Saturday 22 August 2009

The Blob Grows Slowly

Now that the needle trauma is over there isn't much say about the Lerwick Lace Shawl.

It grows.


But slowly.


120 rows of 800 stitches take a while at the best of times. But when work is busy, and the weather is so nice that any free time you do have you want to spend outdoors -- well, those 120 rows of 800 stitches don't get much attention!

I mentioned previously that I was finding the yarn (1 ply cobweb Shetland wool) quite uneven, and in places worryingly thin. Land o' Lace reported that she had a similar experience with the yarn -- and it even snapped in a few blaces during blocking. Eeeeek!


Anyway - I bring this up again because getting yarn that won't disappoint you in a project of this size is pretty important. If you are going to knit a gazillion stitches you don't want to be let down by the yarn at the end.


That's why I was so pleased this morning that while avoiding work by reading blogs I discovered that the very talented Fleegle has opened an Etsy shop. Fleegle knits gorgeous lace and knows more about yarn in her little finger than I do in my whole body (or whatever that expression is that means she knows a heck of a lot more than most people).


She's selected some yarns that she particularly likes for lace work and has dyed them some gorgeous colours. Not surprisingly I found myself placing an order immediately.


With Fleegle doing the selecting I am confident the yarn will be perfect -- I can't wait for it to arrive!! Stuff is moving off the shelves pretty quickly (no surprise there!) but do check it out if you're in the market for yarn for a lace shawl.

13 comments:

fleegle said...

Love your blob! I have a pink blob in about the same state :(

By the way, I didn't just select the yarns for the Etsy store--I had them custom spun just for me (and my customers, of course). It's been a real experience getting these yarns spun via babelfish. The yarn broker speaks no English!

LittleBerry said...

Blob looking good.... yes had a sneeky preview at Fleegles store she has some nice fibre for spinning to lace but I have a stash at the moment but I have a mental note ;o)

Thanks for the lovely commenst on the blog :o)

Karen said...

Thanks for telling us about fleegle's Etsy shop. Good to know. Quality yarn is everything in lace knitting, that's for sure!

Batty said...

It's a lovely black blob... I wish you all the best with blocking, the thought of yarn snapping after all that work makes me faint, or almost faint, at the very least.

Fleegle has an etsy shop... ooooh!

Jackie's Stitches said...

Oh my! Just the thought of that yarn possibly snapping just makes me ill. I hope that you don't have any issues with that. Maybe not block it so aggressively?

Off to check out the new Etsy shop....

Gale Bulkley said...

Well, it sure looks like a large blob. Will you continue with this yarn?

Viknits said...

love the black blob! I have a purple blob with beads at the mo too. Off to check out Fleegle's shop, I hope my paypal can withstand some temptation!

Linda said...

Black blob looks like a big blob! I look forward to it finished.

Opal said...

i'm so behind on the times, i had no idea our fleegle opened up an etsy shop! oh the temptation!

good luck with your blob!

florencemary said...

Just catching up with your broken lace needle catastrophe, yegods! Glad the Blob survived and wasn't stamped on, then flung into a far corner.

And of course, my self-discipine has gone out of the window after browsing Fleegle's lovely (and funny) shop... I had to succumb, of course!

Ilix said...

Wow... that is a great many stitches and a great many rows. I hope your yarn is good to you. That report from a friend about snapping! YIKES!I am sure it will be beautiful.

Lacefreak said...

I have a blob sitting here too so I know just how you feel. The yarn I used for my Wedding Ring Shawl is a single and I had the same problems. I couldn't stand knitting it any more so it has been a UFO forever wo whatever you do, don't stop knitting on your blob or you may find it hard to go back to it! I love fleegle's shop! She has wonderful yarn and fiber there.

Susanne said...

Any chance we could see the finished black blob?