Japanese Feathers

 

 

 

Shimmering Cranes

This is one of those "journey" pieces. I had a gift of money which to me, at the time, meant an indulgence of yarn. I wanted something special that I could wear to the opera with my vintage jewels. This in itself is a jewel. It is double knit with Shibui Silk Cloud and Habu textiles 100% Bamboo  This was a really lovely pairing. You can see how each yarn has it's own shimmer to it. Combined they are just magic! It almost glows in the right light and it has that slight fluffiness about it. It is lovely to wear. One of those things that just makes you feel luxurious. 

The pattern of the lace is called Japanese Feathers. The yarns are both imported from Japan. It all just works. I love all things Japanese, so this is a good one.  I did make it to wear to the opera, but I discovered that it also really complimented my black faux fur coat.

Duchess is Done!

I finished this a couple of weeks ago and have been wearing it and enjoying how pretty it is. It is just what I wanted. Love the yarn, love the color, love the pattern. Love, love, love. This pattern is such fun. If you like doing lace work I highly recommend. It is just enough challenge to be fun, but not so tough that it is frustrating. That, to me, is an ideal pattern. I did end up blocking this twice. I wasn't content with it the first time, I wanted the lace to really be wide, if that is the right way to put it. I wanted it to really show, and be as big as possible. This is the first time I have used blocking wires on a project and was so glad to have them. It made it so much easier to stretch and keep the shape at the same time. I think my favorite part of this shawl is the scalloped bottom. So pretty!

Almost half way there

I feel like I am making good progress on this one. For some reason shawls are easy for me. I am really looking forward to getting this one done. I just want to see it when it is all blocked. I think I will have to take the plunge and get some blocking wires. From what I have read online this one requires some pretty serious stretching! I have made the largest size. I can't wait to see just how large that is!

Duchess Damask

I have heard a bit of a clamor from my fan(s) about not blogging for almost a year, so I am going to make the attempt. I often think about doing it, but somehow never quite get to it. So I think I will start with where I am, and if I have time, work my way back. Over the past year I have become a bit obsessed with hand dyed fingering weight yarn and the idea of making shawls. I have made a couple and really like them, but I saw one that a talented young friend made and felt that old familiar feeling of obsession lurking in the wings of my mind. It wasn't long before it took center stage in all of my knitting dreams. This is a pattern that was love at first sight. I knew I had to make it and I knew it had to be eggplant and I knew it had to be big. I believe when all is said and done it will answer to all of those requirements. I have been making good progress, considering that each row is 300-something stitches. I did hit a snag about 2 weeks ago. I was off by one stitch. One stitch that I simply couldn't find. I looked and looked, not wanting to take out the over 1200 stitches one by one, but after two weeks, I bit the bullet. I'm almost there and hopefully have just undone whatever it was I did wrong... When you are knitting lace, especially something like this, is simply not allowable!

It is finished.

It was finished at least a month ago, but I stalled when it came to the finishing. This is often the case for me. Tonight however I snipped off all of my stray tails and put my buttons on. I'm swollen with water weight now, so it isn't a bit attractive on me right now, but I believe one day it will be. I still love the yarn and Im pleased with the buttons. they were tough to choose, but I think they are perfect. I can't wait to wear it. A completed sweater. Who knew. I'm inspired to make other things that I can actually wear. Such a novel concept for a girl like me. I have to own that a good deal of my inspiration comes from the amazing Cathe. Thanks for keeping me inspired!

Slow going

Not much to report yet on this crazy scheme for the sweater. I have only done a few rows, and so far I think it will work, but it may take a bit before I can really see the overall effect. So I thought that I would do a little post about a new discovery I made when I started this project. I had a specific needle in mind, the addi turbo, when I bought this yarn and they happen to be out of it in the size I needed, so I decide to try the same needle, but the version made specially for lace knitting. They are brass coated and have a much sharper tip on the end of the needle. If you have ever knit lace you know exactly why a sharper needle could be a very good thing. Well, I absolutely love them. I have always been frustrated by dull needles. So with all this knitting and re-knitting I am glad that I have needles that I love!

tenacious |təˈnā sh əs|
adjective
not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle
• not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action

Well, I guess I'm not a total slacker, I must have some degree of tenacity, because I am embarking on a new leg in my sweater journey. Let me tell you, I have fought going down this next road to reach sweater completion. I even set it aside for a whole nights worth of knitting, and abandoned another night of knitting to go to The Yarnery and seek counsel about how to proceed. If you have a keen eye you will see from my picture what the problem is. Hand dyed yarn can vary quite a bit, even in the same dye lot. I have two skeins each of yarns that match themselves, but not each other. In the light of day the difference is remarkable. So how did you proceed? Well, the answer is that you rip out the sweater that is half way done and start over again knitting two rows of one then two rows of the other, alternating back and forth for the whole sweater. Yup, that is the only acceptable solution. The other possibility was to use the darker color on the back and have a sweater that was light in front and dark in back. I never would have been happy with that solution. So after I took this picture last night I undid the entire sweater and tonight I will begin Elysium 4.0. Like I said in an earlier post, it is a good thing this yarn isn't prone to pilling or fuzzing. This is a lot of re-working for any yarn! And this just reinforces the importance of loving the yarn enough that you are willing to go to such lengths to have something made with it! I may have to revise my dream of wearing this by April...