Sunday 6 January 2008

Heading Down the Forest Path

One of the first (if not THE first) lace pattern to catch my eye last year was the Forest Path Stole. In fact, I'd say it was the start of my lace obsession. I came across the pattern on someone's blog (no idea who it was) and immediately decided to make it. I tracked the pattern down at http://www.sandrasingh.com/ and ordered a copy (the pattern is also now available in Best of Interweave Knits). While waiting for it to arrive I cast on the Sarcelle Stole, and then Hanami, and then.... well, you get the picture.

So here it is 9 months later and I have FINALLY cast on for the Forest Path Stole. I'm using Cinnabar Zephyr WoolSilkand 3.25mm needles.

The needles were my first mistake. Addi Lace needles don't come in 3.25mm (well, at least not anywhere I could find) so I started the stole on regular Addi's. Bad move. The circulars were 30 inches and the cord was crazy coiled. It drove me insane. Obviously the cord could be straightened, but the bigger problem was that the tips were dull. Dull. DULL. Rubbish for lace. And double rubbish for NUPPS. And the pattern has lots of nupps.

Cue much swearing.

A frantic search through the knitting needle bag and I found some 3.25 dpns - KnitPicks metal and KnitPicks harmony. Although the metal needles are lovely and pointy, I find them heavy and was worried they'd be tooooooo slippery. So the harmony needles were called into action.

They are perfect. They are grippy enough that I can leave them as stitch holders on sections I'm not working and pointy enough for nupps. Hurrah.


The pattern itself is clear and well written. The border is seed stitch and each of the panels is one of 3 lace patterns. They are all pretty straightforward and only the nupps are likely to cause much difficulty. Not that nupps are difficult - just that they take some getting used to. My tip is to knit the set up stiches for the nupps crazy loose. That and a pointy needle make the purl 5 together much easier.



I'm just starting the 4th tier of panels. I'm enjoying the knitting but I don't think this will be completed quickly. The entrelac design gives the knitting a sort of stop-start feeling as you move between panels. I never seem to build up much momentum and so I'm easily distracted from it.



In other knitting news I've decided I need to attack my sock stash over the next few months as I've got a silly amount of sock yarn. Happily, my mom asked for some socks today! Being my mom she thinks my socks are tooooooo nice to wear, but she wants some to show off with. How cute is she?

17 comments:

Yarndancer said...

Looks pretty! And it looks like an interesting construction. Can't wait to see it grow!

cpurl17 said...

you are so my hero.

florencemary said...

I have this pattern too, as you put me onto it! It's quite an undertaking, and one I'm not quite ready for atm, but I shall watch yours with great interest!

(btw: you can tell by the above use of language that someone's just been watching Sense and Sensibility....)

fleegle said...

It's beautiful, Soo. I love the Harmonies too--except for the color. And they are very difficult with dark yarn. But the tips and joins are perfection, and they are virtually weightless.

feltboots said...

Forest Path was one of my first lace loves too, but I'm a tad behind you in terms of skill, lol ! Can't wait to see yours though - I just know it's going to be stunning.

Have fun with it !

Viknits said...

Soo, you're awesome!
I've just caught up with the past three posts, and can easily say the same about all your knitting - it's just so inspiring!
Happy New Year!

*must update blog.. must update blog..*

Angelika said...

I love the pattern too and the color of the stole is phantastic. Don't you just love those harmony needles? I'm using as we speak.

Lacefreak said...

That looks just beautiful! You get extra points for doing entrelac :-)

Batty said...

It's beautiful, but I know what you mean with the stop/start character of it. I've always wanted to knit this stole, and now, looking at yours, I think I still want to knit it. Just not quite yet. There's all this sock yarn...

lv2knit said...

I have this pattern marinating in stash -- in fact, the yarn I am using for Lyra is the same as what I have for Forest Path (though now I may switch to Zephyr, too -- a color). I love this stole and cannot wait to see yours!!

knittink said...

I'm really looking forward to see this finished. It's a great design and I really like the red colour, it's so vibrant.
Enjoy your knitting!
Andrea

LittleBerry said...

great progress and I love the yarn colour... but you're right Addi Lace needles make all the difference for Nupps....

Nevisknitter said...

I love this pattern, yours looks beautiful

Anonymous said...

It looks beautiful.
Not many knitting things scare me but for some reason entrelac lace does!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, that's going to look amazing when it's done! And such a nice colour--the only ones I've seen have been white or cream, but mmm burgundy.

As far as the sock stash, you may want to check out this place: http://sockstashclub.blogspot.com. It's an interesting little challenge that doesn't actually even require yarn-dieting.

Anonymous said...

Good luck with your Forest Path Stole I'm sure you'll do well, you're a very accomplished knitter. Your work is beautiful! Thanks for mentioning my site!
Sandra Singh

musetta1 said...

Soo, I am in awe of your knitting. It is so beautiful! I found your blog via the Knitty thread about the Hanami stole, which is on my list to knit. I'm bookmarking your blog for future reference and inspiration. :-)