Now that I've caught you up on my Asian adventures I thought it was probably high time I got back to my knitting! Especially since there has been quite a bit on & off the needles in the past many weeks - I am now working on (almost) a whole new set of projects. Here's the rundown for you:
The first thing that I finished was the much maligned yet much loved hot water bottle cover - I am just so pleased with how it's turned out and it's already kept me warm on more than one evening! (Hey, it's summer here in San Francisco, which means the fog and cold winds are out in full force.) It's just simply pretty to look at too, even when it's not in use.
Project notes:Pattern: Hot Water Bottle Cover, Sarah Dallas Knitting
Yarn: Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere in navy for the main body with trim of Rowan wool cotton in turquoise blue (leftover from the stash basket)
Notes: As with many Rowan projects I've completed, everything is supposed to be made in pieces and then sewn up. Instead I knit the two main body sections separately up to the shoulders, then joined them in the round for the neck and collar. The picot edging was crocheted, but that was straightforward.
I really liked the pattern and am really pleased with the final result. If I were to do another, though, I think I'd look at different yarn options. I wanted something I could throw in the wash, but the cotton cashmere was stiff and kind of squeaky which made it difficult to get neat cable edges. I'm not sure though if the suggested yarn, Rowan handknit DK cotton, would have been easier to work with or not.
My next finished object was the lovely Lady Eleanor. Doesn't she look great? I have gotten many compliments on this one and think it was definitely worth the extra time to re-knit alternating the two colors to bring a woven effect. I was intimidated by the knotting of the fringe at first but once I got into the rhythm it went by quickly. The fringe has now turned into dreadlocks somewhat as the yarn was loosely spun to begin with but I can live with that. I curled up in this on all my flights while traveling to and fro and it is my new favorite cozy shawl!Project notes:
Pattern: Lady Eleanor, Scarf Style
Yarn: Handmaiden Yarns, Ottawa, two hanks of 3 skeins each (almost 1500 yards in total), one purchased & the second dyed to match by the lovely people at Handmaiden
Notes: My yarn was thinner than the recommended La Lana wools, so as a result my squares are 12 x 12 as opposed to the original 8 x 8 to still get the recommended size, which required minor pattern tweaks. I also made my stole somewhat longer than the original - 44 tiers in total - after all I had plenty of yarn to play with! The pattern is well written and easy to follow. Now I know why this project is so popular! If I hadn't already essentially knitted it twice, I might be tempted to make another...
I actually pushed myself to complete these two projects before I left for Asia, just so I could dig into fresh projects for all the travel time that lay ahead. Since I have heard only bad things about trying to bring knitting needles through security in both Japan and Hong Kong I decided to play it safe and cast-on for my summer crochet project instead: Rowan's Joy. The open shell pattern on the lower body has gone by very quickly, and after a few muck-ups I've even managed to figure out the single/double crochet pattern used on the upper chest.
So far I've completed the back panel and the lower section of the right front. Since 2 of the 7 balls of yarn I have for this project are from a different dyelot, I think I'm going to work up the same section of the left front next, then see how much I have left of the primary dyelot yarn before I work the two chest sections. Hopefully I can get through all of the body pieces with my primary yarn, using the second dyelot for the short cap sleeves and flower closure. Wish me luck!While 'at home' with Dana and Rachael I worked mostly on my secret/gift project for Sarah's baby-to-be which you had a peek of while we were all in Missouri. I am almost finished with the largest part of this and should hopefully be done this week, with only two small pieces to go - good thing as the baby is due on the 3rd! Once that has been posted off & received I will finally have the chance to show off all the tiny knitting on size one needles that my hands have had to power through in this effort...
Since I'm making such good strides on these two, of course I couldn't resist the opportunity to cast-on for another, especially since Melanie has just opened up the sign-on for her Mystery Stole 3! The first clue is coming out this Friday, with sign-ups only open until July 9, and my email in-box has been overflowing with messages from the 3,000+ members (so far) all busy getting their yarn, beads and swatches ready for the big day!
The recommended yarn for MS3 is Jaeger Zephyr (in shades of black or white) which I wasn't sure how I was going to find. That is until we were on the highway from Kansas City to St. Louis and Nathan saw the sign on outside Columbia for Hillcreek Yarns. (What a great husband) When I walked in the door, there it was - a little display with cones & cones of Zephyr in so many colors to choose from! With Nathan's help (relaxing in the cozy husband's chair) I finally settled on Blueberry, a sort of steelish denim-y blue that hopefully I'll be able to work into the theme somehow (I can always just pretend it's a type of grey I guess!) After swatching the sample lace pattern I've decided to work it on US3's (the upper swatch) which is a smaller but I think a nicer lace. I've even found some beads in a light blue, which look like sparkles of ice or dew on the knitted fabric, even though I'm still not certain if I'm going to use them yet or not. I'll guess I'll know by Friday once the first clue comes out!
By the way, I cannot say enough good things about Hill Creek yarns. The staff were great, Nathan really enjoyed the chair (and the fact they helped him find an outlet to charge his phone) and I even found a copy of the elusive Interweave Favorite Socks book for myself. If only I lived in Columbia, MO, I'd be in there all the time!
Of course, with all the new projects I cannot forget my lovely Eveleen that I am still plugging away at row by row. The pattern calls for 9 repeats of the lace pattern before I get to start the flower panel on the chest, but when I got there I decided it was still just a bit too short. So here I am now on repeat #10. Since it's short sleeved and the temperatures here have dropped, I'm not that worried that it's taken some time to work through this. I think that with the overall look & tone it will be just perfect for fall - luckily just when the weather gets warm enough here to wear short sleeves again!Happy knitting to you,
Megan
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