I picked up my swallowtail again last week. I had brought it along on my vacation, but only did a few repeats on the airplane and then put it aside. I'm excited about working on it again and am almost through the budding lace chart. I thought I was through last night, but counted my stitches and still have one more repeat to go. It looks beautiful in the pink zephyrspun. And I'm very inspired by seeing everyone's swallowtails. What percent of the shawl is finished when you finish up lace pattern 2?

I'm almost there!

My Swallow Tail Shawl is currently soaking. I'm so excited to see my first lace project bloom into something even more beautiful than it currently is. Unfortunately, in my haste to get it to its bath ASAP, I didn't take a "before" photo! d'oh.

Swallowtail Inspired Baby Blankie

Patons Jet, Wool Alpaca Mix 10 Balls
6mm Knitpicks Options x 2

I started with a circular provisional cast on, and added extra stitches to double the pattern (make it square), and also to make each of the four "ribs" double instead of single knit stitches (just to make it easier to knit in the round.

It took me about 6 weeks, but I moved house in the middle of it, and just got around to blocking yesterday. iPod included for scale.  The edging is just moss stitch (seed stitch).  Knitted for my new neicephew, due in December '07.

I have the yarn to do this again, but following the edging charts too - for a much bigger blankie, for my baby, due in November.

Swallowtail in Golden Chai

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl
Yarn: Artfibers Golden Chai, 100 % golden tussah silk
Amount Used: Over 500 yards
Needles: KnitPicks Options circular 47-inch size 8
Pre-Block Dimensions: Length 27 1/2 ", Width 56"
Post-Block Dimensions: Length 34", Width 70"

Love this yarn! I really can't tell accurately how much I used, as I ran out with 5 rows left to go! I had to order more. I have more details on my blog: http://mymerinomantra.typepad.com

Sea Silk? We'll sea! (Har har)

I actually knit this last October over two weeks when I was between jobs, and I intended to give it to my Grandmother for Christmas after blocking it.

Sorry, Grandma.

I did finish the shawl (even though I took this picture before finishing the border), but I followed my usual procedure and immediately started knitting something else instead of just taking the last step and finishing the project. (Maybe I enjoy projects so much I never want them to end? Perhaps...) So, when I saw this KAL I thought I'd join it and it would induce me to finally block the dang shawl already.

This picture looks more like "Stingray Shawl" but it shows how the shawl knits up with Hand Maiden Sea Silk and size 4 needles...

As you can see, at this point I still had a lot of yarn left. I had a teeny little bit left over -- about the size of a silver dollar-- when I cast off the final stitch. If anyone is considering making this shawl with Sea Silk, one skein is exactly enough yarn for this project.

Here's a closeup of the rosebud lace:

I have read that the Sea Silk looses up quite a bit during blocking, so I am curious to see what happens. I'll post pictures. Personally, I don't think a person can ever go wrong with silk, so hopefully Grandma will have silky shoulders for Christmas this year-- finally!

WOOHOO I am now blocking

I can't believe it, I finally finished, this was the most intense knit I have completed to date.

Here are my before and during blocking pix


The top corners look a little weird...I know its not completely even, I tried my best, I don't have a T-square like Eunny Jang's example...but it will be flowy right.. so I think it will be okay

I have more pictures on my blog of the blocking progress and measurement before and after

I assume I will leave it like this until tomorrow so its fully set??

Learning to Design Lace

I am a big fan of Evelyn Clark's designs and am playing with trying to learn to design my own shawl. Does anyone have ideas on books to look at or websites? Or maybe some thoughts? I'm especially stuck on how to build up the edges on either side of the pattern repeat, so that when you start the next repeat, you have enough stitches/

I've been working on the Thistle Lace pattern from Barbara Walker's Teasury, volume 2. My goal is a triangular shawl with a symmetrical, small repeat, then a border, then a peaked edging. The Thistle leaf pattern is a 28-row repeat with purling on all even rows. Here's where I'm stuck:

1. does the border edge have to keep increasing in number of stitches, or can I increase to the number that I need for the repeat (11) and then do plain knit or repeat the same row on either edge until I get to the end of the 28 rows needed for the pattern repeat?
2. any ideas on how the border should mirror the pattern? can I just do a small part, or do I need to build up to the entire pattern as I get enough stitches on either side of the repeat?

My blog is at http://pegotty/blogspot.com if you'd rather leave a suggestion there. Any help would be welcomed! Thanks all.

progress half way there

I signed up in May but I dont believe I ever posted anything, here is where I am at now, I have been procrastinating about switching to circulars, but I dont think I can wait any longer

Im using Lacey Lamb 100% extrafine lambswool, everything else is in a foreign language



I have more info on my blog, but here is where I began some months ago

http://moosieknits.blogspot.com/2007/05/current-wip.html