August 21, 2010
Practice, practice, practice
More than a month later, I've taken quilting by the horns. Well, at least I've attempted to do so :).
I've made a bunch of blocks, some for the quilt I described earlier and others for swaps. Many are simply "practice" blocks. I have to admit that this isn't coming easy to me - I have to work at every seam, rip out constantly, measure and re-measure, correct, try again. Many blocks are too small, unsalvageable. But I also feel that I'm learning and getting better, able to attempt more and more complicated piecing every time. And that's what it's all about, right?
August 17, 2010
Restraint
I had fair warning about Berroco Weekend: a friend mentioned that it was splitty, another chimed in that splitty yarn and crochet don't mix (tell me about it!), and a slew of cautionary tales on Ravelry left me hesitant, to say the least. But sometimes you have to go with your gut.
It is perfect.
I surfed the web time and time again, touched every yarn at the yarn shop, but kept coming back to Weekend. Something about its squishy, beady texture, its incredible yardage and reasonable price tag, its true worsted-weight thickness (I don't want to be knitting crocheting this blanket forever!) kept luring me back. I'm using a Brittany Birch crochet hook (size H-8, 5 mm) and I have yet to split the yarn even once :). I'm getting 6 squares out of every skein of yarn, and I'm exercising a lot of restraint to not go totally nuts and crochet all 15 skeins before I even leave for vacation.
August 10, 2010
Miralda's Triangular Shawl
One can argue that omitting the entire nupp section of Miralda's Triangular Shawl simplifies the design so much, that it's no longer on par with other Knitted Lace of Estonia patterns. And even though that may be true, the modified version has its own appeal: clean lines, squishy texture, and mindless enough to knit while watching TV.
Pattern: Miralda's Triangular Shawl from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia
Yarn: Ball and Skein Sophia, 80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 450 yards per 160 gram skein. The shawl used up about 560 yards/200 grams of yarn. I alternated the two skeins in large chunks, switching between the big elements.
Needles: US 6 INOX Express circs.
Finished size: 52" across the top, and 26" deep. I think this is one of the smaller shawls I've knitted, but it should work very well for wearing under a winter coat.
So. I still haven't decided what to do with this shawl. It's definitely not my color. It's not exactly my grandma's color, either - she's more of a "sage green" woman. Maybe my mom? I think I will put it away for now; the right person or occasion will come along eventually ;). Until it comes out again, let's enjoy the gorgeous texture!
