Smaug Shawl - Skein 2 Done (Almost)!

This has been the project that goes in my work bag so that I have something to work on while reading documents or sitting in virtual meetings.  I have almost worked all of the second skein and am almost to the last increase row where I double my stitches.  This pattern isn’t quite an Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi shawl because it has increases on the edges on the right side rows, but for the increases rows it does follow the basic Pi shawl formula.  Once I do the next increase I can just knit as established, until I use up all six of my mini skeins.  They are not enough to require another increase row (thank goodness) as I end up with almost 500 stitches as is.

I did have a bit of an “oh no” moment when I pulled it out at work this past week because I had forgotten to load the project in to my knitCompanion app on my phone, which is an Android device.  If it had been an iPhone it would have just been there for me to use, but as it is not I have to upload it to Dropbox and download it onto my phone and I had forgotten to do that.  So I grabbed the pattern from my Ravelry library and had to do the set up all over again, and then figure out where I was.  Fortunately the pattern has stitch counts for all of the repeats so it wasn’t too hard.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep 4 Ply SW Merino Fingering

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)
 

Wyvern Shawl - Edging Halfway Done (Almost)!

This has been my TV knitting this week and although this picture only shows 12 repeats of the border chart I am actually halfway through repeat 16, so I am halfway done with it.  I was glad to be able to spread it out and get a sense of how it was going to look when it is finished.  I am very pleased with the colors and the beads.  I almost bought new beads but ended up finding something in my stash, which made me very happy, as I have a lot of stash and it does feel good to use it.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep 4 Ply SW Merino Fingering & Sundara Yarns Extra Fine Merino Fingering

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Indivisible MCAL - Loop On!

Expression Fiber Arts is doing another year long Mystery Crochet Along and I signed up, even though I have lots of other projects going and planned for the year, I just really enjoy these.  This time we can make a blanket or a shrug.  I haven’t decided yet which one I will do, but I am leaning towards the shrug.  They have three different colorways this year and I went for the jewel tones.  The first color is Mountain Stream and I really love it, it looked great sitting next to the yellows in my Smaug shawl.  The yarn is Crema Worsted, which is 70% Merino, 30% Silk, and it is very lovely to work with.

This square took me several tries to get right.  I started out on a 4.0 mm (G) hook, but that was coming out a fair bit smaller than the pattern called for, so I went up to a 5.0 mm (H) hook.  My square is still a little smaller than the pattern calls for (14 inch instead of 14.5 inch) but I would not want to work it any looser.  I had originally done the Foundation Double Crochet as recommended in the pattern, but didn’t really like how it looked, so when I went up a hook size I did a chain and double crocheted in to it.  The pattern also called out a Chainless Starting Double Crochet, which I managed to work, but didn’t really like it either so I went back to just chaining at the start of the rows.  The pattern also had some chains at the beginning of the rows that were not counted as a stitch, which made for some asymmetry and some bulgy edges, so that required another rip back when I decided to omit those.  But all of that ripping (really just three restarts) was worth it as I am very happy with how it has turned out.  The pattern came with a chart, which I used.  I love charts, so much easier for my brain to wrap around than written instructions.

Pattern:  Indivisible by Johanna Huck

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Crema Worsted

Hook:  5.0 mm (H)

Seahorse - Head Done!

I also finished up the head last weekend, and attached it to the body.  Bruce doesn’t think it looks like a seahorse because it is not bright colors, and of course the head is definitely not very seahorse like, but I didn’t feel like working the one that was more seahorse like.  I have already completed one of the side fins.  I need to make all of the other little fiddly bits that will get sewed on and give this guy some more personality.

Pattern:  Seahorse by Megan Lapp

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Luster Worsted

Hook:  4.0 mm (G)

Orchid Tea Doily Rug - Loop On!

Back in 2019 I swatched for a pattern out of the Spring/Summer 2008 Vogue Knitting Magazine called the Medallion Top.  It uses Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel yarn.  Back on Christmas Day in 2020 I finally cast on the top, and managed to knit a bit before I set it aside.  I decided to come back to it last weekend, just to see if I was going to finish it or not.  Well, the decision is or not.  I just was not enjoying knitting the combination of the yarn and the pattern so I went out on Ravelry and did some pattern searching and came up with a Tea Doily Rug.  Just a fun crochet project (I think Cotten yarns work so much better in crochet), so I grabbed a fresh skein of yarn and looped on.  It is fun, the pattern instructions are very detailed, and so far it is looking good.

Pattern:  White Tea Doily Rug by Tatsiana

Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel

Hook:  3.5 mm (E)

Smaug Shawl - Cast On!

As soon as I had finished the body on the Wyvern Shawl and had started the lace edging I cast on the next set in the queue - a six gradiance set called Smaug.  I have another skein from that Sundara Yarn temperature set to use for the border.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep 4 Ply SW Merino Fingering & Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Fingering Merino

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

 

Wyvern Shawl - Border Started!

Last week I was able to finish knitting the body of the Wyvern Shawl and have started on the lace edging.  This time I have decided to add beads, just because.  I am using a lace edge that I modified from another pattern, and it is one that I have used on other shawls of this type.  One repeat done, thirty more to go.

The yarn for the lace edging is Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Fingering Merino, part of a set for a temperature scarf/shawl/whatever that I never did, but I have had no problem finding other uses for the skeins.

Pattern:  Over the Moon by Vicki Mikulak

Yarn:  The Unique Sheep 4 Ply SW Merino Fingering & Sundara Yarn Extra Fine Fingering Merino

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)