theraineysisters knitting and so much more

I should have put on heels and a swirly dress to show off the shawl post-blocking, but I didn’t. Here are a few final photographs of the grey behemoth.

A close up of the cable detail (which I did every three pattern repeats):

A shot of it folded in half around the shoulders:

A twirling shot:

On another note:

I should have put on heels and a swirly dress to show off the shawl post-blocking, but I didn’t. Here are a few final photographs of the grey behemoth. A close up of the cable detail (which I did every three pattern repeats): A shot of it folded in half around the shoulders: A twirling shot: On another note: A few months ago, I wrote about the new Knit Picks needle sets. (You can see my post on them here.) I was quite happy with them, but after an incident last night I thought I should issue a brief warning/update. Having finished the grey shawl, I wanted to cast on a new one to have on the needles. I decided to use one of that set and laboriously cast on 624 stitches. As I was knitting the first row, the needle came apart. You screw the cord to the needle, and sometimes the needle will come unscrewed. That wasn’t the problem last night, though. Instead, the cord actually pulled out of the metal piece that you use to screw the cord into the appropriate needle tip. Because of the type of cast on I was using and the fact that the yarn was 100% silk, my entire cast on was lost. I’m sure Knit Picks will replace the cord for me, but right now I’m not sure I even want them to. I’m trying to make the lost hours of casting on into a positive: I wasn’t that happy with the cast on specified by the pattern so I am going to use a different one AND I think I will switch to an Addi Natura (bamboo) needle because the yarn is so slippery. I rarely knit with bamboo or wood, but in this case I think it’s a good idea. Sadly, I don’t own a needle in the right size and length, so I am temporarily stymied. Back to Eris I go.

Whew. That was a lot of pinning. A lot. It’s probably already dry — I had to keep spraying it just to be able to finish blocking. But I am leaving it pinned for a few more hours lest I suffer the nightmare of “springing back.” Here are some photos of it being blocked.

I stood on a chair to try to get a better shot, but I couldn’t get the entire shawl in the photograph.

Here is a close up.

In answer to Susan’s question: it’s about 63 inches in diameter.

The crocheted edge is finished and the shawl is happily soaking in a tub of lavender-scented Eucalan — just waiting to be blocked. Here are a few photos of the almost finished shawl.

This one was taken when I had cast off somewhere between a third and half of the stitches:

Here it is in all of its pre-blocking glory:

And here are two skeins of a beautiful hand-dyed 100% silk laceweight yarn from Sundara — my next shawl. The color is a bit darker and deeper than it looks here and because it’s silk there is more sheen as well. It’s really what I call “Kate Spade” red. Click here to see the color a bit better.

I knit the last stitch of the Feather & Fan Shawl this morning. Thanks to all of you for your understanding of my need to knit those last four rows. Checking off the last row of the chart was very satisying.

Then I realized I could not find a crochet hook approaching the size I need for the crocheted cast off, despite the fact that it feels as if I buy a crochet hook every time I step into a yarn store.

My response was to go get a salt scrub and a massage (in part to alleviate the pain and tension in my shoulder from knitting the shawl in the first place). Feeling way too relaxed to drive legally, I nevertheless made my way to the closest local yarn store. They did not have a single crochet hook in stock. In any size. Say what? I did finally find the crochet hook of my dreams across town at their sister store. I am now starting the very slow — especially for me — process of casting off the grey behemoth. I am not a great crocheter; I find it clumsy, awkward, and tedious. If practice makes perfect, I’m bound to improve. (Get it? Bound to improve? ‘Cause I’m binding off. Yeah — I know it was lame.)

I’m home nursing a cold, watching the Vikings lose, missing a knitting get-together so I don’t infect others, and working on my mindless project of choice: the Feather and Fan Shawl. It’s such a nice easy lace project. One row of patterning that doesn’t even require a chart followed by three rows of straight stockinette. Since each row has 800+ stitches, we are talking mindless zen knitting at its best. This project is even fairly portable, so I’ve been carrying it around when I go to appointments or know I have to wait somewhere.

It is, however, a slow project. I probably have around 50 or so rows left and I’m not sure when I’ll finish it. I am enjoying working on it. Here is what it looked like a little while ago.

And here it is today. I changed it over to a longer needle and took a photograph while it was on both needles and therefore not so scrunched up.

The color is a bit more true in the top photograph. It still is hard to get an idea of the size. The needle I was on was 40″ and the one I’m transferring it to is 60″ if that helps.