Summer Lace: Silvester

I have managed to finish my Silvester in time for Christmas. If you need a really quick and easy project then I highly recommend this one.



The stole measures 155 cm x 51 cm (61"x 20"). The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills 2 ply lace and the needle size is 4.5mm.



This was the first time that I knitted a stole on the bias and I must say I do like the effect. An additional bonus was not having to pick up stitches or having to knit on a border or edge. You simply cast on and knit from corner to corner. You can knit as many pattern repeats as you like. I knitted 5 repeats for this stole.





I tried photographing the stole in all kinds of light in order to capture the colour of the yarn and this final photo finally gives a truer reflection of the colour.



And now on to a bit of fun. Denise from Knitting in the wild is having a lace yarn competition. She has signed up for 10Shawls2010 and is looking for pattern suggestions. Why don't you hop on over and give her a few suggestions? Oh and while you are there be sure to check out her lovely completed lace projects.

I hope you all have a lovely time over the Christmas holidays.

Henley done - well almost

I finally finished my Henley Perfected last night. I knitted this in ColourMart DK silk and it feels lovely against the skin.



I still need to add the buttons though. I haven't had a chance yet to find the right buttons.



Note that I have not provided any close-up detail because as usual I have made a real dog's breakfast of the seaming. I simply cannot sew. Its not for nothing that I have become a lace shawl addict. All that glorious knitting and at the end only a couple of ends to weave in - definitely my kind of sewing.

Having said that I have committed to more seaming. I've joined the Melbourne Cup KAL on Ravelry. Ha, there she goes again I hear you say. But this is a slightly different KAL - you simply knit whatever you feel like knitting, starting today. I've decided on this pattern. I swatched last night and used my lovely new gauge square to ease the pain. Today I've managed to cast on but I haven't got any further than that.

As part of my SSoS challenge I have started knitting a pair of socks with a heel construction I haven't tried before - short rows with wraps. I thought I would just knit a pair of vanilla socks in a self striping yarn but found that boring so I've added a panel of full diamonds. Bit lost in this yarn but it keeps me happy.

FO: Mystic Light

Its done and I love the way this shawl has turned out.



The yarn and the stitch pattern has worked well together and I love the way the flames have picked up that shimmer. I hadn't anticipated this outcome at all.






I loved working on this pattern. I found it really easy and a fast knit. I did, however, notice that a few people became a bit grumpy with the last two clues where we were required to pattern on both the knit and purl rows. Personally I found the purl rows very easy since I had cut my teeth on the SSS where the patterning was far more challenging.

It was with the thought of another challenge that I joined the Mystery Lace KAL. After the release of Clue one that KAL has gone into melt down and has been shut down. I am very sorry that that has happened. It seems the poor designer was overwhelmed by the demands placed on her by participants. To me it seems that people have lost sight that what we are dealing with here is simply knitting. No one compels you to knit. If you join a KAL, particularly one which stated that its aimed at intermediate to experienced lace knitters, and you find it too difficult or not to your liking then just give it away. Knit something else. Its only yarn - not life and death.

I fear that future free KALs might soon become a thing of the past as designers take fright at the negative responses that are being generated in some KALs. I can't believe the demands some people place on these designers when they are prepared to give their work for free to us. We should honour them, not condemn them.