Hope Springs Eternal - Striped Section Done

This project has taken a bit of a back seat while I worked on my July Camp Loopy project and my test knit, but I have been working a row here and a row there and today I finished it up while also finishing a book (Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein).  I am now all set to start the leaf lace section.  As with the flower section I made the chart symmetric through the magic of knitCompanion.

Pattern:  Marinna by Ambah O’Brien

Yarn:  SpaceCadet Maia

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Lizard Eyes - Finished!

I finished this up last Saturday and blocked it Sunday.  An eleven hour work day and storms prevented me from getting a beauty shot yesterday.  But I took today off (I have leave to burn before the end of the year), and got one this morning.  It almost does justice to the vibrancy of the colors.  

I am completely smitten by Rohrspatz & Wollmeise yarns and am already eyeing colors for another shawl.  I will do some mods on that one, chiefly I will not slip the first stitch of the rows.  A straight garter stitch edge is a lot easier to pick up stitches in.  I have ordered more 2.75 mm needles - one with a 24 inch cable length - I worked the body of this shawl on 16” cables because the only needle I had in that size was one of my sock knitting sets - and one with a 40 inch cable.  I had to use my Chia Goo interchangeable set to work the edging and my cable length wasn’t really quite long enough for comfortable knitting.  Plus the tips screw on to the cable, and I have problems with getting them tight enough that they don’t unscrew while I’m knitting - so I have to keep checking them and tightening them.  You do need sharp pointy tips for this pattern because there is a stitch where you are picking up the purl bump from a previous ridge.  It creates a cool textural effect, but it a bit of a pain to do.  I also used removable stitch markers a lot.  I used them to mark where to turn on the short rows in the body and the eyes, and also to mark where to work that stitch into the ridge below.  Counting before starting the row is a lot faster and easier than counting while you’re knitting.  I also worked German short rows instead of wrap and turn, so I knit the stitch that the pattern indicated I should wrap, and that is the one that became the “doubled” stitch when I turned and slipped it.

Pattern:  Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits

Yarn:  Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure

Needle:  US 2 (2.75 mm)

Lizard Eyes - Body Done!

I finished up the body yesterday.  Part C, the final part, was a bit of a puzzle, until I realized that I needed to work across the entire bottom part of the shawl.  The instructions were not quite clear on that, and given that the rest of the pattern is worked a section at a time, it was not an unreasonable interpretation.  If I were to knit this again, I would not slip the first stitch of the rows because I think a straight garter stitch edge is easier to pick up stitches on, and there are a lot of stitches to pick up on that bottom edge.

Pattern:  Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits
Yarn:  Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure
Needle:  US 2 (2.75 mm)

Lizard Eyes - Nine Sections Done

Other than working on my test knit on the weekends, I’ve been working pretty steadily on my July Camp Loopy Project - Lizard Eyes.  I’ve just caked up the second skein of my main color.  I like the way the color shifts on the eyes.  The construction is clever in that you don’t have to cut the accent color, but I think if I knit it again I would cut the accent color, and then work the I-cord across the top, work the I-cord bind off on the last wedge and then work the I-cord edging on the bottom.  I just think it would give a smoother finish.

Actually, I think I may just start doing it that way because I accidentally cut my accent yarn instead of cutting my main color yarn when I got done with this wedge.  Accidentally cutting the wrong thing appears to be a theme with this project.  As I was nearing the end of winding the first skein of the main color, the end decided to grab hold of the yarn and when I resorted to cutting I cut the wrong thing and ended up with a little skein (11.2 g) of the main color.  If I hadn’t made that goof, I would have been able to work 10 wedges with my main color skein.

Pattern:  Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits

Yarn:  Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure

Needle:  US 2 (2.75 mm)

The Journey - Four out of Five Sections Done

Last week I worked almost exclusively on this project, flying through four of the five sections.  First the Forest of Fear, although there was no fear here.  My colors are just too cheerful.

Then on to the River of Doubt.  This skein was a bit different from the first two, despite being in the same set.  This set is Honey Hibiscus.

And finally the Mountains of Perseverance.  This marked the start of the second set that I’m using - Keep the Joy.  This skein shared some of the same colors as the third skein of the Honey Hibiscus, but with a cooler background.  Very fitting for the mountains.  I’m finishing up with a skein that is mostly purples for the Meadows of Tranquility.  All in all, this has been a fun pattern to knit.

Pattern:  The Journey by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Sparkle DK from Expression Fiber Arts

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Lizard Eyes - Two Sections Done

I’ve actually finished up three sections, but apparently I have not taken a picture of it.  This is a fun knit.  I like the cool shapes you can get with short rows, I just wish I knew more about how to design using them. I’m working German short rows, my preference when working garter stitch, and I count and place markers before starting the row so I don’t have to stop and count in the middle.  Makes for more mindless knitting so I can read while I work on it.

I also started a test knit this past weekend, but I can’t post any pictures because it is for the next Unique Sheep Mystery Knit Along.  That project is reserved for weekends when I am rested, and I have to knit two clues each of the next three weekends to make sure I get it done, well half of it done anyway, before the knit along starts.  So this project will be reserved for my weekdays, along with The Journey.

Pattern:  Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits

Yarn:  Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure

Needle:  US 2 (2.75 mm)

The Journey - Starting Over

I made it about half way through the River of Doubt before my own doubts caught up with me and I decided that I really needed to knit this shawl out of a different set of yarn.  I looked at the Alpaca Silk sets on the Expression Fiber Arts web site several times trying to convince myself to buy one, but I just couldn’t.  Then I looked at other online yarn shops looking for likely candidates.  I knew that I needed at least 230 yards per skein, and I wanted a variegated, and they had to go together.  I was not having much luck when I happened to spy some Expression Fiber Arts Sparkle DK in my recent acquisitions pile.  I checked it out on the web site.  The yardage was good, at 275 yards per skein it was even better than the Alpaca Silk.  And the colors all worked together.

I decided that I would start with this set - Honey Hibiscus- and work from right to left.

And then finish up with two of the skeins from this set - Keep the Joy - skipping the blue and finishing up with the purple.  So, yesterday I caked up the first skein, and today thanks to an all day meeting I finished re-knitting the first section - the Cabin of Complacency.

I just love the colors.  Nothing angsty here.  I’ve started on the second section, the Forest of Fear, but it feels more like Candy Land.  I really like knitting with the Sparkle DK.  I wasn’t sure if I would because of the sparkle thread, but it really has a very nice feel to it.

Pattern:  The Journey by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Sparkle DK from Expression Fiber Arts

Needle:  US 4

Lizard Eyes - Cast On!

It is July, so time to start the next Camp Loopy project.  This month the lab choices are Zoology, Botony or Entomology.  The pattern and/or the yarn must reflect your chosen lab in the name.  I went with Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits and picked Wollmeise Pure yarn.  I really like this yarn.  It feels wonderful to work with, although it is not tightly wound, so it can be a little splitty.  The plies are very fine, which probably explains why it feels so wonderful.  I selected Iris Sibirica (on the right) and Libelle (the two skeins on the left).  The Iris Sibirica is a plant, so I could double dip in the Botony lab if I wanted to, and according to Google Translate Libelle is German for Dragon-Fly.

Last month the lab choices were the Color Lab (two or more colors), the Material Lab (two or more materials, yarn and beads, for example), the Pattern Lab (two more patterns combined).  I went with the Color Lab.

Pattern:  Lizard Eyes by Ursa Major Knits

Yarn:  Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure

Needle:  US 2 (2.75 mm)

The Journey - The Forest of Fear

I ended up knitting this section twice.  When I got done with it the first time I had second thoughts about the order of my skeins, and decided that I had accidentally switched skeins 2 and 3.  At first I wasn’t going to rip it back and redo it, but then I decided to as it also gave me the opportunity to use all of skein 1, switching to skein 2 when I ran out.  I had already done that for my switch from skein 2 to 3, well, really it was skein 3 to 2.  Here is my first time through.

I’m not sure if it makes a huge difference.  I’ve actually become rather ambivalent about this shawl.  On the one hand I really like the concept and the colors, on the other hand I’m a bit miffed that the kits don’t have enough margin to guarantee success.  You see, the way the design works, each motif is supposed to be in a different skein whose colors reflect the theme.  The original kits are available for pre-order and I did think about buying one, but the yarn is an Alpaca-Silk blend, and I really can’t work much with Alpaca, it makes my hands itch.  And even if I got another kit, there is no guarantee that I wouldn’t run out of yarn with that one.  The skeins come with 210 yards, the pattern requires 5 skeins, and the pattern lists the following required yardages:  A - 180 yards, B - 220 yards, C - 210 yards, D - 185 yards, E - 225 yards.  Right away you can see that there is going to be an issue.  I do have a feeling that the Alpaca-Silk blend will knit up to a tighter gauge than the Wool blend that I am using.

I have identified the additional skeins that I may use, depending upon the need.

The first and the third skeins are recent acquisitions, when Expression Fiber Arts offered the Mirage DK in one of their clubs.  I’ve already caked up the first skein, as I’m approaching the end of my skein 3.

Pattern:  The Journey by Jane Vanselous

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Mirage DK in Arboretum Hues

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)