The Wedding Shawl in action

Rachel is beautiful on a daily basis.  She glowed at her wedding.  Shawl = my small contribution:

Cladonia a.k.a. The Wedding Shawl (longer than pattern, extra lace repeat, added beads, blocked  fro a sheer fabric).  One and a bit of a second ball of Classic Elite Silky Lace in color Wedding White.

LK

More blocking points

Couldn't resist the visual pun.
(We knitters are easily amused.)

LK

P.S.  Morning Hour Shawl

Blocking the Wedding Shawl

Lately I've been on a mission to finish the Wedding Shawl (Cladonia, in Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace in Wedding White).  It's knitted and wet-blocked.  Right now it's drying.

It occurred to me while I was going about my blocking this morning that there's a nice rhythm to it.
However, you have to have the right tools.  I used all 18 of my blocking squares, put together with the rough side up to hold knitted fabric where I put it.  Cladonia is a half-circle shawl, so I started by running two long blocking wires through the straight top of the shawl.  Look at the bottom of the photo -- see the wire through the purl bumps?  And how the wire is held in place by t-pins?

This allows me to pull the points of the shawl while the top is held firmly by the wires.  Rachel is tall, so the shawl needs to be as long as possible.  Alpaca and silk stretch nicely wet and obligingly stay that way once dry.

Cladonia's hem edge is picot points, each with a bead in the center.  All will be pinned.  I begin by pulling and pinning the center point of each section.

Then pull and pin the center points between those points.

Until the pinned points are in a nice easy crescent shape.

Every pin in the shawl -- and there are 77 beaded picots -- is angled this way:

Those talented picots can't climb the pin to escape.  They're stuck until I'm ready, which will be after the ceiling fan does its drying thing.

LZ blocking rules:

1.  the right tools for the job;

2. know what the fiber wants to do;

3.  balance -- ease in the lace points;

4. angle the pins;

5. you might as well enjoy it.

What now?

All my deadline knitting is done.
Lea & Lola in K1C2 Cozette.  Done.
Milano in nine colors of HiKoo Cobasi.  Done.
Latus in Malabrigo Finito and a zillion beads.  Done.

Before and After Scarf in Phydeaux Soie and half a zillion beads.  Done.

I even renewed the shawl wall:

Blocks of Color scarf in seven colors of Be Sweet bamboo.  Done. 
Cladonia in Malabrigo Finito and Malabrigo alpaca/silk lace and a zillion beads.  Done.

Rachel's wedding shawl is down to the beading, and beading is so not portable.

Even DH's new socks are done.  He wore them yesterday and they're in the wash so you'll have to wait for a photo.

What to make now?  I'm dithering with indecision.

I started a pair of Circle socks for me out of leftover Taiyo sock yarn just because it's helpful to have a pair of socks going in your bag.

I have enough heavy worsted yarn to make Churchmouse's Modern Wrapper, so that's a strong possibility.  Only the beginning is portable, though -- after that it's German short rows, which require 40 coilless pins, which I still haven't been able to get my hands on.

And Sarah wants to make Jane Slicer-Smith's Mitred Poncho so I've been playing with that.  Oddly, this may be portable enough to win out.

Will report in.

LK

on pins and needles

And who says finishing isn't exciting.
OK, sometimes it's tedious.  But the possibilities for experiment are vast. 
Also the possibilities for experimental failure.

So I thought crocheting the set-in sleeve seams on Milano would add a cool architectural note.
Not. With. Nine. Colors.

Of course one of the great things about crochet is how easy it is to pull out.  Undo the end knot, pull the tail and, whee!, it's out of there.

Back to backstitch, in which this:

turns into this:

A good graphic statement, which makes more sense with, yeah, nine colors.
In knitting, sometimes you just have to try something and fail at it before getting it right.

In the meantime, there's been the almost instant gratification of sock finishing for DH, turning this:

into this:

The pattern is Circle Socks by Anne Campbell.  This is my go-to sock pattern.  It's got a satisfying slipped-stitch cuff, an Eye of Partridge heel and a star toe.  Star toe = no kitchener.  DH actually asked for these socks when he saw my first pair (Elf Socks).  His first pair was in gradient red yarn.  The socks pictured are in Lorna's Laces Solemate.There are two more pairs planned.  He has size 12.5 feet and these are quick.  The perfect Laziest Knitter sock pattern.


LK

Soul-baring yarn?

So I finished both sleeves of Milano.  And you now how it is when the knitting is done and all that's left is finishing?

You need a little time-out.

Now the pieces are hanging on the shawl wall

 to remind me that one day soon I'll want to wear Milano. 
After DH walked by it several times,

he came up with an idea:  we need soul-baring yarn.  Yarn that as we knit it will show what we're feeling.  That we love the person for whom we're knitting.  That we need, oh, a spot of motivation to set in those sleeves.  That we love playing with yarn colors as much as other artists love playing with paint colors. 

Or maybe most all yarn is already like that.

Thoughts?

LK

Buttonholes, briefly

Next time you make buttonholes, try Sally Melville's one-row buttonhole from The Knit Stitch p. 96.
Her method fits all my Laziest Knitter requirements:  easy easy with beautiful results.
This is the buttonhole band just finished (on Lea & Lola in Cozette):

I'm pretty picky about buttonholes and this fills the bill.
Thank you, Sally.

LK