Science Experiment - Finished!

While I was letting my subconscious mind work on the question of what to do next on my Joy to the World project I focused on finishing up my Science Experiment shawl, completing it on December 16.  After finishing up 3 repeats of pattern B I switched to pattern C and worked the rest of the shawl in that pattern.  I didn’t quite work 6 repeats of pattern C, finishing on row 12.  When I bound off all the stitches I had about 1 foot left of color 25.  I love it when I use up all of my yarn, and win at yarn chicken.

Blocking took me a bit longer than I thought it would. And used up most of my blockers.  I ended up blocking the lace edge straight.  It just seemed to want to do that.  I absolutely love the gradiance of this set.  It is just so perfect, and goes so perfectly with the theme of the set - the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram for categorizing stars.

Day 1: Xi Persei

Day 2: 10 Lacertae

Day 3: Spica

Day 4: Achernar

Day 5: Regulus

Day 6: Deneb

Day 7: Vega

Day 8: Altair

Day 9: Canopus

Day 10: Polaris

Day 11: Procyon

Day 12: Delta Draconis

Day 13: Capella

Day 14: 51 Pegasi

Day 15: Epsilon Indi

Day 16: Aldebaran

Day 17: Arcturus

Day 18: Pollux

Day 19: Proxima Centauri

Day 20: Trappist-1

Day 21: Bernard’s Star

Day 22: Gacruxx

Day 23: Mira

Day 24: Antares

Day 25: Betelgeuse

Pattern:  The Science Experiment by Melinda Measor

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid, 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar

Needles:  US 6 (4 mm)

Science Experiment - Up to Skein 6

I have been making some progress on this shawl as well.  It was one of the projects that I took with me to Florida, although I did not work on it while I was there.  I have now done three repeats of the Option B pattern and have almost used up Skein 6.  I guess I better get this finished before my 2021 Mad Scientist Advent Calendar arrives.  I received a shipping notice yesterday.  I just need to decide if I want to do another repeat of the B pattern or if I want to switch to the C pattern.

Day 1: Xi Persei

Day 2: 10 Lacertae

Day 3: Spica

Day 4: Achernar

Day 5: Regulus

Day 6: Deneb

Pattern:  The Science Experiment by Melinda Measor

Yarn: Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid, 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar 

Needles:  US 6 (4 mm)

Science Experiment - Up to Skein 3

Once I finished up my Stellar Fade I was able to get back to working on my Science Experiment Shawl, which is the pattern that came with the Advent kit.  I will just use up each skein and join the next.  So far I’ve finished up the first two skeins and am working on the third.  I did 3 repeats of the first lace pattern and have just switched to the second lace pattern.  This Advent Set also came with needles.  Very nice needles.

Day 1: Xi Persei

Day 2: 10 Lacertae

Day 3: Spica

Pattern:  The Science Experiment by Melinda Measor

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid

Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Stellar Fade: Finished!

After finishing up the Omega Shawl I pulled this one out again.  I had been working through the two crescents, using about 5 grams on each side.  I had made a fair bit of progress on both of them when I realized that there were some important differences between them.  I had been working both to the clues 1-3 instructions.  I figured this out when I went back and was looking at the blog posts for my first Lunar Fade shawl so I ripped the second crescent back, winding and I ripped using my ball winder.  Then I put the instructions for both crescents into a spreadsheet, with the instructions side by side, matched up by row, so I could make sure that I got the placement on the purl stitch ridges correct, and use the increase placement and the eyelets from clues 4-6.  It went much faster the second time through.  I used the full sized skein that came with the kit to work the I-cord edging on the crescents.

The wing tips carried on the color progression and the 5 gram amount, ending with skein7.  When I got to the two joining pieces - the triangle and the diamond I knew that I wanted to use about the same amount of each color, progressing from skein 7 to skein 1.  I created a stitch count spreadsheet for those sections so I could get the transition points right.  I ended up using only about 5 grams total of each of those colors.  I thought about continuing the color progression from the crescents, which ended with skein 9, but in the end decided that having a break in the color fade would provide a nice visual break.  I decided to work an I-cord edging around the entire shawl, but I couldn’t do it all in one go and I had to figure out how to pick up the stitches the right way so that the right side was facing me when I started working the I-cord.  For the short section at the top of the triangle I just pulled out a fair bit of yarn, picked up the stitches with the right side facing, then went to the other end of the cable and worked the I-cord with the right side facing me.  For the rest of the edging, which was done in one piece I worked from both ends of the cake, picking up stitches as I needed them.  It worked very well, and avoided the problem of having a lot of stitches on the needles at once.  I worked extra rows of I-cord to turn the corners.

I really love how the shawl turned out.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade byLarissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid

Needle: US 5 (3.75 mm)

 

Stellar Fade - Skein 20

 

My knitting mojo has been a little low lately.  I was looking through my WIPs and decided to pull this one out.  I finished knitting with Skein 20 of my Mad Scientist 2020 Advent Calendar, and have Skein 19 set to go.  Skein 20 was inspired by the star Trappist-1in the constellation of Aquarius.

And here is the card that goes with it.

I have already ordered my Mad Scientist 2021 Advent Calendar.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Stellar Fade - Skein 21

 

My half moons are getting bigger.  I’ve finished up Skein 21 and have Skein 20 all caked and ready to go. Skein 21 was inspired by Barnards Star.

And here is the card that goes with it.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown 

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Stellar Fade - Skein 22

This skein was inspired by Gamma Crucis, or Gacrux, a star in the Southern Cross.  A constellation I’ve never seen.  I lost at yarn chicken on my last row and ran out of my wound off skein 15 stitches shy of the end, so I just slipped those last 15 stitches to my right hand needle so I could take the picture.  Here is the Skein 22.

And look!  Another surprise extra,  a cool stitch marker, but I will probably use it as an ear-ring as it is actually an ear wire.  And here is the info card.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid 

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

 

Stellar Fade - Skein 23

 

Once I established my process, it has been easy to make progress.  I have completed Skein 23 and am halfway through Skein 22.  I forgot to mention the cool labels on the bags that the skeins come in.

One or two of the letters are done as an element from the periodic table.  And the labels are held on with a nice locking stitch marker, and my preferred style!  Skein 23 was inspired by Mira.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid 

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Stellar Fade - Skein 24

 

As I am working this shawl from the other end of the spectrum, I cast on with Skein 25.  I have now knit Skein 24.  This time, after I caked up the skein, I wound off just the amount I needed for the first half-moon, and then knit the second one to the same row in the pattern.  I have not yet cut the yarn on the second half-moon, and I have a pretty long tail on the first one.  I’ll match the length of the tail and then cut.  After I cake Skein 23 I will again wind off just the amount I need for the first half-moon, join the skein and continue knitting.  This skein was inspired by Antares.  I love how subtle the fade is.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar in Hybrid

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Stellar Fade - Cast On

 

I have been thinking about knitting another Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown.  I really love the shape and have been thinking of other color combinations.  Lately I’ve been thinking about knitting it using one of my Advent sets.  When I saw the complete 2020 Jekyll set I realized it would be perfect.  Just to refresh your memory, here is my original Lunar Fade.

You start with the two semicircles.  I decided that this time I would make them identical, and I also decided that I wanted to start with the red end of the spectrum.  So, back to the box I went and pulled out skein 25, and was surprised when two bags came out instead of just one.  More extras!  I opened the second bag and discovered a bar of soap, inside of another bag.

My plan is to use about one-quarter of each skein on the semi-circles.  I did screw up on the first one because I made a mistake while I was knitting it and didn’t realize it until I had already knit the second 

one and cut my yarn.  When I went to take the photo of my two half moons I realized that they were not the same.  I counted the slipped edge stitches and the first one was bigger.  Looking at it I realized that I must have repeated two rows in the middle, so I pulled the needles and reknit it, raveling the first one as I went.  I ended up with 0.7 grams left of the first one.  Skein 25 is Betelgeuse.

Pattern:  Lunar Fade by Larissa Brown

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar Hybrid

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

The Science Experiment - Cast On

 

The knitting pattern that comes with the Mad Scientist Yarns 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar is called The Science Experiment.  It has three different charts that you can mix up anyway you would like.  I started with skein 1, Xi Persei and chart A.

The yarn in my set is Hybrid - 70% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere goat, with 437 yards / 100 grams.  You can make this shawl as big or as small as you like, and the pattern gives measurements for four different sizes,  using roughly 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or the full set.  Looking at the measurements I quickly decided that I did not want to make the shawl using the full set as it would be ginormous.  So I decided to use about half the set for this shawl.  But then I was faced with the dilemma of what to make with the other half.

Pattern:  The Science Experiment by Melinda Measor

Yarn:  Mad Scientist Yarns Hybrid

Needle:  US 6 (4 mm)

Mad Scientist Yarns - 2020 Jekyll Advent Calendar

 

Last year I bought a Mad Scientist Jekyll Advent Calendar, thanks to the able enabling of Ambah O’Brien.  I had to get one because it was a fade based upon the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for stellar classification.  How could I resist?  At the end of April they announced their 2021 Advent sets and this year the fade set is using bioluminescent marine life as the inspiration.  Of course I had to get one.  They also had a picture of the Jekyll set, which was available for re-order.  Now, I went a bit nuts on advent sets last year, and haven’t even opened all of them, including this one.  But, having ordered one for this year, I decided maybe it was time to open this one.  I did open the box when I received it, and was enchanted by the packaging.

I did order a full-sized skein, and also the bag.

Which came neatly packaged in this lovely mesh bag.

Now, I don’t really need more project bags, but how could I resist this one?  Constellation fabric!  So cool.  And the inside is lined with sparkly purple fabric.  Purple!

The extra goodies were in their own little mesh bag.

I was pleasantly surprised to find knitting needles in there!

Not that I really need more knitting needles, but I always like it when a yarn set (especially if that set comes with a pattern) comes with needles so I don’t have to go get one out of my needle stash.  But wait!  There is more!  Cards!

Every skein has a card that goes with it that has information on the inspiration for that skein, beautifully printed on glossy card stock.

The care and thought that went into this Advent Calendar really just blew me away.  All that was left was to pull the first skein, cake it up and cast on.