Oops, I did it again... and again... by guest blogger Jeff

So, remember way back when we decided to knit the Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl? And I decided I wanted to knit it in 3 different yarns? Well the first one - and primary yarn - was in Habu Tsumugi Silk. That one only took me something like 6 months to finish. This was during a very busy and stressful time a work and knitting fell by the wayside, plus whenever I picked it up and knit some, I inevitably had to rip back more than I knit. It wasn't until December that the pattern finally clicked and I finally finished!

Habu Tsumugi Silk

Since then I've knit TWO more! Can you believe it? The second I knit out of Elemental Affects Natural Shetland Rustic Lace that I had picked up at Churchmouse when I was out in Seattle a few year's ago (Hi! Seattle peeps! I wish I had known you all when I was out there!). Since I had almost twice as much yardage of the Shetland, this turned out to be a much bigger shawl than the Habu. It was lovely to work with, by the way. I highly recommend it.

Elemental Affects Shetland Lace

And the last one I knit in an aran-weight yarn - a discontinued yarn by Queensland Collection - Kathmandu (85% Merino, 10% Silk, and 5% Cashmere) that my aunt passed onto me when she decided to give knitting a pass. I've decided to gift this shawl to her - hope she likes it! I did have a slight yardage problem on this one... having to rip back what I thought was going to be my last repeat... then again during the border, which I cut short a few rows. And while binding off, I completely ran out! Had to rip the bind off back and use a different yarn (from Will's stash). I think it came of nicely!

Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran

I wish you all an amazing 2014! Happy New Year! And Happy Spire KAL! I look forward to seeing everyone's progress!

closed for the season ~ posted by Melissa

the stockings hats were hung on the coat rack with care

 

 

the mittens were as well

 

bags are ready for stuffing

 





faraway gifts have been posted

a few other things need wrapping

 

twenty gifts in two months

 

I'm tired :)

 

my husband declared this morning "Santa's Sweatshop is officially closed"

 

Vixen and I are ready to savor the rest of the holiday season

 

 

are you ready?

 

I hope so ~ it's time to enjoy family and friends and celebrate!

 

Don't forget about our New Year's Knitalong !  There's still plenty of time to gather the pattern and yarn before our cast on party January 1st!

 

Happy holidays, blog friends near and far.

I enjoy our time here together immensely and look forward to 2014 and all it brings!

 

Ho ho ho :)

Melissa

 



Finally Finished . . . posted by guest blogger Jeff

I've finally finished the Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl! Pretty pics follow:

 

I've already started Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl number 2!

 

As far as the next knit-a-long, I think I'm going to sit this one out seeing as how:

 

 

I've already knit one. :)

 

Maybe I'll pick up my Niebling again!

Rose Garden, at last! ...by guest blogger Melissa B.

Greetings, lords and ladies! I don't think I have EVER waited this long to get pictures of a FO after completing it!! I finished shortly before Thanksgiving, and then work got busy, and then I got sick over Thanksgiving and am STILL sick, and it has been cloudy outside...blah.  At any rate, I'm caught up and ready to show you my hand dyed Rachel's Shawl project.



Red is really hard to photograph well, you guys. I'm so in love with this rosy scarlet, though.  (I'm also REALLY terrible at photographing myself)

 

The yarn I used was 100% (non-superwash) wool, so it doesn't drape the same as the silk in the original project, as you can see...but that's ok, because I intended this to be used more as a scarf than as a shawl. I am glad I didn't go past the recommended number of repeats in the end, since it blocked out to the perfect size, and since I had just enough yarn left over to make a sweater swatch. :)

I think my mom is going to enjoy it, especially as cold as it tends to get in Indiana!

Thanks again to Melissa for hosting this KAL and for such a fabulous pattern. :)  Hope everyone is enjoying all this deliciously cold December weather (we even got some! In Houston!!!).  :)

it's done it's done it's done ~ posted by Melissa

the past few months...chaotic



to-do lists...not getting done

not enough stolen moments to take time to pause, breath deeply and smile

 

 

til now...

this makes me smile

 

 

I finally finished f o l k • a r t !!!

 

it's big and warm and a blanket built for two :)

 

 

it could have been larger (note to self : invest in one more box of blocking mats)

but as it is it measures 63 x 63"

 

 

perfect for cuddling with a loved one :)

 

 

I think I may be addicted to the knitted on edge

they go more quickly & are more enjoyable each time I work one

 

and brrrr....

 

it's finished just in time for some icy cold evenings & snuggling ~ hehe

 

 

is it okay that I love Jared Flood as well as my husband?

 

have a great weekend everybody :)

 

~ Melissa

whoops!  I forgot to post links (thanks, Calvin!) ~ here they are if you want them:

Quill - Jared Flood - link to his website pattern page

link to my pattern page on Ravelry with all my notes and yardage requirements

 

 

 

Now I've officially finished my LOG - by guest blogger WillyG

Okay, here it is, off the blocking mats. (I'm trying hard not to be obnoxiously excited.)

Mel asked how this ranks among the things I've knit, and I think it's right up there at the top. It's certainly the most stunning thing I've managed to work up, thanks to the sheer size and a fortuitous combination of Jared's lovely pattern and Chris's excellent dyework. The yarn is Celebration by Briar Rose Fibers, and the 40% bamboo gives a sheen that makes the shawl light up when held at different angles. 

Photographing this was really fun for two reasons: taking pictures of newly blocked lace is always fun - playing with the angles and admiring the different sections - but there was the added "fun factor" of having two walls near my back door that worked like Velcro. I just slapped the blanket on the wall, tried to arrange it fairly neatly, and it just stuck there. First I tried this weathered shed, then a stucco wall, and both held this particular yarn with ease.

Against the stucco



Hanging on the shed



I love how the handdyed colors ripple like water on a lake

As you can probably see, I played with some of the photos to highlight different aspects of the lace that are hard to capture with a less-than-ideal camera. I know it's not purist, but I'm a bit addicted. The two photos immediately above are pretty close to the real thing, even though they are different; the appearance transforms when viewed from different angles. This shawl/blanket really catches light! I'm grateful that Jeff helped me decide on this yarn.

Thank you for your encouragement along the way, as well as your generous patience! This KAL thing is fun, since everyone can appreciate what went into it. Like many of you said, the border was a long one, but it really moves if you buckle down and concentrate on it. Thanks for motivating me to knit this from start to finish! I couldn't ask for lovelier companions along the journey!

if you can't knit the one you love, love the one you knit... by guest blogger Melissa B.

Have you ever found yourself in the position of suddenly needing to knit three baby sweaters very, very quickly? Do you know how hard that is for a monogamous knitter to pull off when she's over halfway through a lace project this big?

It's hard, people. I have made my first foray into non-monogamous knitting, and it...well, it went well in the sense that I did in fact manage to dye yarn for and knit three little newborn Vertebrae cardigans in a VERY short amount of time, but not well in the sense that my poor Rachel's Shawl project just got set to one side the entire time.  I am obviously not cut out for this multiple knitting project thing.




But now they're all done (the last one is still drying) and they turned out REALLY cute...and I'm back to finishing up this beautiful baby.  I've got 19 repeats and I'm probably going to stop at 21 instead of continuing on with the remaining yarn like I originally planned.  I think instead I'm going to use the rest of the yarn to do a little sweater swatching. And maybe make a doll with some crazy scarlet hair.

Does anyone else feel like 2013 has whizzed by at a ridiculous rate? Is anyone else as behind on their Christmas knitting as I am? (I have almost nothing done. In fact, you're looking at it. Oh, dear.)

Hope you all have a glorious weekend. :)

Boo-yah! - by WillyG

Leaves Of Grass is blocking. After trying to dream up a contraption reminiscent of something you'd find in a tanner's workshop, Jeff convinced me to trust the wet fibers to do the work of smoothing out the fabric. He was right. I was just able to fit everything onto the exercise mats we use for blocking, so all is good, and I saved about twenty bucks or so.

I can't wait to get this thing photographed once it's dry, and hopefully with a better camera than my phone. For now, here's what I managed to snap; none of them are accurate colors, but the sheen of the yarn makes it even trickier to capture:

Joining the ranks of the awesome - by WillyG

No visible proof yet, but I finished the knitting on my Leaves of Grass tonight! Woot!

Now I gotta figure out a way to block this beast…

Edit: visible proof and a gratuitous kitty shot with a bit of the shawl in the corner

Jeff is such a fantastic model, no?

How could I resist?

with heartfelt thanks ~ posted by Melissa

 

thank you everyone that participated in the Rachel's Shawl fundraiser

 

we raised $500 in two months ~ I'm speechless

 

 

the retreat will continue and even better, I believe we've raised enough money that the Virginia Piper Institute may have enough funds for two retreats in 2014

 

thank you thank you thank you!!

 

Melissa

 

(here's the link to my very own Rachel's Shawl project page ~ I figured it was time for me to have one for myself!)

 



Beginning The Long Road To The Finish ~ guest blogger WillyG

I've finished Chart D on my Leaves Of Grass blanket!!!

Now it's on to that sprawling border!

Autumn Leaves - by guest blogger WillyG

I can just hear Mel Torme crooning "Autumn Leaves" right now.

Now that the gorgeous autumn weather is back and several knitting deadlines have passed, I am back on the wagon for finishing my Leaves of Grass.  Yeah, remember that thing?

Apparently I've turned into one of those people who takes pictures of their knitting on top of their cats to garner extra attention. Or maybe it's that pictures of a large round piece of lace still in progress all kinda end up looking the same.  But if you look stop looking at Jake and examine the lace closely, you can see that I just finished the first repeat of Chart D!!  One more to go... then again, I could do like some unnamed person and call it done and ready for applying the border.  (wink, wink, elbow in the ribs)

One of the highlights of this past weekend's trip to the sheep and wool festival in Rhinebeck was getting to meet one of our very own in person, all the way from Colorado! I think I may have referred to this previously, but I am once again reminded how our knitting -- and especially our knit-a-long-ing -- has the capacity to connect us, even in a way that somewhat reflects the musings of Walt Whitman in one of his poems.  Rather than quote the same poem again, permit me to link you to a previous post in which I shared it. Looking back on it, I realize that not a lot has changed.  I'm still working on Leaves of Grass, I'm still stuck on the same poem, and I'm still poking fun at someone who beat me to the finish line. Well, okay, a few more of you have joined the ranks of completion since that post.  Are there actually any others of you still working on Leaves of Grass?

Oh, speaking of Rhinebeck and people who actually finished LOG, Jeff has some news, but I think I'll try to egg him into sharing it himself.

Happy autumn, and happy knitting!

ahhhhh ~ posted by Melissa

 


Sometimes life doesn't go as planned.  I had hopes in the last month and a half of sharing pictures and stories of birthday hikes and a long overdue getaway vacation with my husband, but darn it all, the hike still hasn't happened and the vacation started but was abruptly cut short.  I'm back to dreaming about both, and plotting and planning just how we can make them happen sometime in the near future.  So with big plans set on the back burner for the time being, I've been working hard and tending to things at home.  And knitting.  And knitting some more.

I finished Quill today!  It was so hard to put down by the time I got to the lace edging!  It just needs blocking but I need a sunny day (hopefully tomorrow) so that I can spread it out on the lawn til it's mostly dry and then move it inside or it will never dry.  It's G R A N D !!!  I was hoping for a blanket large enough to cover my husband and I've ended up with one that will engulf us both ~ sweet!

I can't wait to see it completely done and I do think I've managed to finish in time to get some pictures outside with the amazing fall leaves that haven't yet dropped from their branches.  I'll post as soon as I do ~ I'm excited to share this monumental undertaking with you ~hehe!

Until then, it's back to work on my Rachel's Shawl.  As much as I enjoyed working on Quill and will miss it, I'm just as excited to get back to some other projects.

 

Happy fall, happy weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Melissa

I (heart) fall ~ by guest blogger Steph

I had all these great intentions on being a diligent blogger, but life has a way of coming up with the unexpected and that is how my fall has gone. Things are finally starting to slow down and I have a moment to breathe and just enjoy the beautiful and dry fall day in Seattle, oh and I am ready to start the knit on lace on my Quill. I even managed to make some pumpkin pies today.



I hope every one is doing well and enjoying their weekend. oh and a big congrats to Mel on publishing her 1st pattern.

All the best,

Steph

a change of heart & a giveaway ~ posted by Melissa

 

I've changed my mind about the yarn I'm using for my Rachel's Shawl.  Instead of the aran weight version I originally planned , I'm going to use the above yarn ~ Ella Rae Lace Merino held double.  As much as I love Rowan Felted Tweed, I think it's going to be too scratchy around my neck and the Ella Rae fingering weight is super soft and squishy...and autumn colors to boot!  Mmmmmm ~ much better.  I'm casting on again this evening and think I'll be much happier with the finished result.

 

And since it is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Rachel has decided to try, with all her super mighty rock star powers, to get another surge of pattern sales while the proceeds are going towards her charity.  She is hosting a giveaway on her blog, Twist Your Stitches.  Pop on over and take a peek ~ and if you have the time, included in the giveaway post is an interview she did with yours truly (I dislike talking about myself but this was kind of fun!).

 

Don't forget, all proceeds from the Rachel's Shawl pattern are still going to Rachel's charity through the end of October, and the pattern is available for purchase to Ravelry & non-Ravelry members alike at this link. 

 

Thanks to everyone who supported the cause in September ~ we sold 113 patterns last month ~ that's $452 raised so far!  The ripple effect has been amazing and the stories and messages both Rachel & I have heard and received have been beyond imagination.  I know I can speak for her when I say we're both overwhelmed by the encouragement and kindness and the wonderful womanly camaraderie that we're experiencing tackling an issue that at some point or another affects us all.

 

YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!!!!  Thank you :)

Melissa