I used the Jaggerspun superfine merino from Halcyon Yarn for this, and it turned out really nicely. It's a pretty cheap as far as lace yarn goes, but very nice quality. I'm so proud of this shawl, as it's the biggest lace that I've done, and was a real learning experience - namely, I learned that I shouldn't try to knit lace after a martini!
And speaking of martinis: the ginger vodka infusion turned out really nicely - it manages to have the full flavor range of ginger, not only the bite, but the plantiness of it, if that makes any sense. The mint was gross and tasted like rotting leaves, and we have to wait a while to taste the lemon. Maybe when Claire gets her shawl we can celebrate with that!
Here's the Zen String Awaken roving I got last week. It matches the irises that are starting to come out:
I really loved the MA Sheep and Woolcrafts Fair. There were a lot of little kids showing and grooming their sheep, a lot of craftspeople with great things they were selling, and a lot of crazy sheep making hilarious noises. I love them so. I was having so much fun that I didn't take any pictures, alas, but I got some great stuff (mostly rovings). From Spunky Eclectic came these beauties. I love them all, but I'm especially pleased that that green lace yarn is in the color 'Soylent' so that I can make terrible jokes the whole time that I'm knitting it:
Unsuspecting curious person: What are you knitting?
Me: It's people!
It's a terrible joke, but I know I'll make it. Again, and again, and again.
These are a merino/silk and a merino roving from a lovely shop whose name I can't remember. Each one is about 8oz. and I'm thinking to spin one or both (together?!) as laceweight for a shawl. Should be fun to try, anyway:
On the left below is angora from Acker's Acres Angora. Their pamphlet says it takes an hour to comb out an ounce of angora, but since an ounce only costs $7, I'm guessing the bunny caressing might be part of the profit! The other one is a merino tencel from The Sheep Shed. I honestly can't believe I only bought one thing from them, they had so much loveliness! I think it may have been a hunger-related decision.
And the actual knitting? Well, on the way to the fair I made great progress on the Urban Boot Socks for the Bike Jerk, as anonymous husband decided to name himself. Just the foot of the second one left. But I'm a tad distracted by this:
Which is the beginning of the Hidcote Garden Shawl in Forest Seasilk for my mom. The pattern is delightfully complicated, and it's clear that the designer put a lot of energy into it. And the yarn is so scrumptious I can hardly stand it. It's a little thicker than most of the laceweight I've used before, and has a really lovely sheen that doesn't show up in the photo (mostly because the sun went away as soon as I snapped the picture).I'm sort of embarrassed to go on. I'm usually a 2-3 items in progress sort of knitter - just one for paying-attention knitting, one for bus-riding, maybe another one for during a movie - and it feels weird to have so many things (5!) on the needles at once. How did it happen? These are socks for my friend Rebekah. They're a bit garish (Opal yarn, based on art by Hundertwasser), but in the best possible way:
And finally, the first one of the alpaca booties. One of the cutest things I've knit. Ridiculous. (Oh, and yes, that IS a duck with a ribbon around its beak in the background. Don't you have a pair of Korean wedding ducks?)
1 comment:
Nice job on the shawl! Very pretty!
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