Blocking My Multnomah Shawl: Finally!

My finished Multnomah Shawl is now pinned to the back of my chesterfield drying.

I decided to block it with more pointed than curved edges.

It was a frustrating project but that was my fault. Even though I checked out the Multnomah Shawl KAL to look for pattern problems and interpretations before I started, I still messed up! The fan and feather lace was knit wrong and ended up like a ruffle. Way too many stitches!  I ripped the shawl down to the garter stitch and knit up the fan and feather again. Voila, you see the result above.

When the shawl is dry and I have my chesterfield back, I''ll model my creation.

Happy knitting!

I've Got Fans and Feathers: Progress On My Multnomah Shawl

My Multnomah Shawl is slowly taking shape. I'm almost ready to begin my sixth of the lace repeats.

It may soon spill off of my needles.

The pattern is becoming a bit tedious. What keeps me going are all of the beautiful Multnomah shawls in the Ravelry gallery for this project. I'm looking forward to having one too!

Happy knitting!

Fan and Feather: I'm Ready to Knit Lace!

My Multnomah Shawl was neglected a bit this week. You see hubby and I joined a gym. Being keeners, we went at it with great determination. However, I'm sure the fan and feather lace I am now about to begin knitting on my shawl will benefit from my newly found biceps!

This is my shawl pre fan and feather:

Wish me luck as I attempt the lace knitting which I am oh so inexperienced at.

Now, I'm off to see what other fiber people have been up to this week at Fiber Arts Friday hosted by Wonder Why Gal. See you there!

Happy fiber arting!

Finished: My Ribbed Lace Bolero

My Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher is finished! This was for the Adventures in Lace Knit Along at Lazy Kate Creates. My first knit lace project ever.

I'm fairly happy with the results.

The design is simple. I like that.

What I learned from this project:

         * Elizabeth Zimmerman's Sewn Bind Off demonstrated on You Tube

         * Yarn overs, purling into yarn overs

        * Slip stitching the first stitch of each row for a neat edge

        * Knitting lace requires concentration

        * If I do another knit lace project,  I need to be prepared to rip!

        * There are loads of great lace knitters out there who love to share
           their work

Happy Adventures Knitting Lace!

I've Got Holes in My Knitting!: It's a Good Thing

Yes, after ripping this baby down to the ribbing about five times, I finally have established the correct pattern of "holes" for my ribbed lace bolero.

I had trouble with the second row of the repeat. Well, actually I had touble with the first row too. But after I refreshed my understanding of "yo", "ssk" and had the direction  my needle should be entering the stitches settled, the first row was no problem.

The second row of the repeat calls for you to:  p1, p1 in 1st yo, p1 into back of 2nd yo. I thought this would be the end of me! I googled the instructions, and much to my surprise, I was not the only one stuck on this row of the pattern.  At the blog A Joyful Life , a clearly written post with great pictures explains how to accomplish the actual row of this pattern. My sanity saved. My life definitely more joyful.

I  need to knit about 17 more inches of lace. This is much easier now that I know what the pattern should look like when knit!

Happy YOing!

Adventures in Lace Knit Along: Got Ribs, No Lace...Yet!

My priorities are straight. After making sure we had enough to eat for the week with my usual Monday trip to the grocery store, I casted on  98 stitches to begin my lace knit along project. This is the beginning of my Ribbed Lace Bolero.

I'm in the middle of knitting 3 inches of ribbing, before I hit the lace. The gauge is working out. I am notorious for not doing tension swatches!

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the other KAL knitters are coming along with their lace projects.

Happy Casting On!

Cast On!: Lace Knit Along Set to Start Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I cast on my ribbed lace bolero for the beginning of the knit along. I'm nervous about all of the yarn overs and remembering when to knit into the back or front of the stitch.

I've never been this anxious about knitting! I guess it's that'll I'll be sharing my progress on my blog, on Flickr and Ravelry.

In celebration of the KAL, our host Kate at Lazy Kate Creates is giving away two skeins of this lovely Misti Alpaca Lace 2 ply.

Happy KAL!

Got Yarn Will Cast On in the Lace Knit-A-Long

I live in a small town and I have two LYS. One is a major box store with the usual yarn suspects and the other is a small variety store that is a well stocked with a small selection of yarns. It was a bit frustrating trying to find a yarn for my Ribbed Lace Bolero project for the KAL at Lazy Kate Creates.

Here is what I decided on:

Its an Aran 10 ply (8 wpi) which is called for in the pattern. I've never used this yarn before, so I hope it knits up with some body and holds its shape. The color is "aquarium". It's more of a sea blue color that the baby blue it appears to be in this photo.

Happy KAL!

I've Joined a Knit-A-Long: An Adventure in Lace

I can't remember how I came across this KAL at Lazy Kate Creates.  The theme is Adventures in Lace. In all of my years knitting, I have steered clear of knitting lace. This KAL has inspired me to take the plunge into the world of knit lace.

I've chosen a pattern from Ravelry for the Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. I was contemplating knitting Veronik Avery's lovely Lace Ribbon Scarf. But, I've been knitting hats and mitts lately and a scarf didn't quite cut it.

So, wish me well.

Happy Knitting!