Gwaihir Shawl

A pattern that I test-knitted has just been published: Gwaihir by Lindsay Scarey.  My Ravelry project is here.

I wanted to test-knit this shawl because I love bulky lace.  Also, the shawl is designed to look like the eagle from Lord of the Rings, and I am a big fan of those movies.  This shawl kept us company while we were watching the Olympics last winter.  It is the perfect thing to wrap up in when I'm at home relaxing.

The Danish Sontag Shawl

When I received my copy of Holiday 2017 Vogue Knitting Magazine, I was immediately drawn to Meg Swansen's "Danish Sontag Shawl."  There were a few changes I wanted to make, but I was confident that I would love it.  The only thing holding me back was the cast-on.

I like to read directions over and be able to picture them in my head before I knit, but with this cast-on, I could not picture what it would look like.  I couldn't find anyone talking about it online, so I had to figure it out on my own.  I hope this will be helpful to someone else who might be hesitant about getting started.

Free Your Fade

When I attended Knit Stars 2 this past fall, one of the instructors was Andrea Mowry, and she included a free copy of her "Free Your Fade" pattern.  A lot of the other knitters were working on their shawls right away and posting pictures to the Facebook group, but I didn't have suitable yarn for it yet.

For Christmas I received a gift certificate to a local yarn shop, and I set out to find the perfect yarn.  This pattern is typically knitted with speckled yarns because those create a really smooth transition between colors, but there weren't any good speckled options at my local yarn shop.  I spent almost two hours there laying yarn out on a table and putting different combinations together.  I finally decided to get Mirasol Khusku, a fingering-weight yarn, in three colorways: "Rio Amazonas" (blue), "Camino Inca" (pink), and "Lineas de Nazca" (orange).

On My Needles

My experience with Knit Stars 2 pushed me into a flurry of casting on.  First I finally started the Estonian scarf I have been thinking about for a few years, a skinnier version of Nancy Bush's Madlis Shawl.  Nupps have a special place in my heart.  Estonian lace is slow but beautiful.

Purple Purse

I decided recently that the purse I have had for the past five years is impractically small for a mom, so my sister gave me a gift card for Christmas to buy a new one.  In a moment of inspiration, it occured to me that if I knit myself a purse, then I could use the gift card to buy clothes, instead.

Baby Things

I recently finished the entrelac baby blanket.  It was my first time doing entrelac, and I really enjoyed it.  Before I started reading the pattern I watched a video series on YouTube on entrelac, and I found that really helpful.  It's very interesting structurally, and once you get the hang of it, it becomes second-nature.

The First Wool Diaper Cover

I recently finished the wool diaper cover I was making, and it was a success.  My plan was to make a size small and felt it down to newborn size.  (Felting helps covers hold in more moisture.)  After I finished the knitting and weaving-in ends, I felted it.  I had never felted before, so I wasn't sure how I would do, especially since I have a front-loading wash machine.

Recent Projects

Life has been busy lately.  We are expecting our first baby in April, so I have been preoccupied with organizing the apartment.  This will be a review of everything I have been working on the last few months.

Selling a Baby Blanket

I had an interesting knitting experience today.  A co-worker had asked me if I would knit a baby blanket for her grandson.  I was excited, because I saw it as an opportunity to get started selling my knitting.  I came up with several design ideas and knit small samples for her to choose from.  (I was thrilled when she picked the one that was also my favorite.)  After she picked out the yarn, I started knitting.

My Adventures with Double-Pointed Needles

Ever since I learned how to knit with double-pointed needles, I have thought they are awesome.  I like watching people’s expressions when I pull out a dpn project.  Half-finished gloves and socks look pretty funny with needles sticking out all over.  My adventure with dpns began in August of 2007.  I had been knitting for five months, and I loved learning new skills.  I had discovered that the yarn aisles at craft stores sometimes have free patterns.  One of the free patterns I had was for making baby hats, and my cousin was having a baby soon.  My only obstacle was to learn how to use dpns.

Lace Knitting

One of the Christmas gifts I got from my husband was a knitting book I really wanted: Knitted Lace of Estonia, by Nancy Bush.  It talks about the history of lace knitting in Estonia and gives several beautiful patterns for lace shawls.

Slippers for My Husband's Cold Feet

For a while I had been thinking about either getting Brad some slippers for his birthday or knitting some.  After Christmas I had some time to take on new projects, so I found a few patterns and had him pick his favorite one.  The pattern he chose has pompoms, but I didn't do that.  (It would not have been very manly.)  I also made his slippers longer than in the pattern.  They are very warm, and he likes them a lot.

Christmas Knitting Projects

After I finished my fall garland I devoted my energy to my Slanting Gretel Tee and blocked it the day before Thanksgiving.  I ended up making one more alteration before I finished.  I bound off on the neckline sooner than in the pattern because I don't like my necklines to come up over my collarbone.

Fall Decorations

I wanted to be crafty and decorate our apartment for fall.  It all started when I wanted to carve a pumpkin.  When I realized that I would have to pay more than a dollar for a pumpkin, I decided I wanted to knit one instead.  I went on Ravelry and found patterns for pumpkins, leaves, and acorns.

My First Blanket

My first knitting project was a blanket.  When a friend told me I wouldn't be able to make a whole blanket on a pair of straight needles (because it would be too much fabric to fit on the needles), I decided to make squares and then sew them together.  

I didn't really have a design plan when I started.  All I knew was garter stitch, so that was how I did the first four squares.  I then learned how to do stockinette stitch, so I did a few squares of that.  I got a book for Christmas that taught me seed stitch, moss stitch, and basketweave stitch.  By this time I had expanded my color palette and had squares in eight different colors.