myst shawl

I finished my Myst Shawl back in early March and then promptly forgot about it until we headed off to PLY Away and DFW Fiber Fest.

I've worn it a few times now, especially since we had all that cold weather last week (brrr!), and it really is very lovely.

I'm always a sucker for a beautiful triangle shawl, and this one is certainly that!

Details:
Pattern - Myst Shawl by Melody Hoffman of Mandarines
Yarn - my own Sojourn Sock Yarn
Colorway - Blueberry Trifle
Needles - US4 (3.5 mm)
Yardage - I used 2 skeins (920 yards) and I used all but 20 or 30 yards of each skein, so I would say my final yardage was about 870.

getting up to speed

Oh, October, I love you! It has finally turned crisp and very cool here, and I am loving it. It's amazing to me how just a turn in the weather can make me so happy.

I'm knitting away on a few projects, including the never ending Cloud Burst Girl cardigan. Yikes! Seed stitch sleeves! But I'm nearly there (whew), and I'll have a versatile cardigan just in time for cold weather.

I've also cast on the Myst Shawl by Melody of Mandarines, and I'm completely smitten with it at the moment. I'm using my Sojourn Sock in Blueberry Trifle. This was an exclusive color for Little Skein in the Big Wool's Little Stitches Box. I'm really glad I held on to a couple of skeins for myself. It is just the perfect blue, even if I do say so myself:)

And now back to my regularly scheduled program. I've got a small backlog of dyeing to catch up on after my hospital stay. Because we all know the holidays will be here in a flash!

that's a lot of picots

I finished binding off my Hollows Shawl - it took the better part of a week to get it completely bound off. Admittedly, I'm not the fastest knitter, and I'm not able to knit and knit for hours without a break for my squeaky arm. And let's face it, a picot bind off isn't quick - but it is definitely pretty.

And oh, I do love it. I can already tell that this shawl is going to get a lot of use this winter. For one thing, it feels fabulous.  The Melody yarn is a luscious blend of alpaca, merino and silk. It feels soft and warm, and has a great drape to it.

This is also a big shawl. It's a big shawl when it's knit in fingering weight, as the pattern call for. I knit it in DK weight, so it's really roomy.

And I love the color. Pearl is a perfect neutral. Warmer than the natural undyed color of the yarn, but still a non-color, so it'll go with anything and everything.

Now to just find a spot in the house big enough to block it!

works in progress

I'm knitting away on my Hollows Shawl, and it should be done sometime in the next week.  I've loved knitting every stitch of this project. The yarn is yummy, if I say so myself, and the pattern is an easy knit.

I'm going to end up with a sizeable shawl, since I'm knitting mine in DK weight yarn, while the pattern calls for fingering weight. I was surprised to look back and see that this is the heaviest weight shawl I've knit. I've done lots of laceweight and fingering weight shawls, but not one in Sport, DK or Worsted. I can definitely see the attraction in using a heavier weight yarn...this won't be my last.

I can hardly wait for cold weather, so I can snuggle up in it!


I'm also working away on my Cloud Burst Girl Cardigan. After putting is aside for most of the summer, I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and finished the body. Now I'm slowly knitting the seed stitch sleeves.  I love how seed stitch looks, but my right arm doesn't love how it feels, so I can only do a few rows per day and keep my arm happy.

But, it keeps slowly growing, so hopefully it'll be done by the end of the month. Just in time for sweater weather!

waiting for fall

This has been one of the mildest summers I can ever remember in Arkansas. June and even July were much milder than normal, and the first week of August was still below normal temperatures - mid to high 80's. 

Then it hit - the real summer temperatures, along with all the humidity. Sticky, buggy, muggy - you name it. That is how you usually describe summer in Arkansas. The fact that we had a very delayed start to the normal yucky weather means we "won" in my opinion.  Even if we have a month of typical August days, we still got to enjoy milder temps for a couple of months.

That said, I'm still ready - and longing - for fall. I love it. I love everything about it. Cooler temps, crisp autumn air, apples, sweaters, leaves, shawls....

Still on my needles in anticipation of fall shawl weather is the Hollows Shawl. It's grown a good bit, I'm in the middle of the second short-row section, and I love every stitch. Perfect evening knitting. 

I have a feeling this one will get a lot of use:)

one color shawls

I'm most definitely against the trend with my love of one color shawls, but hey, that's what I love. I'm drawn to soft colors, simple shapes and repeated textures. Oh, I enjoy a striped shawl once in a while, but it's usually in analgous or low-contrast colors, like my Wintermint Party:

So, on my needles at the moment is the Hollows Shawl by Melody of Mandarines. I've actually got about 6 of her patterns in my queue, since I instantly love everything she does.

But back to the Hollows shawl...the pattern calls for fingering weight, but I had my heart set on using my Melody DK for it, so I just went for it! I dyed up 6 skeins of Pearl and cast on. I figure it will be big, soft and squishy for those cold winter nights.  I'm about to start the first short-row section, so I'm a good bit further along than the picture above shows.

I'm loving the pattern so far, very simple and meditative, but not boring...in a word, perfect.
This has been just the spark I needed to get my knitting mojo back!

Finished Object: Wintermint Party

I realized I never shared pictures of my finished shawl, Wintermint Party. Which I love and have worn to death already.

It makes a perfect scarf, since you can wind it around your neck a few times and then tuck in the little ends. That's how I wear it almost every day.

The pattern, of course, is the very popular Party on My Needles by Joji Locatelli. I made a couple of modifications:

Instead of using one color for the stripes and a third for the bind off, I used a Mini-Skein set...this one. (I'm sold out right now, but more should be coming in a couple of months.) That worked perfectly. I used one color for each stripe, and then used my two favorites for the last row and the bind off.

I knit the bottom repeat just before the bind off in the main color, instead of a contrasting color. I just liked the continuity of it better.

This had been one of my favorite knits this year. I love the pattern, I love the yarn, and I especially love the color. It still makes me happy just to look at it.

Epic Bind Off

I'm finishing up my Party on My Needles shawl by Joji Locatelli, and boy, does it ever feature an epic bind off!

The pattern offers three choices of bind off, and I chose the one in the pattern photo, the loopy bind off. I've been binding off for several evenings, now:)

Almost done....

Party in Progress

I cast on last week for a new shawl, and lo and behold, it's even a popular one...Party on my Needles by Joji Locatelli.

I've been in a serious blue and green mood this year, and the greens won out this time:

I'm using Sojourn Sock in Cabana for the main color, and I'll be doing the stripes with my Linden Sock Mini Skein Kit in Bouquet Garni, which is a series of greens. It's so fresh looking, I keep wanting to take a bite! :)

I think this will be a pretty quick knit, even for me, Miss Slowpoke. And all the cushy garter stitch should make it very cosy and squishy.

Finished Object: Spindrift Shawl

Well, it's been a little while since I've been able to say this, but I have an actual finished object!

I knit a Spindrift Shawl. I actually cast it off about a month ago, but I just got around to blocking it last week. 

This was a great one skein project, and you end up with a lovely shawl. It's a good size, not too small, not too big. I knit mine out of Linden Sock in the Water Lilies colorway, so it's nice and drapey. Lots of luster, too.

I left off one repeat of the border eyelets. Mostly because I was ready to be done with it, and move on to something else:) I don't think you'd even notice if I didn't mention it.

Now if it will just cool off enough to actually consider wearing a shawl!

FO : Lillia Hyrna Shawl

Finally blocked and photographed -

This is a large shawl. The finished width across the top is 81", and it's 39" long. The merino/silk blend makes it feel so light and soft, but it definitely still adds that layer of warmth over your shoulders.

In short, I love it! This was actually a very easy pattern to knit, since it's mostly stockinette alternating with bands of garter & eyelet. The only place I really had to pay attention was the last two lace borders.

Kiri - Yet another shawl

I realized I never blogged about the finished Kiri shawl.  I knit this for my mother-in-law for Christmas.
I'll probably be knitting one of these for myself someday...it's a great pattern and makes a perfect shawl.  Just the right size.  Not too small, not too big.  I used some leftover Knit Picks Shadow from my Icarus, but I overdyed it a lovely lupine blue.

I knit this from about July to October, but I didn't block it until December.  I knew once I blocked it, I'd want to wear it!

Handspun Shawl

Right after the holidays, I finished my first handspun shawl.  Made of Finn sheep's wool, it is warm, bouncy and  light.  In short, I love it!  I used this pattern, which I modified greatly.  I enlarged it by a couple of  repeats and then added my own lace border.  It's already gotten plenty of wear, as I usually have a shawl around my shoulders when I'm at home.  Making me happy.

October!

Woosh...where did it go?!  It's been a busy month around here.  I've been busy, busy with the secret knitting, gift knitting, travel knitting, etc.  We took a lovely trip to Kentucky (more about that later) and then all of the sudden it's almost November.  Time flies when you're having fun....it's true.

I finished up a couple of gift knits, started some more gift knits.  Swatched around, and kinda ignored what I've got on the needles for myself (pictured above - a simple shawl in my own handspun : sigh).  There just aren't enough knitting hours in the day.  It might not be helping that I've picked up a fancy for drawing and watercolor.  But there you go...I just roll where my whims take me!

Happy (almost over) October!

Swatches and Stitches

I've got a few secret knitting projects going right now, so not a lot to show on the blog.  I've been doing more swatching (And trying to get into the habit of doing more swatching.  I like swatching, I don't know why I don't do more of it.  Well, I do know....time!  There's never enough time, is there?)

I just bound off the Kiri I've been working on for a Christmas present.  I loved knitting this shawl.  I will definitely be making one for myself at some point.  It's a fast lace pattern and very intuitive.
(This is a shot of it below...I overdyed the yarn this beautiful blue).

I have put some merino/silk blend on the wheel, but haven't taken a picture of it yet.  Very, very soft and wee bit slippery.  This is actually my first merino (and my first silk for that matter).  It's yum.