What do you mean it's almost December??????

I'm sure just last week it was the middle of August -- somehow I'm supposed to believe that next week is December??????

I can only hope that none of you are quite as surprised by that newsflash as I am.

Knitting has taken a back seat this fall to work - which has been pretty busy. It started to slow down a couple of weeks ago and I bought Season 7 of 24 (I'm an addict) and prepared myself to settle in with some serious knitting on the blob. But things didn't go quite to plan as my sister emailed me with a last minute request for a couple of pairs of socks for a charity auction. So the blob was put on hold again and I made socks while Jack got busy saving the planet (again).

This week my sister confirmed the socks arrived safe and sound, providing a bit of time to drum up some interest before the auction which is next weekend. It is hard to predict how much they might make -- as we knitters know reactions to hand knit socks vary from "why bother? you can get 3 pairs of socks for a fiver at Walmart" to genuine appreciation for the time and materials and love of craft that goes into them. Who knows who'll be at this particular auction! I'll report back on how they do as soon as I hear.

In other knitting news the blob is now getting some long overdue attention and it is slowly breaking free as I work through the 1800 short rows that will create the edge.

I'm making good progress but I've just got to the stage where it seems like it will never end. Row after row after row. Giving me lots of time to worry about the yarn snapping when I get to blocking!

That's all for now. Off to make some lunch. My friend and I made a batch of perogies yesterday - and even though we had a massive supper of them last night I think I'll have to save a few that were destined for the freezer and cook them up for lunch!!!

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.

Oh My shiny new Knit Pick (or Pro) Needle - How do I love thee?

After last week's catastrophe with the Kollage square needle I was overjoyed when my shiny new Knit Pick (Knit Pro here in the UK) 2.75mm needle arrived yesterday morning. This morning I treated myself to a strong extra shot latte and sat down to tackle the recovery.

Things seem to have gone well and I think (hope) there won't be any noticeable goofs after the blocking does its stuff.

Working with the ever dependable Knit Pick needle this morning I realised just how much I didn't like the Kollage circular needle - even before it snapped. The stitches caught on the join on the Kollage needles and the weight of the work seemed to bend the cable at the join exacerbating the problem. In fact I think that is what caused the eventual break - the cable at the join got weaker with every row until it broke off entirely.

The tips of the needles were comfortable to work with and pointy enough for lace -- but I'm unlikely to try them again any time soon until I know whether my experience was a one off.

Jomama asked about lifelines in the comments. First I guess I should confess that I never use them - in fact, I had never heard of lifelines until about 2 years ago. However, my not using them isn't to say that I don't think they are a good idea -- just that I'm too set in my ways to start using them at this late stage in my knitting career.

Lifelines (as the name suggests) protect your work in the event of dropping some stitches or finding an error or having your needle snap. Basically a lifeline is a thread (dental floss is often recommended) that you run through all the stitches of a row - usually with a blunt tapestry needle. Then if you do face a catastrophe you simply rip back to the lifeline row and pick up the stitches from the lifeline. The frequency of lifelines depends on the complexity of the lace and the level of risk you are willing to take! Some people use a lifeline every repeat, or in the case of a very complicated shawl (with long rows!) every single row.

There are some good lifeline tutorials here and here and here is one with a great Knit Picks Options trick.

And look! It's that time of year again....I'm knitting little hats (16 so far) for Innocent Smoothies Big Knit campaign.

If you've got some spare yarn and a few minutes why not knit one or two yourself? Apart from keeping Smoothies cosy in Sainsbury fridges 35p from each hatted smoothie sold goes to Age Concern to help keep the elderly warm over the winter.