SPIRE KAL - Final Photos - by guest blogger Andrea

Hi everybody,

I took advantage of the end of summer weather we're having here in western Washington.  What a glorious day and a perfect time to bring this KAL project to a close.  I say that with some sadness. This project is one of my most challenging and memorable to date.

The beach a few blocks from my house was a good place to start.  I actually used it as the backdrop for another project: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/aksaxton/eurybia.  I then went a few blocks down the street to my favorite hometown park, Causland Park.  Here I found the perfect spots to really show off this shawl.

Causland Memorial Park (710 N Avenue) was built in the 1920’s by Louis Lepage and is on the National Register of Historic Places. A portion of the park is dedicated to Anacortes veterans from World War I to the Vietnam War.

 So here are pictures of my Spire.  I enjoyed the project so very much and always love knitting along with Kelli and Melissa and their blog readers.  I wonder what the next KAL might be?

 I go by this park every day.  It's easy to just drive by with one's blinders on.  Today, while walking around and studying its beauty, I am again reminded what a gem we have in town.

 

Happy Knitting, everyone.  Let's do this again soon!

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

 

 

 

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. :)

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

Feels like I'm moving too fast... by guest blogger Melissa B.

A little update from the Gulf Coast...we've had some really quality knitting weather lately (rainy and cool...well, cooler.) so I feel like I've been really trucking on this even though I've not been knitting every night. That and ugh, you know those nights where you feel like all you've done is rip back and re-knit? So tiresome! I'm on repeat number ten; it's long enough to be a cowl now, so it feels like I'm getting somewhere. And oh man, this color with this pattern...I swoon.

(Although, my cat has decided this yarn is delicious...so getting some free energy conference swag was well-timed.  Hello new project bag!)

Progress Update from guest blogger Jeff

Progress has been slow, but that's due to Mother's Day coming up soon and the fact that I gotta get my momma's leg warmers done. Plus it's Sheep & Wool weekend (we met Andee!) so that means lots of time for shopping and little time for knitting.

Going back tomorrow for a sheep breed walkabout with Deb Robson. And maybe shelling out some money for an antique great wheel like this one. :)

Habuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!! - Post by Guest Blogger Jeff

So, the Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl is a pattern that I want to knit multiple times - and I already have yarn picked out for three different versions! Woot!

The yarn I'm planning on using for the first STLS is...



Habu Textiles A-1 2/17 Tsumugi Silk

Definitely can't wait until May 1st!

The other two STLS's I'm planning to knit in...

Elemental Affects Natural Shetland Rustic Lace

and

 

Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran

 

The Mighty, Mighty Mel Saves the Day! ~ Post by Guest Blogger Jeff

Break out the bubbly! My Leave of Grass is FINISHED! Thanks in large part to Melissa, who, just by chance, had a partial skein of the same yarn in the same colorway as I was using - and was able to send that to me when I ran out with only 6 and a half edging repeats to go. All I needed was an extra 10 grams!

Anyway.

Behold!

Alpaca in the Leaves (of Grass)

the obligatory cat picture :)

oh, the horror! - Post by Guest Blogger Jeff

The good news: I only have 6 and a half more repeats of the edging to go!

The bad news:

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That strand off to the right of the needle... yeah, that's the end of my last skein.

I've placed an emergency order with Zoe's momma and hope to to be able to finish SOOOOOOON!

it's been a pleasure ~ guest blogger lori

finally 'all done'  photos! in one way it's my favorite part, deciding how to photograph knits after making them. in the second photo you may notice my is leaves draped over a barbed wire fence. when i showed this on my blog this morning i received emails and comments, 'how could you?!' not to worry, no leaves of grass were harmed in this photo shoot. i loved knitting this the first time last summer and maybe even more this time, i couldn't seem to put it down. brooklyn tweeds loft was one of the reasons, it's incredibly lovely, delicate and light, woolly and heathery and after a soak, so very soft. thank you for all the kind comments and making this first kal a true pleasure. i'm looking forward to seeing all the beautiful leaves of grass coming off your needles. if you have an interest to see more photos and or the cute critters that came out for these photos,
go here lori times five. ravelry notes here.

happy kal'ing everyone!    :)

Edgerific.... Post by Guest Blogger Jeff

I'm finally feeling much better which means I can knit again! Woohoo!!!

I finished chart D on Sunday. Woohoo!!!

And I'm 7 repeats in on the edging. Woohoo!!!

Only, what, 64 more repeats to go? Woohoo!!!

please weigh in...posted by Melissa

So, without this sounding like a complete cop out, I'm at a crossroads...I've just finished my first chart D and I have a big decision to make.   My gut tells me that I am not going to wear this knit.  As much as I love it, I'm fairly certain that it is going to languish in my closet for eternity.  It won't be large enough for a blanket in the light fingering yarn I chose, and it will be too large for a table covering if I complete the pattern as written.  But right now, without doing chart D for the second time, I can still do the border and have a beautiful heirloom linen that I will use.  Alot.  If I weren't knitting with all of you, the decision would be easy and I would start my edging.  I kind of feel like I'm cheating if I quit now, though, after encouraging the rest of you to knit along with us this year.  Sigh.  What to do what to do?  I would love some input ~ have you all made circular shawls that you've worn before?  Do you love them?  I will gladly continue on if I hear great things.  Any thoughts are welcome.  For now, I'm going to set this aside and ponder.  Ponder, ponder.  And Tanna, if you read this, I'm so glad you stopped pondering ~ I would feel awful not making the full size if I had been able to convince you that you would love the circular shape.

 

 

An unintended break.... Posted by Guest Blogger Jeff

So shortly after my last post on Saturday, I noticed a tickle in the back of my throat, which at the time, I just figured was because of the forced air heat at the place we were staying in Rehoboth (as opposed to the radiator heat we have at home). Though as the day progressed, I increasingly got more and more paranoid that I might be getting sick - and with the flu going around in the northeast like crazy this year, I was super paranoid. By the end of the day, I was pretty certain I was sick, and though I was able to knit on Saturday, Sunday was off and on knitting since I felt like pooh. I had hoped to get through Chart D over the weekend, but still have about 1/2 a repeat to go.  :(
I'm finally starting to feel a bit better (at least the chills are gone), so hopefully I'll get back to knitting soon. For the time being, it's just some laying in bed and zoning out on DVDs.

I do have to say, though, that Will has been fantastic at taking care of me in my infirmity. Love you, sweetie!

Another milestone.... Posted by Guest Blogger Jeff

First time through Chart D. DONE.

(Hope the pic shows up... I'm posting from my phone.) :)

Alpacas in the Leaves (of Grass) Update... posted by Guest Blogger Jeff

I'm officially marking my Ravely project page as 50% complete. At least I've used up 50% of my yarn, so it better be 50% complete!

I made it almost through round 25 of Chart D with the first skein of 660 yards.

I am really loving this pattern - and the yarn I'm using. The alpaca is so soft to knit with and is knitting into a lovely soft fabric as I'm knitting at a less airy gauge to be more of a throw than a shawl.

This weekend Will and I are going away on a knitting retreat with one of our knit groups. We'll be heading down to Rehoboth Beach, DE tomorrow morning and spending the long weekend knitting, and drinking, and eating, and just enjoying being away from home with a group of 16 crazy knitters. :) We'll see how much I get done.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Here we go a KAL-oling... posted by Guest Blogger Jeff

I was reminded the other day that I had yet to make my presence known to the Leaves of Grass KAL group. Oops.

So, I'm in... and I'm using a 100% alpaca sport weight called Heather Prime Alpaca for something a little weightier than the lace I'm using on the Neibling-a-long. :)

So, without further ado, here are a few KAL & NAL photo updates:

Leaves of Grass KAL ~ Ravely Project Page: Alpacas in the Leaves (of Grass)

Cast on at Midnight New Year's Day with some bubbly

 

Though this photo doesn't show it all, I am currently in my 4th repeat of  Chart C

 

 

Niebling-a-long ~ Ravelry Project Page: P♥M Wonderful - the Niebling-a-long

 

I'm through round 78, which puts me at 19,956 sts out of 101,148 (or 19.729505279392572%) of the small size of the pattern - though I do plan on adding a knit-on lace border instead of the crochet cast off (because I'm insane like that AND my crochet is awful) so that will add a lot of stitches - I just don't know how many yet since that pattern is currently undecided. :)

 

Happy knitting everyone!