Alpine Lace Scarf - Blocked and Ready to Go!!!!

I blocked the Alpine Lace Scarf last night. For some reason I found blocking it a real pain (possibly just because I was tired) and didn't think I'd be happy with the result at all. In fact I was convinced I'd have to reblock it this weekend, but was so tired and cranky by that time I couldn't fix what I thought was wrong.

This morning I woke up and unpinned it -- and I'm actually quite pleased! The blocking could be better - but the overall it's fine and certainly wearable.

The Stats

The pattern is from Victorian Lace Today. I used plum Zephyr wool/silk, about 3oz (about 1000 yards) on 2.75 mm needles.

Measurements:

Unblocked: 18 x 55 inches

Blocked: 21.5 x 68 inches

Because I was working on smaller needles than recommended I did 53 repeats of the 8 row rose leaf pattern rather than the 37 specified in the pattern.

The diamond edging is knit with the centre of the stole and I really enjoyed that part of the pattern. It is worked on both the right side and wrong side rows (so no 'purl all stitches' rest rows), which I think kept the project from becoming dull even though there are quite a few repeats!

I love casting off.....

Casting off always makes me happy......


The Alpine Lace Scarf is done and I'll block it over the weekend.

Yippeee!!!

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.)

Grrrrrr.....

I hate days like today. It seems like I can't really do anything right. (Further reinforced by Blogger eating up this part way through my first attempt at posting it.) Grrrrr....

To cheer me up it is raining in London again, as it has for the past zillion days in a row. I'm not a sun worshipper but it would be nice if it made a brief appearance at some point this summer. Grrrr....

Catherine Tate has been announced as Dr Who's new assistant. What's that about? Who makes these decisions? What are they thinking? Why do tv people have such little imagination that when making casting decisions they think - oooooh who's already on television far too much? Let's use them. Grrrr.....

I attempted a bit of retail therapy which lifted my mood briefly but even a delivery of lovely Posh Yarn yarn can't keep the Grrrr's away. This picture doesn't do the gorgeous green justice. I ordered some lovely stitch markers from Hide and Sheep in Etsy - but then immediately got annoyed waiting for them. (I didn't claim this mood was rational.) Grrrr......

To top it off my left hand is not happy about knitting tonight. It hurts. Definitely signs of repetitive strain. Grrrr....

So I'll make some tea, sit in my comfy chair, listen to a couple of Harry Potter chapters and admire my new yarn and the progress I've made on the Alpine Lace scarf. That actually sounds quite pleasant. But still.... Grrrr.....

Egads - is it that time already?

How can it almost be July? July is supposed to be ages away. By my calendar I have tons and tons of time to sort out some yarn and pattern for the felted bag I'm making for my goddaughter's birthday. But by the rest of the world's calendar I have only a few weeks.

Eeeeek!

I expect the making of the bag won't be tooooo time consuming. But finding the perfect pattern will be. I want her to love the bag. I want her to think - "Scooby" (she calls me Scooby)(Soo became Sooby Doo which over time became Scooby Doo which was shortened to Scooby)(anyway) I want her to think "Scooby is so cool." not "Sigh. Scooby makes me stuff - wish she'd just give me vouchers." Any and all ideas gratefully accepted if anyone who happens upon this blog has any..... In the meantime I'll have a search through the stash and pattern pile.

On a more productive note I've finally picked out my first project from Victorian Lace Today. It's the Alpine Scarf. I'm not very far into it, but it's an enjoyable knit so far. There are only 2 'plain' rows in each 16 row repeat so it requires some concentration. But on the plus side, when you mess up you are most likely to find out in the next row - which improves the odds of being able to correct it without frogging.

I'm using Fiddlesticks Zephyr in plum. I love the yarn and the colour. Unfortunately, I'm using rosewood needles - dark wool on dark needles is not a good idea. Some bamboo needles ordered yesterday and should be with me tomorrow. Phew.

Speaking of needles, the pattern suggests 3.5mm - but I've dropped down to 2.75mm to get the pattern definition I'm happy with. Some people might have done that by a bit of swatching on 30 or 40 stitches. Not me, my process is:

*cast on 121 stitches

knit 16 rows

decide knitting is too loose

frog

repeat from * FOUR times dropping .25mm in needles size until you finally settle on 2.75 mm needles

When oh when oh when will I learn??????