Kitchen Things

It was time to replace a few dishcloths, the raggedy predecessors of whom have moved on to a life of protecting stacked non-stick pans. It was also more than time for new scrubbies. I decided to make both in my favorite color, and was delighted by how well they match, given that they are different fibers from different companies.

Do You Recognize This Yarn?

I found two equally partial - I feel as though that would make them impartial - skeins tucked away together in my stash, clearly the leftovers from someone's socks. I don't remember ever knitting socks this color, but it's also possible someone gifted me with their leftovers. I'm pretty sure, from the short color-lengths and high twist, that this is Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino.

Wherever it came from, I am grateful to have it, because last week I left the house on three different occasions with no knitting. The restaurant owner where I go for breakfast was shocked. If I can just keep from working on it around the house, I will have travel knitting for the rest of the summer, and a new pair of warm anklets come fall.

Pattern Writing

I've spent the weekend writing out the pattern for some doll clothes that I made. My notes to myself as I made the first set were confusing when revisited for the second set. It turns out that pattern writing is hard, and I have a new respect for the designers who can write clear, unambiguous directions. When I'm done I'll put it up on Ravelry. Not that I know how to do that either, but how hard can it be?

When my little sister was, well, little, she had a doll that Mom sewed clothes for. Later, when Mom was an empty-nester, she bought two similar dolls to sew for, because she enjoyed sewing. The dolls, the patterns, and a box of doll-sized oddments are now at my house, because I have this recurring delusion that sewing is something I will do, be able to do, like to do. (I hate to sew. My children used to go outside to play whenever I had to sew something).

Eventually it dawned on me that I could knit something for them while waiting to wake up blessed by the Sewing Fairy. I knit, and ripped, and tweaked, until I was pleased with the results. Then I was startled to realize I had accidentally re-created the Chanel suit. Huh.

Wikimedia Commons, Chanel Haute Couture Suit, 1965

Edging, at last!

This photo of lace in progress is going to look like lace always does before it is blocked, but it marks a milestone -- it's time to start the edging!

Now that I've read the pattern for the edging, I finally understand why the title of the pattern is Begonia Swirl Shawl. So far I have been making a lovely lace spiral, with no flowers in sight. Turns out they're all on the edge!

I was unfamiliar with begonias until last month, when I got a good look at some at Longwood Gardens. The designer did a decent job of representing them. To my amusement, many knitters have totally undone that representation by adding an extra row so that the flowers come to a point, thereby inventing a sort of tulip swirl shawl. You do you, guys. I'm holding out for begonias.

A Difficult Yarn

I bought this yarn many years ago (it has since been discontinued), for no better reason than that it was pretty in the skein.

I've tried a couple of times to knit it up into a shawl, and never liked the results. So I rewound it back into balls, which resulted in a plaid even prettier than the skeins.

But it knits up into blotches of color, and it's hard to find a pattern that is both fine with that, and okay with lace weight silk.

I think I've done it, though. Stay tuned.

Only Shades of Gray

Sorry about the earworm.

Finished this lovely shawl in lace-weight Icelandic wool, leftovers from my friend's project that she gifted me with (thanks!).

As I expected, the fibers softened and fulled when soaked and blocked, a particular magic of Icelandic wool.

Yarn: Ístex Einband in Black Heather, Dunkelgrau, Grey Heather, Hellgrau, and Ash Heather
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm)
Pattern: Olga Buraya-Kefelian's Aranami Shawl
Mods: Based on the yarn amounts I had, I chose to work the colors in reverse from the original pattern.

The Knit I Was Looking For

I wanted big yarn on big needles, not just for speed, but to give my hands a break from tiny needles and tiny yarn. Turns out I had just the thing in my Favorites, and then received Yarn Money for my birthday, so I was off to the races!

Folded in half, and then in thirds

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn's Encore Mega in Navy, a super-bulky 75% acrylic/25% wool
Needles: US 15 (10 mm) - the pattern called for 13, but 15 is what I had, and it worked out fine
Pattern: Fifty Four Ten Studio's The Boulevard Blanket
Mods: Since I was using 15s, I cut the number of stitches by 6 to get the width I wanted, and then knit until I was out of yarn. Tinked back 2 rows and cast off. Nice squishy yarn, and in 5 skeins I only encountered one knot and one overspun length. Since the blanket is completely reversible, I tucked in the ends on both sides, as invisibly as possible.

This pattern originally wound up in my Favorites because I want to knit a sweater from my childhood, a navy peacoat in heavy, lanolin-rich wool. Making the blanket didn't do as much to scratch that itch as I had hoped -- the blanket is practically weightless -- so I will continue my search for a peacoat pattern.