modify how I'm attaching it and just use the back loop on the selvedge like it seems to indicate.

The point of the triangle shawl looks like it's going to be a white-knuckler/nail-biter for me too. It says that the pretty lace border is to be done thusly: I'm supposed to "knit the last border stitch together with a triangle stitch 7 times".

To which my brain responds with a resounding: "Huh?"...

Ah, the things we learn as we go along.

What a great game (or two)!

Wow, how about that New England Team? I actually like both teams that played last night, and loved it that Indy was leading most of the time last night. I felt so bad for Peyton Manning and Joseph Addai because they played an awesome game - as did the Indianapolis Defense. So, I think I was probably actually rooting for Indy, but wasn't terribly disappointed in the outcome of the game, because I just love watching a precision team play - and NE is ALL of that! I haven't seen that kind of football being played since the days of Joe Montana and Crew. The game last night felt like the one I watched between the 49ers and Dallas when Dwight Clark caught that pass that has been immortalized, and titled "The Catch."

I think my shawl is in the red zone now too. I'm trying to decide if I want to add another 10-row repeat - or two - to it, or bind off and start on the edging. I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn to do that, and I'm not sure it's big enough yet, so may add another repeat tonight during the game. It has a couple of extra yarn-overs here and there in it. Those games got pretty exciting (plus I watched Transformers while knitting on it Friday) and I might have inadvertently "oopsed" here or there, but it's a pretty forgiving pattern, and the "shrug and fudge" technique seems to have worked on those spots.

I got a little further on the car-sock this weekend too. I'm not actually knitting a sock for the car - I just knit socks when riding in the car. Once I'm finished with the Cherry Leaf Shawl, I might just focus on the socks and get them finished up....or cast on another lace project...or maybe finish Marihone. I just ran out of steam on that one because of the "no knits on my son" rule that got handed down after my grandson was born. So, I'm still on the sleeves. But its so cute, I want to finish it, and maybe just dress the doll with it. So, I guess it's obvious I don't really have a project planned for "next" - but there's plenty to choose from for now.

Floribunda...

Or abundant flowers! My african violets just keep on amazing me. Yesterday was a pruning day, so I trimmed out the spent blossoms while they sat and got a foot bath in some tepid water in the kitchen sink.

I was never able to grow them in the past. And even now when I try to give them to friends, they politely decline with the words - "oh I can't grow them."

I understand. I used to say the same thing. Then, my son - Mr. Green Thumb - told me not to do ANYTHING to them except water them by letting them sit in a sink with water for about an hour after they get dry. I took his advice, as well as put them in the kitchen where they can enjoy the moisture there, and ever since then - I have to keep buying pots and soil and repotting them as they keep multiplying and dividing, and maybe doing other sorts of math that creates new plants. It's a good problem to have. They're a year-round little gem on the shelf above the kitchen sink.

I found this link on Growing African Violets and it appears they recommend pretty much the same thing. Just suggested a "tray" instead of the kitchen sink for their foot bath. What ever floats your boat - or waters your violet!

Shoulder shawl in Cherry Leaf Pattern progress

I'm enjoying the rhythm here. Progress of course is never quite fast enough, but it's OK. I really am just enjoying the process. I'm wondering if this yarn won't be quite so "scratchy" once it's been washed and blocked. It's texture is rather like a hair coat as I knit with it. I sure do like the long stretches of color in the Kauni multicolor though and would love to be making something stranded with it. But I think, at this point, my experience level (and current growing obsession with all things lace) dictate otherwise.

Kauni Are Cherry Leaf now...

I actually had all of the small ball and the part that's wound onto the big ball (plus what I have now knit into the new shawl) done on the Pi[e] Are Square - and then decided it just wasn't going to work out with us. My gauge was too sloppy, the lace pattern I'd chosen for the first section of lace looked bad. So....it went for a swim in the "frog pond" and came out the Cherry Leaf Shawl from Victorian Lace TODAY. I have tried this pattern a minimum of five times previously - but each time I couldn't figure out how to get past row 45. I was using a red laceweight merino, and, well that poor skein was just getting trashed from my bumbling efforts. This is a heavier weight yarn, and apparently owing to the difference in yarn, I was able to finally "see" the pattern happening with it, and now I "get it." In fact, I get it well enough to have actually - drum roll please! - for the first time - memorized a lace pattern! I actually think I could make this a take-along project if I wanted to. Right now I've got socks going for the car rides though, so I'll just keep using this one as my Football/TV viewing project.