wifeKnits

Lacey stuff

I finished my Little Arrowhead Shawl last night. It’s not blocked yet since I cast off just before 11:30pm, but I did get a few pics anyway.

Yarn is Classic Elite Miracle (alpaca/tencel single-ply DK weight) and I used US7 needles, but because I tend to bind off somewhat tight, I used US9 for the bind off. I’m definitely interested to see how much it grows with blocking because right now it looks a bit small.

And today I officially began working on the Adamas Shawl for the Beginner’s Lace August KAL on Ravelry. It’s my first project working with laceweight yarn. I cast on numerous times with Baruffa Cashwool and it was a mess! I had such a tangle of thread. I even went down a few needle sizes hoping it would help. I got to discussing this with some folks in the KAL and one lady suggested that my yarn was probably an extra-fine laceweight and that I should try a thicker one first. I had read somewhere previously that Cashwool is more cobweb than regular laceweight, so I ordered some Knit Picks Shadow and tried again. Success! I made it through the first 6 rows and Chart 1 without needing to frog or use my lifeline. And it looks so pretty! I plan to get pics of my progress to share with the ladies on Ravelry. I’ll try to remember to post here as well, in case anyone is interested.

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Thank Goodness for Lifelines

This weekend I worked on my lace shawl. I always make sure I work on it sitting down where I can lay out my pattern and focus on each row, so that I don’t make a mistake. Well, apparently I was too focused on the show I was watching and not enough on the shawl, because I ended up making a mistake. Thank goodness for my lifeline. I managed to rip back 3 rows to my lifeline, put the needle and stitch markers back in place and redo the row.

Of course it meant no progress, because as soon as I got all that done, the little one woke up from her nap, so the knitting had to be put away again. Go figure. So I only managed to complete one lace repeat rather than two this weekend like I was hoping.

In other knitting news, I’ve decided I need a "Vera Bradley" bag for my knitting. I’m coveting a soft, fabric-y squishy bag for my knitting. I’m currently using a Total Tote and I really like it, but for some reason, I know want a soft Vera bag. But I can’t really afford a Vera bag, so I think I’m going to head over to AC Moore this afternoon and get one of the knock-offs they have. But, hmm, I may just have to head over to the mall and check out the real Vera bags, just because.

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More Lace

I sat down yesterday and made some more stitch markers for my shawl project. Then last night I worked on the shawl some more. I absolutely love working on it. Wrong side rows are all purl except the 2 end stitches which are garter stitch. It’s coming out so neat. I love watching the lace form as I work the chart. I’ve completed one repeat and am working on the second. I even added a lifeline just in case, although so far I’ve been extremely careful to not make mistakes. Each repeat of the rows adds two more stitch repeats on either side of the center, so when I’m done I’m going to have a ton of stitch markers on my shawl. LOL! But it’s coming out gorgeous! At least I think so.

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The Lace Shawl

I’m really enjoying working on the the lace shawl, even though I rarely actually sit down and work on it. I have been a bit hesitant because I don’t want to mess up and I haven’t had a chance to go get something like a magnetic board to hold my place on the chart.

But I sat down in my office during lunch to work on it and found a great way to keep track. I have a row counter to keep track of the rows I’ve completed. I blew up the charts from the pattern and re-printed them so that I can see them better. That helps. I placed them flat on my desk and used a ruler to "underline" which row in the chart I’m working. I’m using stitch markers to mark the repeat section because I know if I don’t I’ll get confused.

One thing that is frustrating me though is that I keep forgetting to work the chart left to right on wrong side rows. So I start counting to make sure my stitches are correct and they aren’t. I freak out, rip back to the previous row, then realize they are right, I’m just looking at the chart backwards.

I haven’t placed any lifelines yet. I’m not sure where to put them, plus I’m not sure what yarn to use. I’m working the shawl in DK weight yarn on size 7 needles, so I guess fingering weight sock yarn would work. I’ve also been holding off because I ordered the Options set from KnitPicks (woohoo!, happy birthday to me!) and I’m sort of waiting for those to come in. They have those little holes that you can thread some crochet cotton into and lifeline as you knit. I think that would make it easier. And I have loads of crochet cotton I can spare.

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Lace Beginnings

I’ve started the Little Arrowhead Shawl using Classic Elite Miracle. The yarn is so pretty, so soft and works up beautifully. This is going to be a gorgeous shawl. But it’s my first lace project. So I cast on and worked row one about 2 or 3 weeks ago, then put it aside to finish another project. I wanted to get my Jaywalkers out of the way so I could concentrate. I knew this project would require more focus than all my other previous projects. I finally finished the Jaywalkers (will show pictures in a separate post), so I thought it was time to try the lace. Besides I was getting the itch to do it.

Last night I decided to sit down and focus on the lace and see if I could make a bit of progress. I was going good and was really enjoying the work. It looked like it was coming out great. I got to row 7 and noticed that one side of my shawl had about 2 or 3 stitches less than it should. Go figure. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention to my work. I definitely think I should use lifelines, especially as a beginner, but at only 7 rows, I just ripped the whole thing out and started over. I did make some progress though from where I started. I ended last night on row 2, so I managed to work one extra row. :)

I also need to figure out the best way to keep track of where I’m at in the chart. Last night I was just putting a checkmark next to each row as I finished it, which would work til I got to the repeat of rows 9-20. But I still need some way to mark the row so I can see what I’m supposed to do on that row. Like adding a sticky note directly below the row I’m on, so I can at a glance see the stitches that make up that row. It would be easier. I just need to get a magnetic board to put it on…similar to the one I use for my cross-stitch. But I need one smaller. Or maybe I need to input the chart into Numbers and blow it up a bit bigger.

I will try again tonight if I get some time.

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