Pattern? Check. Needles? Check. Yarn? Check.

We have blast off! I arrived home from work today and found the much anticipated Lyra yarn had arrived. Eeeeeeeek!

I'll wind it up tonight and tackle casting on over the weekend. Those of you who kindly offered assistance with the pattern will no doubt be hearing from me sooooooooon.

The Orange Thing Resurrected

In the meantime the orange thing is once again on the needles. This time I'm knitting it double and that is much more the effect I wanted. Knitting it double also tones down the variegation but does still let the richness of the different shades shine through. Can you tell I'm much happier with this attempt? I also decided to use the Hemlock pattern Brooklyn Tweed originally used. I do still love the Azalea pattern from Modern Lace Knitting so expect to see it crop up here again.

Ravelry. Gadzooks!

And in other news I've now been added to Ravelry. I can see why it gets rave reviews but I confess when I logged in the first time I felt a little bit like I'd walked into a huge party that was in full swing and I did't know where to go or who to speak to or what the 'done' thing was. So I logged off.

Happily when I logged back in that evening a few friendly fellow bloggers had added me as a friend and I thought -- phew - eventually I'll find my way around here. But I hope this blogging community I've just gotten into continues despite Ravelry. Blogging and visiting blogs feels more like small gatherings of a few friends in my living room. Comfortable.

Just when you thought you'd heard the last of the Mystery Stole from me......

When I posted my Swan Lake Stole/Mystery Stole 3 picture someone asked how I would keep the stole draped over my shoulder. Well, I'm happy to report that the answer arrived yesterday. This beautiful swan pin from Romi was specially designed for the stole and I love it.

Swan Lake Press Night

....after weeks of wondering and trying to visualise the final product -- it's here! Below are my two completed Swan Lake Stoles (Mystery Stole 3).


















I love the finished objects. I truly think the stoles are stunning - particularly when the wing is flung over the shoulder. I can't wait to get the Swan shawl pin I ordered to go with it as I think it will really finish it offThe stoles are both knit in Zephyr wool/silk on 2.75mm needles. I did extra repeats to add some length (Melanieincludes directions for lengthening or shortening the stole from the base pattern.)

The stole is 17 inches wide, about 76 inches long. That's smaller than Melanie's target - but she knit on larger needles.

The pattern (which will be available from PinkLemonTwist) is very clear and easy to follow.



















I thought this Mystery knitting was great fun and I'll definitely consider doing one again! I enjoyed not knowing what was coming next, and I enjoyed having a set of knitting assigned to each week. Despite my original plan to ignore the week by week schedule, I became obsessed (ahem) with completing the clues as they came out.

PS Wyoming has landed!!! (I think.) On Friday the blog had a visitor from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Well, that's where the ISP was. They spent a few minutes on the site and read a few pages but no comment. From what I can tell Cheyenne is on the border which could possibly mean the visitor was from a neighbouring state.... but in the absence of any evidence that that is the case I am counting the Wyoming Project (such as it was) a success.

I am slightly disappointed as Friday I had researched a few Wyoming facts (first woman governor!, first state to give women the vote!, is the second largest the wool producer in the US! 810,000 sheep! 500,000 people! dishy Matthew Fox from Lost was born there!) which I was sort of looking forward to sharing. Oh! I did.

A Pair of Swans Blocking

My determination (obsession) continues and I've now finished knitting both stoles. Here they are blocking. You'll be happy to hear that I won't actually stick around to watch them dry!

I'm now determined to head out and do a bit of shopping. Shoes I think.

I'll post pictures of the unpinned stoles tonight or tomorrow morning.

Mystery Stole (the First) is Cast Off!

The final Swan Lake/Mystery Stole 3 clue came out today and I was determined to finish one of the stoles before letting my head hit the pillow tonight.

And wahey - behold - a complete Swan Lake Stole. I haven't made much effort with this picture (sorry) but I will block it tomorrow and post a picture as soon as I can after that.

I've begun clue 7 on the black Mystery Stole - but bed is calling so I'll finish that Saturday or Sunday.

Everything Should be This Cute!

Yesterday I received my latest shopping from Purlescence containing a Namaste messenger bag (chocolate corduroy outer with a fabulous lining), some gorgeous Lantern Moon ebony dpns and this adorable sheep measuring tape. How cute is that? They have a few other styles of this measuring tape and I feel a growing need to own the ladybug....

Yesterday was also Clue Day for the Swan Lake Stole (aka Mystery Stole 3). It basically extends the feather pattern across the width of the stole. Next week is the final clue and I'm really curious to see how the feather pattern finishes. I've completed clue 6 in black and will get it underway for the white stole early next week.

In the meantime I've got to pick an edging pattern for the melon stole. I don't know why I'm finding it so difficult - but I am. I can't seem to settle on one.

And huge thanks to Connie (in comments) for solving the Sarcelle Stole mystery and pointing me towards the Shawlknitters Yahoo Group. A knitalong for this pattern is a great idea. I think it's a pattern that adapts well to different yarns and can't wait to see what the knitalong group comes up with. Coincidentally I've been considering making a second Sarcelle in a fingering weight silk yarn that I bought last week.

How wondrous would it have been if Connie had been from Wyoming? But alas it appears she isn't. According to Google analytics Wyoming continues to be a black hole as far as this blog is concerned.

Cazza asked where I get the location information from. I use www.google.com/analytics . There is some code there that you copy on to your template and it will give you daily reports on accesses to your blog. It gives a fair bit of information, but my two favourite bits are: google searches used to find your blog, and location.

But enough knitting talk -- it's Saturday, the sun is shining and Greenwich Park is calling my name.

Aha! (and Grrrr....)

AHA!

It appears my shaping of the Swan Lake stole was a bit wonky..... The picture below should be more in line with how the stole is knitting up.

Grrrr....

On the weekend I was finishing up the centre panel for the melon scarf. Ran out of yarn in skein one, started knitting skeing two....and .... errr...grrrrrr..... (and to add insult to injury it was almost impossible to take a photo that accurately reflected the striking difference in colour between the two skeins! How annoying was that. Believe me it's more noticeable in real life than in this photo. Grrrr.....

I Love Swan Lake!

I love the ballet and so far I'm loving the Swan Lake stole -- which we discovered yeserday is the real identity of the Mystery Stole 3.

We were all predicting a dramatic change following clue 4 and we weren't disappointed. Melanie has introduced a curved 'wing' shape into the otherwise straight edged stole. She has posted a schematic of the final shape of the stole but I haven't looked at it yet as I'm really enjoying watching the shape unfold. This clue consists of short rows to give the curved shape, and a very soft feather pattern. Quite a departure from the previous pattern.

I've finished clue 5 in white and I'm looking forward to knitting it up on the black one, but it may be a few days before I get to that. Because....

I've discovered another mystery. Which is: how is it that of all of the finished objects you share with your co-workers the one that gets (BY FAR!) the most enthusiastic response is....the iPod sock? There was lots of love for the iPod socks at work yesterday (and indeed from my goddaughter when I gave them to her). There was so much love that in a moment of weakness I agreed to whip up a Blackberry sock and a couple more iPod socks over the weekend.

It's a good thing I love knitting lace enough not to need validation from my friends and colleagues!!!!

Sea Silk and Mysteries......

I've cast on for the Melon Scarf in Victorian Lace Today, using a gorgeous red Handmaiden Sea Silk. I love love love the look of this yarn. It's got a beautiful colour and gorgeous sheen.

But I'm not really enjoying knitting with it. At least not so far. I miss the warmth and forgiving nature of wool. I'm knitting this on 3.75mm needles, and although I'm happy with how the fabric looks - I find it really loose and flimsy while I'm knitting. I'm finding it more comfortable now that I've done a few pattern repeats - the weight of the completed knitting helps things feel more stable on the needles.

I'm sure I'll adapt to the sea silk -- at least I hope I do, I have the same yarn in 3 other colours in the stash!!

The melon pattern itself is very straightforward. This is the centre panel, and consists of a very easily memorised 6 row, 10 stitch repeat. Really good DVD watching knitting. (In fact, I knit most of this last night while watching Little Miss Sunshine. How good is that film? I loved it so much I'm tempted to watch it again tonight. Funny and warm without being sickly sweet. ) Anyway - the centre panel is a pretty easy knit. I'm not sure what edging I'm going to use -- I'm not convinced the one used in the book will work with the sea silk.

The Mystery Deepens (and Lengthens)

I've completed clue 4 on both of the stoles. I confess to being entirely in the dark about what Melanie has in store for the pattern next. The lifelines she strongly recommended (required) have been inserted in both stoles. But what can they be for?? Surely if they were lifelines in the traditional sense they'd be closer to the end of the clue -- rather than 48 rows back. Hmmmm.....

Melanie added to group's curiousity when she posted this cryptic comment on the Yahoo group:

I hope you are all enjoying knitting this design and I just have one request for you before the next clue is posted in a week: Trust me. I've knit what's coming twice and if you follow thedirections step by step, it will work. Don't panic, just trust me.

Bits and Pieces....

Thanks so much for all of the lovely comments on the Alpine Lace scarf. I am pleased with how it turned out and if the other VLT patterns turn out as well I expect I'll be making most of them!
What's Next?: ummmm, haven't decided for sure. I have some Handmaiden Sea Silk I'd love to use but haven't decided on a pattern. Perhaps the Melon Scarf in VLT? Or maybe I should do look further afield (but then I think - why??)


Mystery Stole 3: We're on clue 4 now and it appears something dramatic is going to happen in clue 5. Clue 4 is the longest clue (135 rows for the standard length stole, 215 rows for the longer version which I'm making). I've done about 152 rows of the clue on the black one, and 104 rows of the clue on the white one.

Melanie has instructed us to put a lifeline in about 48 rows before the end of the clue, and the pattern and edging established appear to end at the last row of this clue. What the heck can be coming next?


Hedera Socks (aka freakish heel flap socks): I finished the Hedera Socks. I really liked the simple lace pattern and found it a relaxing knit. I was (and remain) confused by the pattern instructions for a freakishly long heel flap. I decided to follow the pattern despite my doubts -- but even now can't see any reason for it. So, I will make the socks again but with a more usual length heel flap. I'll let you know if that turns out to be a mistake!

My Shiny New Citizenship: And unrelated to anything knitting today I got a letter from the Home Office confirming that my application for UK citizenship has been approved. I'll attend an official ceremony sometime in the next month or so and then I'll be a fully naturalised UK citizen (hanging on with love and affection to her Canadian nationality all the while!).

On Board Mission (aka 'reclaim the hipness of the knit')(aka make Zane Lowe say the K word on 'in new music we trust' on Radio 1): - In case you thought I had seen sense and given up - I haven't. But Zane's on hols at the moment and I think getting Annie Mac to say the K word would be far to easy.

The Addictive Properties of Sock Yarn

My addiction to buying sock yarn continues. I still don't really wear socks, but I like knitting them, and the last batch got a very favourable reaction when I doled them out. Having said that - the addiction is all mine. No one's forcing me to knit socks. No one's even hinting for me to make them socks.

I just need to.

This week I took delivery of some Colinette Jitterbug (very nice) and this very cool Sock Duet Yarn from A Swell Yarn Shop in the US. The yarn comes in gorgeous shades (as always, my rubbish photography skills don't do the colours justice) and with the added bonus of a small skein of co-ordinating yarn for the toes and heels! I love it! It isn't cheap when you add in the shipping (it represents the higher end of my addiction) but I can confirm it's oh so squeezable.....

Along with buying sock yarn this week I've been working on the Alpine Lace Scarf. I've now done an extra 10 repeats of the central leaf pattern but still don't think it's long enough. So I'll knit a few more. I believe a stole can never be too long, but if it's too short it's a bit duff. (odd to have these views as I don't ever wear them - but heh - a girl believes what she believes).

(hmmmm...knitting stoles and socks I never wear....I'm not coming out of this looking too bright am I?)

The Mystery Stole 3 stoles are cruising along. I've finished the 3rd clue on both stoles. (My inability to make a decision seems to mean that I'm making 2.) I still have no idea whatsoever what the theme is. But here they are -- any ideas gratefully accepted!

Was that it?

This weekend has been a blur of activity in London including the first stage of the Tour de France. I'm not a Tour de France fan by any stretch of the imagination - but as it was going past (literally) the end of my road I felt I should show some interest. According to the official website there was a 'fake start' (Depart Fictif) from Trafalgar Sq around 9:40am with the 'real start' (Depart Reel) at 11:00am just up the road from me in Greenwich.

At around 9:15 I started to hear noise on the route - so I decided to check it out (combined with a useful trip to Tesco to get some food). This was some sort of 'pre' race thing where a parade of sponsors drove past and threw freebies to the bystanders. There weren't too many bystanders at that stage but that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the participants. I watched for about 10 minutes (long enough to get some hats, pens and a little car) (I gave most of it to nearby kids) then headed home.

At about 5 to 11 I thought I should head back out and see the cyclists. Went back out to the street, a few minutes later some very speedy cyclists went by. 30 seconds after that it was pretty much all over. We spectators (and this time the streets were lined) sort of looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and headed home.

But heh - I can tick 'see the Tour de France' off my list of things to do (pretending it was ever on there).

Right on to knitting things.....

Mystery Stole 3 clue 2 is out and I've completed it in the cream yarn and have just begun clue 2 in the black. (still undecided on which one I prefer) I'll take a better picture of them when the black one has caught up.





I've made good progress on the Alpine Lace scarf. According to the pattern I should be starting the end border now -- but I'm not convinced it's long enough. (how much will it stretch in blocking?)(why do I refuse to swatch?)

I knit up a bag to felt for my god daughter's birthday - Rowan Polar with a strand of variegated sock yarn. Looked very promising in its unfelted stage. However when I pulled it out of the washing machine it looked like - well - a deceased animal. Truly - it had become really hairy in a very unattractive way. It created a nice solid felt - but the hair was a little off putting. (When will I learn to swatch?)

Last week I was working on a Pomatomas sock --- and I have decided that I don't like it. I wanted to like it. I admire the flow of the stitches - but as a sock I was unconvinced. I can't pinpoint what it was I don't like about it -- the pattern is very well written - but I didn't like knitting it. It'll be frogged next week. (The yarn is Lucy Neatby Celestial Merino and is really nice to work with.)

I've now started a lace sock in an Opal solid and it's making me very happy so far. For some reason lace socks remind me of grade school. (Even though I don't think I ever wore lace socks.)(Weird.)

Whole Lot of Mystery

Mystery Stole 3 is underway! Close to 4000 knitters around the world have signed up to receive weekly clues from Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist. (Melanie designed the lovely Hanami Stole among other things.) If you haven't joined in but are interested the group closes next Friday so get a move on!!


Anyway - Melanie releases a 'clue' a week for the next few weeks (7 clues in all I think) which we knit up. We have no idea what the finished stole will look like - and I think it's an amazing testament to Melanie's talent that so many of us are willing to invest yarn and time in an unseen pattern.

There is a theme to the stole, which Melanie will reveal eventually (clue 5 I think). So far all we know is that colours in keeping with the theme are black and white. There are quite a few guesses floating around but none from me. I'm useless at this sort of thing. In fact, I suspect when the theme is revealed I still won't get it!!



I was undecided between white and black yarn for the stole so ordered both. When I went to cast on I was still undecided. So I cast on both. Worked about 20 rows and still couldn't decide... did another 20 rows.....ummm...still sitting on the fence.... This afternoon I finished the first clue in both yarns....still undecided. Perhaps clue 2 will help me decide.....

(I think marketing gurus could learn a lot from this as well. 4000 knitters learned of the 'Mystery Stole', signed up and committed to spending £30ish and countless hours to an unseen project. All started by a couple of posts on Melanie's blog. No advertising, just the power of the internet 'word of mouth'. Pretty darned impressive I think!)

Harry Potter (and TV suggestions required)

There are now officially no tv shows that I'm interested in watching. The Dr Who finale was last night (I watch mostly because I have an embarassing crush on David Tennant) - anyway - I now can't find anything to watch. And a woman of my advanced years can only take so much Radio 1 before her age catches up with her.

So I've invested in the Harry Potter audio books which I listen to while knitting. I thought it would be worth reminding myself what happened in 1 to 6 before I tackle 7 at the end of the month. (I am such a geek.) Stephen Fry is brilliant and really does the stories justice.

If anyone has any ideas for new shows I should check out - let me know!