Knitting Lace

There is something quite comforting about tackling the precise construction of lacing knitting.  It is about mathematics really - simple counting, adding and subtracting.  As long as you don't let your guard down and lose track of the pattern repeats, you're fine, but you have to stick with the schematic so the holes show up in the right places.

And when it is done and blocked and ready to show off, well, there is the reward.  The Shawl shows up nicely against the winter garden doesn't it.  Fortunately a Chinook had warmed things up enough to make taking the outside shots possible.

This shawl, as I mentioned in my last post, is actually a sample chosen for the Knitted Lace class I will be teaching at Stash Needleart Lounge in February.  It is called the Arrowhead Shawl and you can find it as a free pattern on Ravelry.

  This Pattern was chosen  because the design by Pam Allen for Interweave Press,  is well written - has  good graphs, and is easy to follow once you unlock the mystery of the graph. I would enjoy making it again, but I would make it bigger I think.

 The thing about printed patterns is that they love to save paper so explanations can be cryptic at times.  Teaching patterns, on the other hand, need more explanation, so we have enlarged the Interweave instructions a bit to make it easy for first time lace knitters.

Reading graphs has to be the first order of business . It's another language
The class is full I'm pleased to say - a good showing for a first offering.

The yarn is Rios by the Malebrigo company - in "Ivy".  I thought I needed 2 skeins, but actually used a skein and a half, which means the shawl could be made bigger by a couple of pattern repeats quite easily.  I made the shawl to the recommended size and stitch count.  I wanted to make sure everyone could actually finish it in the 3 week class time (with knitting homework between classes of course).

Here is what it looked like before I blocked it.

 And here it is pinned out on the improvised blocking boards on the floor.

It stretched out nicely didn't it?   The colour really hasn't changed here - it is in shadow on the floor pinned out with lots and lots of T-pins.

I've turned to a crochet hook for the next lacy project.  I'll be able to show you more about that later.

We are still having unseasonably warm weather around here and sunny skies to go with it. It's gorgeous!  The problem is though that the melting snow is freezing at night, so all the melting becomes sheer ice polished by the Chinook winds and  is incredibly treacherous to navigate.  Libby and I have been sticking to the walking paths along the river but even there I can feel my toes curling up in my boots.  This isn't Libby's favourite snow - she prefers the light, fluffy kind she can roll in and make snow angels.
Ah well, winter isn't over by a long shot.  We still have February to look forward to.  Lots of knitting weather yet!

Fun in the Snow

It's January. 

We have lots of snow around here.
And we love to play in it

I actually dreamed last night that I was in my green garden rejoicing at the new plants coming back after winter.  Obviously we have a long way to go as the 4x4 beds are buried in the white stuff at the moment.  Libby is really the only one who truly, truly enjoys having shovel fulls of snow in her face. 

Today we are having a Chinook, the snow is melting and temperatures are above zero.  January can be like that sometimes.

I must need green because the lace shawl I'm working on is very green.

It looks like a crumpled lump of nothing right now, but I'm having fun working it up, and when it is blocked I think it will look quite spectacular.  This one is called the Arrowhead Shawl, designed by Pam Allen and originally published by Interweave press in 2006 - Ravelry has it if you're motivated to have a look.  Ravelry has just about everything.  I think, if this one actually works out - it will be the teaching shawl for our new lace class at Stash.  That's all I have to show you today. 
Have a good week.

A very Happy New Year to you all!

I sort of skipped New Year's this year.  I had every intention of seeing it in, at least on television, but sleep seemed more important and I missed the ending. I hope you had fun whatever you did.

And I woke up yesterday morning, the first morning of 2015 thinking that I hope I'm not tuning into   carnage  - but - sadly that is exactly what I tuned into - shootings at a Calgary house party, the aftermath of a mass murder, more news about the sad recovery of the Air Malaysia airplane, and even more news about the horrific ferry fire in the Mediterranean.  And that was just last week!

It can only get better can't it?

So this is what I hope.

I hope it does get better.  I hope people will start to be kind to each other and stop trying to destroy one another.  I hope we all take a page out of Commander Chris Hatfield's book and make some positive resolutions...and then follow them, do them, live them.

 I think if we taught all men to knit - including high profile politicians,  we wouldn't have so much negativity and war.  Think about it.   If we taught young men to knit, maybe they wouldn't want to shoot or stab each other or rape women.

  It might seem a frivolous thought, but I read an interesting story a few years ago about a scientific test on a knitter's brain waves during the act of knitting.  Electrodes were attached to her head and away she went, into the zone.  Imagine the surprise on the faces of the scientists to find out her brain waves went into a meditative state as her hands concentrated on making the stitches.

 Two sticks and some string!  - powerful weapons indeed.

A very happy new year to you all.  thanks so much for sticking with me on this tiny blog.  Thanks for reading.  May we all have a good year.    Cheers   Patricia