On the needles

So in between trying to get everything updated for the shop, getting ready for the start of the new term and dealing with "the family" and what could turn be an ongoing problem with my grand parents, sometimes I do actually knit.

I managed to get my parcel posted finally for the UK Swap and the best news is that Caroline seems to be quite pleased with it. I forgot to take a picture of the bits before I posted it but if you wander past her blog here, you can take a look.

Having been bought a set of Addi Lace needles (thanks again Machelle), I've also rediscovered my love for the Mystery Shawl. I fixed the mistake and it's now going swimmingly. Well, fudged the mistake would probably be a better description. Having unpicked it and redone the increase row twice already there was no way on this earth I was going to do it again. Two extra stitches? no problem! A couple of discreetly placed extra decreases later and I defy you to find the "corrections". I have also discovered though that while I can sit and knit lace in front of the tv, taking it along to SnB is one step too far. We gossip too much for me to concentrate! Also, (sorry I'm wittering on a bit tonight) you see that tucked under the shawl? I finally got my sticky mitts on a copy of A Gathering of Lace and I am so going to have to find the money and buy a copy - it's superb! I'm always a bit reluctant to just send away for books as I like to know I'm actually going to get some use out of them first. The local book shops will always order things in but they don't carry a stock of knitting books, Colchester is obviously considered just a bit too provincial and probably not trendy enough. So I now have another whole set of things to add to my to do list.

More often these days I spin or dream about spinning. My latest ram raid on the Essex library service netted me these and I've been devouring them ever since. I would dearly love to buy a wheel but I just can't justify it at the moment. Unfortunately there are too many other things that have had to take priority (grr, Clarkes shoes!) and there's also the possibility of a trip to Australia in the next few months. Just the small matter of cutting through the bureaucratic nightmare that is our education system to make it actually happen. So anyhow I've been investigating the possibility of actually making one myself. I think I need to do a bit of further investigation but it could happen. Maybe. That is if I can resist the lure of ebay and the chap who's selling reconditioned Louet's and I can get over the "I want it and I want it now" thing that I have going on at the moment.So while I wait for my newest parcel of fibre to arrive, here's some progress pictures. Singles number two and three from the spindle. I still haven't plied these yet as they are so completely different and I also got sidetracked by the rest of the undyed Corriedale that came with this. I was in the middle of sorting out the stuff for my swap parcel when I suddenly thought, I know why don't I dye it and spin it up. After having a bit of a panic that I'd felted it by accident (I was probably being a bit impatient about it drying) it actually turned out rather nicely. When my new fibre arrives I think I might try and repeat this colourway or something similar to it for myself.

Revenge of the mystery shawl

GKMSClue2
Originally uploaded by Bearium

also known as the mystery shawl strikes back.

Yes, it's started already and the mistakes are beginning to flow. I thought I was doing so well. I whistled through Clue 2 and decided to crack straight on with Clue 3 only to get to the end of the first row and discover I was short by a couple of stitches.

Everything was fine before the increase row and as my enthusiasm hadn't waned at this point I gamely frogged back a couple of rows. I noticed that I'd missed a couple of yarn overs so put them back in and finished the row. Decided it was probably a good idea to put all the stitch markers back in during the following knit row and guess what? I have too many stitches now! Argggghh.

It's been sat like that since last Friday. They published Clue 4 last Saturday. I'm really slipping behind :(

It's a mystery

Having not completed last year's mystery shawl you might think it's a bit strange that I've signed up for another. This time around it's the Goddess Knits shawl and it's going to be a bit of a challenge. It's a Pi shawl, so not only will it be my first attempt at a circular shawl, it means getting to grip with laceweight. I hate to be beaten by anything and it was hard to admit last year that I was never going to finish the swan lake stole. Largely I put it down to my dislike of the yarn (jojoland Harmony) once I started knitting it. Well, less the yarn and more the colour I was using, it was a bit insipid. So remembering that I had a skein of screaming red lane bogosesia stashed away I decided to give it another whirl. I did a swatch and settled on 3mm needles and here we are with Clue 1 completed. (I opted for Chart A for those in the know) You can see from the number of stitch markers, I wasn't brave enough to just knit.

Now I'm part way through Clue 2, I'm becoming a bit braver and have reduced the number a bit. However, I'm beginning to wonder whether I should have used a smaller sized needles after all? I know lace is supposed to have holes but I really have holes! Arrgh. I think maybe I'm just a little too far out of my comfort zone.

Mystery Stole, Clue 3

Clue 3 was finally finished last Thursday - just in time for Clue 5 to be published along with the theme. So, swan lake anyone? Needless to say, I am getting a little behind with this now. Still, when it's all pinned out like this it looks pretty good. I really should try and catch up a little especially when I see how close to completion some people are already.

MS3 - Clue 2

I fought the mystery stole and won. At last! I did indeed have to frog clue 2 back to the lifeline - the error continued to elude me and I just couldn't be bothered wasting more time in trying to find it. Especially when clue 3 was published Friday. I sat down Friday evening and got stuck into it, after all the problems I'd had, it just flowed from the needles. I finished the last few rows last night and put a life line in as soon as I'd done. The life line turned out to be a total lifesaver and I will never heap scorn on anyone who can't knit lace without one again. I have learned my lesson - the hard way of course, but learned it I have.

So here we have it, loosely pinned out to show the lace developing and a close up to see the beads glisten in the light.
Any ideas on a theme yet? Not having read all of Melanie's comments on it, initially I had thought that it might be Harry Potter themed, black and white being darkness and light. I thought it looked like a snake's head a the point but apparently, she has ruled out HP. No matter how many times I look at it though, still keep seeing a shield. Maybe it'll be heraldic, apparently her themes are usually pretty cryptic so it'll probably be something entirely different! So, back to the drawing board again for another think.

MS3 Clue 1

After a couple of minor hiccups and tinking a few stitches I finally finished knitting the first clue this morning. Not entirely sure I'm happy with the choice of yarn, well colour anyhow. The sandy colour looks slightly grubby somehow now that it's knitted up.A little close up of my bead choice. I opted for the seed beads in the end as the size 8 (3mm) beads suggested by the pattern seemed far too heavy for the yarn. The smaller beads seem to work just fine - you just get the odd glint every now and again as they catch the light.
So, can you see what the theme is yet? No? Me either!

It's a mystery

My curiousity finally got the better of me and after a few days of watching the Mystery Stole thread, I finally decided to take a look at it. Before I knew it I'd managed to sign up for the project! Oops.

For the uninitiated, this is the third mystery stole KAL run by Pink Lemon Twist. A clue (chart) will be posted every Friday for the next few weeks and by the end, we should all have a lovely new stole to wear. Well, that's the idea anyhow.

I have rummaged around in my stash and hey presto, two swatches. The yarn is Jojoland Harmony and varies in colour from pale blue to a light sandy beige - but not as much as the photos indicate. The first is on 3.75mm, is very "holey"and was an absolute pig to knit. It kept snagging on the join in my Denises and I honestly considered forgetting the whole idea.
I had to wander into town this morning anyhow so I found a 3.25mm needle and this is the result: It was so much easier to knit and I'm much happier with the swatch so, 3.25 is the winning number. I picked up some beads at the same time but I'm not entirely happy with them. Franklins had a huge selection of seed beads but not very many of the slightly larger ones. I've ended up with clear glass with a silver lining. I'll give it a whirl with them but I may end up leaving them off.

The first clue was posted today so I'm armed and dangerous. Watch this space :)