Yeah !!!! We have pictures!!!

Back from Pennsylvania, Maryland and this is my progress so far. I do love this shawl.
Im using Cloud , that I got from Margaret, in Natural.
I then dyed it using a mixture of Rit and Cushings. I call this Vineyard. It is lighter with more contrast than the pictures show.
There is a light lavender,and an almost periwinkle blue. Also a bit of tan and a sort of wine color where the tan and violet merge. Oh Well, I guess Ill get better at this whole picture, posting, computer,thing.
Im so happy now to be home. It is wonderful to travel. I met so many amazing people. But like someone once said "Theres no place like home "
Eh, Toto.
Oh yes, Im using size 4 needles and liking the size of lace.
Enjoying also reading and seeing what everyone else is doing. So inspiring.
Til later then, Blessings to you all, Sue

Help please

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong
Hi everyone,
Im back and have pictures. Can someone please tell me how to post them??
Sue in San Diego

Casting Off!!!!!

How did these souls manage?? ...gathering peat and knitting so that not a moment is lost???

We are so pampered in comparison!....

I'm finally heading into the end here and have cast off half of the stitches tonight. The rest will happen tomorrow and I hope there will be blocking tomorrow as well. Then we'll see if I achieved anywhere near the generous size I had wanted. I think I've used about 1000 yds total (a bit more than 2 skeins of the eBay handpaint laceweight.)

Breakfast In Bed...

Here is a photo of the B&B shawl. I used one skein of my laceweight merino on size 6 needles for this and could have made it a bit larger. It is plenty large for me and about 6 feet wide. I posted a few more photos of showing the size better.. You can see them on my blog
Garden Of Eve. No knitting today, the garden waits!

Forever.......

It seems to be taking forever to get through Chart B these days---and I don't think my shawl is that big---yet! Best as I can tell it is about 62" wide. I'm thinking I'll try perhaps 2 more repeats of Chart B and see where we are. I'd like something pretty cozy and enveloping---probably more of a curl up at home type of shawl.

I still love the colorway! It is really quite soothing to work with. Contrary to the appearance of my previously posted photo it is not in the purpley/red range---but rather in the rust, brown and beige with a hint of green in those brownish spots. It reminds me of the forest floor on a beautiful sun filled Autumn day, with the sun filtering through oak trees. I can almost sense the textures of the woods as I work on it.

At any rate, I'm oddly anxious to be done. I think I just want to really see how this turns out.

Now what would truly make me happy would be to find a studio with huge flat spaces for blocking these things. Then I could bring my large wet woollies and work comfortably in a place dedicated to blocking. I truly hate the makeshift qualities of my current system. Although I own two blocking boards they still aren't quite large enough. DH works nights so someone is always in bed so that idea is out. Crawling about on the floor is soooo not my thing now that I have crummy knees, etc. Oh well...

Hey---what is our next KAL going to be????????????

Hint -- Getting all the Dye Out

HINT
When knitting with any space-dyed yarn, there will probably be leftover dye in your yarn. You will want to get this out before you block it. Put 5 or 6 Shout Color Catcher Sheets found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store to absorb the dye that floats loose. Repeat the rinse process with fresh dye sheets in each successive wash cycle until the dye magnet sheets remain white. At this point there is no longer any loose dye left.

My Shawl

So, having dried, I took my shawl outside and played with it to see what I could do to get a picture of it. Here is my final picture before it is given away. Well, actually I hope to get a picture of it being worn by the Intended Victim, but that won't get posted here. grin

I'm also done!...

Well, sort of....

The shawl done with the Breakfast in Bed colorway is done. I need to wash it and block today and will take a photo of it.

The wedding shawl is already a little bigger than this shawl but I'm going to make it a little longer I think ....

Never again, will I work on two shawls at once, and on a deadline. It left me with little free time for other things. I hope to get the remaining plants and seeds in the ground this weekend.

Eve

I'm Done!

I'm done! Whee! I was going to go for 72", and realized that the person who is the intended victim (grin) would not appreciate the extra length. So I started negotiations with myself as to how long it was going to be.


I'll post more pictures tomorrow taken in better light. As it is, here is the damp shawl on the kitchen floor.

As Intended Victim will not be blocking it, I washed it in the washing machine on delicate, and placed it out on the floor to dry. I gently lifted the ripples into place, for probably the last time in the life of the shawl. I wash this to be easy for Intended Victim to care for, not a burden. That means she is to put it down and leave it alone. No pinning, easing into shape...nothing.

Specs:
Yarn: Cloud 9 50% cotton and 50% rayon from Heritage Yarns
Color: Black and Gray in a Rainbow World
Needle: size 6 nylon circular
Size: (with ripple effect) 64" wide by 30" long

Memorial Weekend

I hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend. I have three days to knit, knit, knit. It's going to be very hot in Wisconsin this weekend, so I'll stay in the aircon and enjoy my knitting. The shawl now measures 35" from needles to the beginning point. I can't spread it out without taking it off the needles, so the next picture I will probably post is when it is finished. Love seeing everyone else's work.
Sue J.

Done but not finished

I know, some of you are just starting and I come in here and say "DONE" but I'm not finished. I am starting all over with another yarn to see how that one looks. I feel a bit obsessed, but I am sure it is nothing to be concerned about. I promise not to go too overboard. Here is my 'first' shawl. I am blocking it as I speak. I need to find the rest of my t-pins though. They have walked off my desk and into ?? I want to tell you, straight pins are not a good substitute. You need pins with stamina and strength (and a head to push on)! The key to getting a lot done on this shawl is to find a very long and boring thing to go to and knit your heart out. That is what I did this week when the kids had their annual testing and I had to sit and help the proctor out. All I did was sit and watch the boys and answer 2 questions in the three days I was there. Hard work!

Poor Photos of Beautiful Yarn-Sorry

I've taken a photo (or two or three!) of my work, but can't seem to get a good representation of the color. (No wonder I'm looking for a new digital camera---but that is another story. However, I'll gladly take suggestions for brands and models from you experienced folks.) I finally had to turn off the flash so there would be an accurate representation of the color and the trade off is the slight out of focus quality at the top.

C'est La Vie....here it is. I'm probably on my 5th or 6th repeat of Chart B.

I love it and I love the feel of the yarn as it moves through my hands while knitting. What more can a person ask for?

Interweave Knits lace article

There is a great lace-knitting article written by Jackie E-S in the latest copy of "Interweave Knits". This is great for those of us who are on the newbie side of lace-knitting. There will be a second article in the fall issue.

Crochet Bind-Off

Jackie has given me permission to repost her comments regarding the crochet bind-off on the main page. Great tip, Jackie!

Margaret

The url that Nancy posted shows a plain crochet bind off technique that can be substituted for a knitted bindoff. That will give everyone the idea.

I personally don't use a crochet hook for regular binding off like is shown in the tutorial though (i.e. binding off one stitch at a time), but that is just a personal preference.

If I am going to use a crochet hook, I do a decorative looped edge. This is where a group of stitches (usually 3 to 5) are crocheted together with a single crochet (or double crochet in UK terminology), then a chain of several stitches made, then another 3 or more stitches is crocheted together in a group, etc. That is not what is specified in the EST shawl pattern, but there is no reason why you couldn't substitute this method.

For creating this type of looped decorative edge, I like to use a crochet hook that is smaller than the knitting needle size. For example, I used this crochet bindoff technique on the Bobble Lace Flowers Triangle Shawl (new pattern to be released in a few weeks). For this shawl, I used a 3mm knitting needle for knitting the shawl and a 2.25mm crochet hook for binding off.

I think that using the smaller crochet hook has a couple of advantages:
1. It is easier to get the hook inserted into the stitch(es)
2. The chain between the groups of stitches doesn't look as 'thick' as when using a hook that is the same (or larger) than the knitting needle used. Remember that a crochet chain is 3 strands thick compared to a knitted stitch is just one loop with a strand on each side. I think the smaller hook helps keep the visual 'weight' of the chain more balanced with the look of the knitted stitches.

Probably more than you wanted to know! Does this help?

Happy knitting, Jackie E-S

Ai Yi Yi!

Hello to all and thanks to the leaders for making us all so very welcome! I've decided to to join you in my first KAL. Margaret was a gem and got me my yarn and pattern quickly and when it arrived yesterday I began swatching......and swatching......and swatching....and....Well you get the very big picture. :)

Seems that while I loved the colorway and the feel of my chosen yarn, it called me to another project. So I began the search through my stash. Gosh, I tried combinations of strands and colors and needles. It's almost embarrassing in the multitude of choices tried and discarded.

Finally, late in the evening I hit upon what I thought was a good choice---two strands of laceweight, hand dyed from San Filipe (EBay purchase) in Uruguay. The color is called Stonechat and is tones of rich browns and rust. I even got into the beginning of chart B. This morning it seems that I think I need to go to smaller needles. So here I am now, cast on with even small needles and on row 6 or so of Chart A, but raring to go!

BTW---I love the yarn and color choices that so many of you have chosen. It almost takes my breath away. Thanks for sharing.

Wedding Shawl progress...

Like Theresa, I am now at the point where I'm wondering how much longer I should make this shawl.

If worn only with a wedding gown, it doesn't really matter if it is long. If Tina is to use it any other time, do I want it to be very long? I've used 3 oz. out of 8 oz. of superfine alpaca. Because I'm using it doubled, I started out with a little more than 1237 yards.. If my math is correct, so early in the morning and after only one cup of coffee, I've used almost 465 yards so far, does that sound right? The pattern calls for 600 yards for a shoulder wrap, 1000 for a large shawl, but I may not be knitting at the same gauge as the pattern. I'm thinking I should knit for about another ounce and then stop and see where I am, maybe block the tip to get an idea of much larger it will be when blocked.

I'm suprised at how fast this is growing using size 6 needles and how light it feels even with 2 strands. I'm really liking this alpaca yarn and if I don't use up this skein, will use the remainder, single strand for a gossamer weight shawl.

A little oops yesterday... I accidently snagged the shawl yesterday, catching just one strand, of course. Took me a few minutes to tug it back into shape while holding my breath... whew!

Just 3 weeks till the shower!

Hi Everyone. I have enjoyed seeing everyone's progress and what colors you are doing your shawls! I have been a little blue lately and haven't been knitting as much as I should. That is pretty pathetic when you haven't felt like knitting! LOL I am moving right along though and getting to the point where rows are taking longer and longer. I have 22 repeats across. I pinned it up to see what it was looking like. It is not blocked although the left side is stretched a little. As it is now if it was blocked it would probably be about 68-70" across. I am concerned because the person who will receive the shawl has been described to me as between my mother and I in size (helpful, huh?!) and so I am guessing is about a size 20. I know from personal experience that triangular shawls are just not made for plus size women! But I want this to be useful, not just pretty! So I am going to keep on knitting for several more inches. My concern with this is that unblocked the length is now over 30". I know I can block less vigorously in the vertical direction but I do not want to distorted it either. Do you think I will be making it look freakish if I keep on going and make one huge shawl...I'm thinking about 84"? The person who will receive it gets chemo, so I want her to be able to wrap up in it if she wants to or lay it over her lap if she is chilled. I would appreciate input. In the future when I make shawls for larger women, myself included, I will probably be doing Faroese shaped shawls from Myrna Stahman's patterns. Nothing wrong with Jackie's lovely pattern. I just re-read what I wrote and I do not mean to indicate that! I just meant that I did not do a good job of matching the pattern to the recipient! :o)

I LOST my PATTERN!

ARGH. I'm sitting here, waiting for the results of my Mother's cancer tests, Really wanting to knit, and I LOST my pattern. I think I left it at a friend's house, but I want to be working on it now. Grumph.

Kate, feeling out of sorts.

Out of the Frog Pond

O.K., I am out of the frog pond and back up to where I was at row 13, 3rd repeat of Chart B. I will draw a circle, make a slash through it and put the froggie under there. lol

I'm back to using the Denise needles although am having to be careful knitting with Blue Bayou (tencel) and a blue cable. I tried the wooden again and wasn't happy with the cable and had become accustomed to working with a smoother needle with more "slide." I switched over to rug warp for life lines and think I'm going to like it better with the tencel. The tencel tended to "bury up" in the dental floss making frogging "interesting."

Margaret

Official Progress Determination

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to know if going to a LYS to wind the second hank of cashmere counts as progress on my shawl? Judges, your scores please....LOL

Lark, who promises to knit tomorrow...

Crochet Bindoff?

There was a question buried that didn't get answered.

Does anyone know how to do a crochet bindoff? Debby, did you figure it out? Personally I am terribly crochet challenged, and my husband took over all crochet in self-defense in the first year of our married life. I can chain and that is it. Anything more than that, and I hand it to him and ask sweetly.

How much yarn have I used?

I decided to see if I could tell how much yarn I have used since the KAL began. I started with an 8 oz skein of Tencel which contains approximately 1600 yards. Margaret gave me the idea to weigh the remaining ball of Tencel, so I got out the digital postal scale, and weighed the ball-7.2 oz left. That means that I have only used .8 oz since I started knitting the shawl! I think I have a ways to go. Margaret said she is going to stop when there is 3 oz left. I'd better go grab those needles!
Still loving every minute!
Sue J.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong
Oh My Gosh!!!
I thoughtI wouldnt be able to get on here while on vacation, but my daughter got me "hooked up".Here I am in Pennsylvania and having an amazing time. We spent the day in Washington D C yesterday. The National monuments are amazing. We are blessed to live in the country we do. It is truelly humbling to stand at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial. Couldnt get very close to the Whitehouse as the president was giving a speech and they had it all blocked off. Seeing it in the distance was really satifiying enough.
I got right on the plane with my needles, no problem at all. I was able to get pretty far ( through chart B ) once. Even with all the distractions and no graph instructions. I found the pattern easy to remember once getting started.( I concentrated the directions by making copies and cutting chart A off.) Oh Well. Blabbing a bit now so will go.
Hope to talk again before I return home but if not,
God Bless you all until next time. Sue in San Diego :)

Eureka!

I just figured out why I sometimes am missing a stitch in a given pattern repeat. I haven't been forgeting to do a yarn over, I've been accidentally dropping the yarn over before the right leaning decrease, in the process of slipping that last stitch back and forth. Now I know what to watch for!

Kate, looking forward to going out with DH and No Kids for our 19th wedding anniversary tonight.

Frogging right along

O.K., y'all have all leap-frogged over me! I had to frog back about 8 rows last night and now cannot tell where I am or whether or not I have picked up all the stitches that are supposed to be there. If my counting is correct, there are 125 stitches. Any clue where I am?

I've learned my lesson to not multi-task while I am knitting with tencel. wah...

Margaret

Second repeat of Chart B

Hello everyone,

I hope that you all enjoyed the Mother's Day holiday. My teenage daughter made me cinnamon rolls from her copy of The Bread Baker's Apprentice. They were delicious and a real surprise!

I have finally made it through Chart B. I'm finding the pattern really enjoyable now that I have the rhythm down. It does actually feel like I have to knit in a certain zone. I don't know if I've always been this way, or if it is just since my surgery. I am having a hard time putting together an hour of concentrated focus on anything these days. Major body work seems to take a toll on your head too....

Anyway, I have a simple never-done-lace before question about Chart B repeating. From here on out, I am basically just supposed to keep adding to the edges, right? I mean, the shawl grows from the edges out, correct?

Thanks for all the support of this blog. I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's shawls.

Lark

Please Help me! I'm Going to start My Shawl Now!

Hello Ladies,

Well, I'm finally starting my shawl. I've had my yarn for a while, however some personal matters kept me from starting my project.

My yarn is the 8/2 Tencel by Heritage Yarns in Blue Bayou. It is a beautiful color and I think will make delicious shawl.

OK! Here is my problem or should I say challenge - I am a total newbie to lace and chart pattern knitting. I was going over the chart before I started to make sure I had answers to atleast most of my questions before I cast on. Here are just a few, I know I will have several more before my shawl is completed:

1. Right-slanting decrease - I understand the knit 3 together through back loops - where I get a little confused is the slip next stitch over stitch just made by temporarily moving stitches (stitches?) to the other needle?

2. I'm OK on the chart until I get to - I will have completed row 6 and ready for row 7, however row 7 has 2 additional stitches. Do I cast on additional stitches or do the additional YO's add them?

3. Also while ready some of your posts I read something about ending with 50 on Chart A and Chart B has 37 to start or vise-versa. How is this resolved?

This is all I have right now. I can't wait to get started. I have a beautiful ball of Blue Bayou just setting there calling my name - saying "Patty I know you can do this".

My disappointment in this is that I don't have a digital camera yet. I'm going to talk to my DH this week and implore to him the need that I have to have one not only for KAL's but for my blog. It's just necessary - darn it! I know I can talk him into it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good, average priced digital camera?

Thank you for all of your help.

It's a great day for a KAL!

Patty

Just Curious

Margaret, what size needles did you use for your example shawl on your website (the one made in Bird of Paradise cloud 9), do you remember? I'm using a 5.5mm needle (size 9? I think?). I like the result I'm getting, but I think it's a pretty large needle, and I've never thought of myself as a particularly tight knitter, so I'm curious. Anybody else using cloud 9? What size needles are you using?

Kate, enjoying her Mothers' Day...

Wedding Shawl progress....

I've made a little progress on the shawl, despite having visited the frog pond a couple of nights ago. It is now about 5 feet wide across the top. It has a soft and delicate look to it, I hope Tina likes it as much as I do. I may just have it done in time for the shower in a few weeks! And I got most of the wedding invitations printed, envelopes stuffed and in the mail on Friday, does this mean more time for knitting?



The B&B shawl is a bit smaller, about 4 feet across. In order to get the wedding shawl done, I've stopped working on the B&B shawl, except when Tina is here and I have to hide the other one.. *G* It is so pretty!

I'm thinking ahead to blocking.. Any tips on what's the best way to go about it to avoid pin marks?

Mother's Day progress

I promised an updated photo of my shawl, so here it is. I am using Tencel in Summer Haze with size 5 Clover Tukami needles. I am thrilled with how it is growing and still very happy with stitch definition. I must thank everyone who has been so encouraging. I never thought I could knit anything this beautiful. I'm so glad I joined this KAL. A whole new world of knitting has opened up for me. And I love to see everyone else's shawls.
Sue J.

Cary's Progress

Here is a picture of my progress, although you can't really tell there has been much progress ;D I am actually on my third repeat of Chart B.



I did as Margaret suggested and went up in needle size. I went up to a size 8 from a size 6 and this is really an embroidery thread size yarn! I still don't have the stitch definition I would really like and know this is going to require some pretty extrememe blocking at the end. Still, I think I am happy with it. It reminds me very much in look and feel of some of the Orenburg lace shawls I have, so I have hope! I may stop when it reaches scarf size and start another with a different yarn.

I am enjoying the pattern and the company I am knitting in here at this group. The peace of starting out with prayers for loved ones make it such a special project!

And Happy Mothers Day to all who will be celebrating today!

Hugs,
Cary at Serenity Farms

Progress!

Well, I'm halfway through repeat 2 of chart b, no recent visits to the frog pond. I even made myself some pretty stitchmarkers - I saw some stuff people were selling, and thought, I can do that! These photos aren't very clear, but you get the idea:



Isn't that fun? The ones I'm actually using on my shawl are in a photo on my blog. Unfortunately, I deleted them from my computer, so if you are curious, you'll have to go to my blog and check them out (blossomparkknits on this very same website)

I seem to have been bitten by the blog bug. Anybody else seem to spend more time posting than knitting?????

Kate

Still knitting

Hi All!

I haven't checked in for awhile, but am still busily knitting with a goal of 10 rows a day. I now have around 150+ stitches OTN, and it is a joy to watch the shawl grow and take on a life of it's own. Of course, I think it did exactly that from the moment I signed up for the KAL. I will try to post a picture this weekend, but it is getting rather difficult to spread the entire thing out and keep all the stitches OTN. I hope everyone has a lovely Mother's Day. I intend to spend mine, what else(?), knitting.
Sue J.

Susanne's Needles?

Has anyone tried Susanne's rosewood or ebony needles? What are the points like? Thanks. Lark

Needle points

I am amazed, although I spoke about it in a post before, about the difference the needle points make in knitting this. I thought that my points were sharp enough on the needles I was using, but when I started over, I decided to use a nylon needle. The disadvantage is that it isn't as long as I usually like. But the points are sharper than the Susan Bates that I was using. Wow! Now, to be fair, yesterday was a slow day around here, but I managed to start over completely and knit Chart B twice! Before I considered one repeat of Chart B to be an excellent day!

Now THAT is all the needles. Not anything to do with me, but all because the needles made the stitches flow that much better.

So, if you are having troubles, consider looking at another needle. It may be worth the investment! You know, the Boye needles have an excellent point on them, and are really reasonable. You are going to have to get used to the metal ... the needles are going to be slicker than snot so be prepared for that. Sounds as if people like the Takumi needles. Inox needles have good points but again may be slippery. Any other suggestions?

Mary

Re: Help

Marcie,

You are okay, going from the 50 stitches on chart A to the 37 stitches on chart B.

Knit the edge stitches, repeat the 15 stitches in chart B as needed across the row, and then end with the edge stitches. This first time through you will be repeating it twice (one on either side of your center line). Each time you finish 20 rows you will add another pattern repeat on each side of the center line.

Lifeline Tip

When you finish a row, move the knitting to the cable part of the circular needle and it is easy to run the lifeline needle through the stitches. I pulled down on the stitches a section at a time. That way I avoided the stitch markers. I had the lifeline in very quickly and was able to make sure I got each stitch.

Today's Progress

First thing this morning.

Now. Darn it!

a WONDERFUL day!!!

Hi everyone,

I did exactly three rows of knitting on Mom's Mother's Day sox today. They seem destined for 2007 instead of this year. No work on my Shawl today, but.....

I did go to see the surgeon for my first post-operative followup and he said I can do anything but jump or twist and to come see him again July 11th! That means I can continue to stay home and heal, get strong by walking and seeing a physical therapist, and KNIT up a storm! Praise the Lord for such a blessing this surgery has been.

TMCCormick asked about the yarn for my shawl. I purchased it from a wonderful woman named Robin Pascal at SOAR in Park City last November. Here is her website, though I do not know what the yarn is called except that it is 2ply cashmere, 23 wpi, 400 yards per hank.
Here is her website: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rpascal21/yarn2.html

Thank you giving me support to attempt lace. I DID get to buy a 29 inch circular needle today.

Lark, who is so grateful for everything

So far, so good...

Sorry, Mary and Marcie. I wasn't amused either when I visited the frog pond a few times.

I finished the second repeat of Chart B tonight and still looking back to be sure there are no dropped stitches. Am tempted to pull out all the lifelines but the last one but don't think I have the nerve. Hopefully, there would be no surprises.

Margaret

Life Line While You Knit A Row -- Ribbit

Well, I was working on putting in the lifeline while I knit the row. Yes -- You can do it, I find it a bit more cumbersome, I knit a few stitches and then secured them. I also tried doing it every stitch, but that drove me nuts. Your mileage may vary.

Anyway... As I was doing it, I noticed a mistake 6 rows down. A big enough mistake that I couldn't drop just the involved stitches and ladder back up. In the process, I wound up having to frog about 12 rows, because some stitches got away from me. I'm back with everything on the needles and ready to go, but this wasn't fun. At one point I was ready to frog back and start over. I was not amused.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong
Hello all..... Well Ive gotten my yarn dyed. Ill try to figure out how to send a picture in the morning. I had hoped to cast on tonight but.... Its taking FOREVER to dry. Impatient much? hee hee It turned out even better than I had pictured it. Not bragging, just so excited.
I decided to take this project with me on the long flight.. And found out a very good friend, that I haven't heard from for about 9 months or so ( she moved) is in need of a baby sweater and socks in June. YEAH!!
Babies are just the most amazing gifts, aren't they. More later then......
Blessings to you all, Sue :)

Cashmere Shawl Beginnings

Here is my Chart A in cashmere. It is pinned out instead of blocked. The cashmere has a wonderful hand, but is rather springy. I am using size 8 bamboo needles, and though this looks like a really open fabric, I think it will block out nicely, and the spring in the yarn will prevent it from being too loopy.

Any thoughts from more experienced knitters before I continue?

Blessings, Lark

Progress report

Hi!

You may remember that I was on my third repeat of Chart B when I read Margie's note yesterday morning after she had visited the frog pond. I thought it might be a good idea to check mine out and gasp... there was a large hole below the first lifeline in Chart A. To the frog pond I went but am back up to the second repeat of Chart B and finding Jackie's weigh-down suggestions very helpful. It especially helps with tencel and other yarns that might not stretch as much as wool.

The good that came out of this is that the tension seems a lot more to my liking as I am not struggling with the decreases and holding on for dear life. I tend to be a counter too, am counting almost every dear stitch and occasionally blocking it out with my fingers under a good light to make sure I don't have to visit the frog pond again. (:

Margaret

Finally Signed In

Hi Everyone, my name is Theresa and I'm knitting along with you in Sacramento, CA. I'm also KAL with the gals on the Christian Artisans list on this project. We are praying for our friend Dale as we knit and I am also praying for Kathy, the lady who will be receiving this shawl who is battling a second bout with cancer. Anyway, this is my third Jackie pattern to knit and I have a couple more to try out! :o) I purchased the yarn on eBay and it looks to be Knit Pick's Color Your Own laceweight and was space dyed red, burgandy, plum, charcoal and black. I pinned half of it up to take this picture. It is going pretty well for me. I have had a couple mistakes but they are the kind where you can fudge (i.e. knit that extra stitch together with another one and it doesn't show unless you are inspecting with a magnifying glass!). Overall I find it nice to knit and am able to work on it while watching my three kids. I love seeing everyone's work posted on here and all the beautiful colors! It's inspiring! I have a knit blog with a little bit of everything and not a lot of knitting! LOL If you are interested it is tjknits.blogspot.com

Chart A complete!

Wow, wow, wow! What a sense of accomplishment I feel. I finally finished Chart A today, and will block it out tomorrow to take a picture for you all to see. The 2-ply cashmere is a dream to work with, and I finally figured out the rhythm to the pattern. More than anything, I think the IDEA of lace was scaring me more than the REALITY of it. Here are my tips:

1. It is helpful to avoid distractions. For me, this means no friends over to chat. No coffee, no chocolate.

2. Find some soothing music with a good rhythm. Van Morrison's album What's Wrong with this Picture? will now forever be associated with this shawl.

3. Stay away from steel/metal needles when making lace. I nearly had to frog the thing because I thought I might like the points on the metal needles more. Way too slippery for me to control, rather like trying to hold mercury in your hands...

4. Believe you CAN! I look ridiculous in tights and a cape (nix the Wonder Woman image), and me and slinky never appear in the same sentence, but I feel a little bit like the Goddess of Possibility tonight. Thanks Margaret and Mary for your encouragement, and everyone else who has posted to this very helpful blog.


Have a blessed day!

Hello

Hi.
My name is Terri and I wanted to introduce myself.
This will be my first lace shawl and first time I am using a chart. I am excited and I can't wait to begin. I recieved the pattern last week and I haven't bought the yarn. I am hoping that I have enough in my stash to complete this project but if not I wouldn't mind buying some yarn.

Any suggestions? I have been looking at the deep pinks and rose colors.

Knitting away...

My daughter, Tina, has been around this week a lot, we are working on wedding invitations and such. So, I've gotten a bit more done on the B&B shawl. It is about 3 feet wide now. If you see a mistake, please don't tell me. I don't want to know! *G* Eve

Weigh-Down

Oh, it works, it works! I finished all of Chart B tonight (second repeat) and 8 rows into Chart B, third repeat, because of using Jackie's tip! No new needles needed now. Oh, my. I have 2 circulars coming eventually. (-: I don't even like to think about the unfinished objects that can linger on extra needles!

Eve, I am also using your tip of putting in a life line on the private side on the row after the yarnover row. You are right. No more fighting the lifeline. So, rather than putting one at the end of Chart B, I knitted the first and second row and put in a lifeline.

Margaret

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong
Having never done a BLOG before... here goes haha
My daughter is graduating from University in PA in about a week.We are blessed to be able to go as a family to be with her and spend some time there. Being a true blue Californian, all my life here, I will finally get ot see the White House, National Monuments, Smithsonian, many fine yarn shops etc.
Now in my mind, A sometimes very amazing place to be, haha, I thought I would return home to a long awaited package, ready to dye my yarn, read over my pattern with a hot cup of coffee and dream of starting my beautiful shawl while the yarn dried.
NOPE !!!!! I ordered my yarn from Heritage Yarns and it arrived 2 DAYS LATER!!! I hardly had time to think, and here I am already.
Thank you so much for letting me join this group. I am so happy with my yarn and the service I recieved. Not to mention the nice e-mails Ive gotten..
Im looking forward to a fun time here and meeting new friends.
Blessings to you all. Sue :)

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

The Weigh-Down on Stitches

I'm still struggling with decreases and am going to follow Jackie's advice in one of her newsletter articles at http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/newsletter66.txt

I might be knitting a little faster now. Thanks, Jackie!

Lifelines?

Surely would be nice if there was a way, Kate, but I don't know of a way. I tried a variation of Cary's this afternoon and used a fine blocking wire. Unfortunately, it didn't work as I refused to give up the lifeline and carried it with the knitting up onto the needle. Between the knitting, the wire lifeline, markers and needle, it became impossible for me to knit. Bound to be a way but would have to see someone do it.

I went back to Denise needles and dental floss. Even though the Denise points aren't sharp enough, it is easier to slip through the 3 stitches for decreases. Of course, since the tencel is slippery, I will have to be careful but it is speeding up the process. Am being very careful on the yarnover rows.

Lifelines?

Is there a way to insert lifelines as you knit? I've been using a tapestry needle to thread crochet cotton through the row just knit, but it would be faster if I could figure out a way to do it as I was knitting. Suggestions, anyone?

Kate, who is having a lot of fun with this blog stuff.

True Confessions

This is what my shawl looks like now, sigh. I tried to work on it during the women's breakfast/bible study this morning and I dropped a stitch. This time, I wasn't able to recover it.

I raise my right hand and solmenly swear that I Will Use Lifelines.

Through chart B finally....

I'm finally through Chart B! I was starting Row 5 of the second Chart B repeat and realized I had dropped a stitch about 4 rows back...and of course I didn't have my lifeline in yet!! I didn't have any dental floss, so I used some bright red tatting thread and put a lifeline in right before the row with the dropped stitch. Now I'm inserting a lifeline on the purl row after each YO row. I woke early this morning with my husband and had an hour to knit back to where I was last night. I must say, I really enjoy knitting first thing in the morning...so peaceful! :)

Also, out of necesity, I made myself some new stitch markers yesterday. I took a trip to A.C. Moore and picked out a couple bags of beads and some wire(which is way too thin...) What gauge should I be using to those of you who know? I am new to beading. You can view a photo of the stitch markers on my personal blog here. I will be posting the photo in just a couple minutes.

New Interweave Knits

Hi All,
I am so enjoying every single picture posted. Makes me want to knit a shawl from each colorway and yarn. Just got my new Interweave Knits in the mail, and our designer, Jackie E-S, has an excellent article about lace knitting in this issue. Congrats, Jackie. This issue has several interesting pieces about lace knitting. Makes me wish I had discovered this long ago. Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend. Back to the needles!
Sue J.

Hi all,

I've entered the digital age, and am now the proud owner of an easyshare camera. I tried to post a picture and messed up, so I deleted the post. Here (I hope) is a picture of my progress to date. I've completed one repeat of chart B. I blocked it when I finished chart A, and you can sort of see the difference between the blocked and unblocked in the photo. I've made a couple of errors (migrating the reverse stocking stitch columns) because there is so much colour and texture in the yarn that it can be hard to see what's going on. I think stitch markers are in order. Anyway, here's the picture:

Trying out the scanner...

Had to try the scanner out this morning to see if it would work for this non-techie! Well, it works! You can't tell much about the pattern at this point as I could not stretch it out. As you can see, I am tinking one row.

I am knitting Chart B and am on about the 8th row. Maybe I will get through tinking and can put back in what I "lost." Would love it, Cary, if the extra needles work for a lifeline with tencel. Will let you know. Also see what Mary means about having a point of reference. I can't tell that I've made any progress without it.

Knowing no more than I do about using the scanner, I am also puzzled by the "outlined blocks" around my knitting. Interesting. Can't wait to block it to see what I actually have.

Margaret - knitting along with Blue Bayou 8/2 tencel

Members Deleted by MISTAKE! Not heard from us? Please look here.

A couple of members were inadvertently deleted by mistake this morning. I apologize.

PLEASE E-MAIL ME at knitsnspins at galliard.us and you will be reinstated at once! There are mornings that one should not be working behind the scenes.

We've also had a problem with quite a few people that have applied for membership and haven't responded. I'm wondering if it is a glitch with e-mail, so am trying a different approach. It isn't because of trying to keep anyone from this group! Again, let me know.

Mary Hunt

Current Progress

I realized, when I took a picture of my shawl, that once you reached a certain point, appearances are deceptive. It really needs something to show quite how far it has grown. Six inches or 12 look almost alike, really. sigh You can't tell from the pictures, but these two pictures were taken several days apart. There is much work between them. And yet, the first picture looks to be the same size as the second, because there isn't a frame of reference in it. So, this time, I used the ruler as a sign that I am knitting away! But sheesh, it does look as if the top picture has been knit more than the bottom. I'm going to confess to taking 6 pictures to get the second one. I even taped the needle straight so I could see progress.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Needle Brands?

What brand of needle are you using for this project? I was using ordinary steel needles , don't know what kind. Then I bought a Takumi bamboo circ. Unfortunately, the store only had 60cm length in the size I needed, and I'm finding it hard to work with. The points are great though. I really balk at the price of Stahl Natura needles, although they are lovely to work with (they have the same type of cord as addi turbos, only they are made of bamboo.)

Kate

My picture

Here is a photo of my lace so far:



This was before I blocked it and I know you can't see much except the color, which I love. I am going to live with it and look at it for a few days before I decide whether to switch yarn and colors. I DO love the way the stitch markers my darling daughter made specially for my lace knitting look with the project though.

Hugs, Cary

Photos, Lifelines, Yarn

I love reading the posts and seeing the progress and yarns! Mary, I especially can't wait to see how yours looks in Margaret's Black and Grey in a Rainbow World (think I have that name correct!) It is on my list as one of the next yarns to purchase ;)

For those without digital cameras - if you have a scanner with your computer, you can scan a picture of your work. If you don't have any photo software on your computer, there are several on line ones that will help you edit and resize your pictures (and you will want to resize them!) Just a thought.

A tip I learned for lifelines in a lace knitting workshop I took, was to use another long circular needle as your lifeline, preferably a smaller size than what you are knitting with. That way, if you have to rip back to the lifeline, your stitches are already on a needle - sometimes easier than having the stitches on a thread or another yarn. That is what I have been doing. Granted, I have a lot of circular needles (grin) It does not work real well with very fine laceweight yarn, though, as it is a bit to heavy

Someone asked about alpaca yarn. I am using handspun alpaca laceweight and I am not sure I am crazy about the way it is looking. I also did a little wet blocking last night to see for sure before I go any farther. I am not getting the stitch definition I want (have done this on two different needles sizes) But I love the look of Eve's and she is using alpaca, too. I sampled with some of my handspun Corriedale, too, but it was to crimpy a fleece and to lively a yarn so that even with some heavy blocking, it just wanted to bounce into a funny shape.

I have been trying to give myself time to knit at least 6 rows each day, during the time I am praying for our friend, Dale. It doesn't sound like a lot of knitting, but in a crowded day it makes you feel as though you are accomplishing something of it, and as the rows get longer it does take a little time.

Hugs, Cary

My First Post

Hello All Knitters,

Today is my first post on this wonderous world of blogging! I am sorry I do not have a digial camera yet, so I will not be able to add pictures yet. I guess it will give me time to understand all this uploading stuff first and get comfortable with a few other things.

Progress?

Okay. I received my pattern on Wednesday, but have been fighting a feverish cold till this morning. Decided to begin an hour ago. Have one question...is row three of Chart A too soon to add a lifeline???? Have cast on four times, and started over twice....don't ask! But I can do this, Margaret has assured me. For those of you who don't know, I am home on medical disability as I recuperate from a Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. (back surgery). I think it may be time for my morning walk. Lace may improve my patience quotient. I keep repeating that to myself. Now if I could only memorize the repeat of the pattern....

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

I love all the photos. I'm hoping that Mothers' (Mothers'?) day and my wedding anniversary (which is May 16) will result in a digital camera for yours truly, so that I can post photos too. I've been stubbornly clinging to the slr camera I got for my 16th birthday, but I guess it's time to make the switch. (I just found eight rolls of exposed but undeveloped film. At least with a digital I can look at the photo right away.)

Here is my progress so far on the 4th day of the KAL. I am using Tencel in Summer Haze, size 5 needles. I'm pleased with the stitch definition even though I tend to knit loosely using the continental method I was taught as a child. What I am wondering is how much bigger will this get after blocking? Still loving every minute.
Sue J.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Further Adventures With Chart A

Discovery number one: In row 21, the yarn overs do not go all the way across the shawl. I discovered this as I finished row 23. I did not have a lifeline.

Discovery number two: As I yanked my needles out of the shawl and started to rip, I noticed that cloud 9 sticks to itself. So, I very carefully ripped back to row 21 and was able to get my needles back in. Woo Hoo. There will be a lifeline at the end of chart A

Discovery number three: You can leave the pattern in the page protector, and colour in each line of the chart with a wax crayon as you work it. The wax crayon comes right off again with a baby wipe. (Can you tell that I am a Mother Of Small Children?)

Discovery number four: Working on a lace shawl when a thirteen month old and a three year old want attention at the same time is unwise.

The three year old is hanging out with his older brother, and the one year old is asleep. I think I will go knit with my beeeeyoutifullll yarn now.

Kate, who is having a lot of fun playing with all the pretty font colours. (That's colours with a u)

Up and running

I was able to cast on for the shawl yesterday. I wanted to wait until I had some hand dyed available to use, but couldn't wait any longer to get started. So far I am loving the shawl. I have completed chart A and am on row 15 of Chart B. I am still new to lace knitting and gave it a go last month. I failed miserably in that it was a German pattern and trying to translate it, figure out the mirrors, and being new to lace...well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. I am glad this pattern is easy to understand. Hope to post pictures later on.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

If your problem is not understanding the instructions, I might be able to help.

I posted this as a comment on Sue D's Thursday, May 4th post, and Margaret asked me to post it to the main board, as others may have the same questions. So, here it is.

1. Knit three stitches together through the back loops.

2. You have now turned three stitches into one stitch. Slip this stitch back to the left hand needle.

3. Now, slip the second stitch on the left hand needle over the first stitch on the left hand needle.

4. Now, slip the first stitch on the left hand needle back to the right hand needle without knitting it (because you've already knitted it in step one)

Wedding Shawl started...

My yarn shipment arrived on Monday and so I was able to start the shawl on time. The Alpaca lace weight yarn is really fine and I had to go down to a much smaller needle to get the look I wanted. Knowing that using such a small size would mean I would not get this shawl done by the wedding date (July 1st), much less the shower date, I tried doubling the yarn and using a size 6 needle. I like how it looks and as I handle the yarn I find I like it even more than I thought I would. My sample skein of that yarn feels fairly smooth but after knitting, it looks and feels like a lightly brushed yarn, not fuzzy enough to distort or blur the stitches, but adding a nice soft feel to the fabric.

I was concerned that using two strands of such fine yarn would be difficult to work with, but the yarn isn't slippery so it's not a problem. There is enough yardage in one skein that even doubled I'll be able to make the largest size if I want to... but I doubt I'll have the time for one so large.

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Elegantly Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

I got the last skein of Bird of Paradise in Cloud 9, and it arrived today. I have not seen such a beautiful yarn in a long, long time. I have a few rows done, and it is going to be just stunning. I want to post pictures, but I don't have a digital camera. Could any of you more experienced bloggers recomend an
inexpensive digital camera? (I live in Canada, that probably makes a difference as far as which brands are available...)

Kate

Simple Triangular Shawl Knitalong

Sue, you are right about tencel needing a bamboo or wooden needle. I am using Clover; the points are not as sharp as I would like but it's working and am lacing in lifelines prior to every pattern row. Takes a little extra time but is worth it in the long run.

Janet, if you are knitting with Cloud 9, the suggested gauge on the label is for stockinette. Lace needs a needle a couple of sizes larger in order for the pattern to open up. Start with a 7-8 U.S. and I think you will like the results.

Marcie, I am painting Bird of Paradise tomorrow. If you'd like to see how it knits up, scroll down toward the bottom of the page and you will see this shawl knitted in Bird of Paradise Cloud 9. They are stunning flowers, aren't they? I was inspired by ones I saw growing out by a pool in St. Petersburg, FL. I had only ever seen them cut at a florist.

Margaret

Things I have learned during the first two days of the KAL: Not using Addi Turbos for lace knitting with Tencel is absolutely correct. The yarn slides right off. Using a bamboo circular is necessary, but proper joining of the cable to the bamboo is key. Can you tell that I am on my third circular needle? Finally found the right one-Takumi 29" is working like a dream. Hope I spelled that correctly.

Tencel is one of the nicest yarns I have ever worked with. Trusting the pattern is also correct. Had I not trusted that I could move from Chart A to Chart B with no trouble, I would have started over several times. But it is amazing how the whole thing comes together every time I transition from one chart to the next. And adding a lifeline every few rows is a must.

The most important thing I have developed is the confidence to do this beautiful knitting. I can read a chart, and I can work with such fine yarn. And it is a joy.

Loving every minute of this KAL,
Sue J.

Welcome

Welcome, everyone! I have had several false starts and thought I would complete Chart B last night but one stitch dropped and slid all the way back to the lifeline at the end of Chart A. So... I will be lacing in a lifeline prior to every pattern row from now on. Knitting with the tencel is nice but I won't take any chances in the future. (-:

We have an unofficial knitalong member of whom Cary refers. She is knitting along with us as some of us knit along and pray along. Cary, I love your choice of yarn.

Eve, love your Bed & Breakfast Shawl and can't wait to see what the color does as it progresses up the shawl.

Don't forget to post pictures of your progress so that we can celebrate together.

Now, I really must get to the dye room and am really wanting to sit and knit. Ah, tonight...

Margaret

Start Your Needles!

It is May 1,

START YOUR KNITTING!

Hurray! Off and running

I am really enjoying reading the posts and seeing the photos already for this knit along. I "officially" started my shawl this morning (May 1) and worked through Chart A. After sampling with various yarns and needle sizes (I just could NOT find one I really was happy with!) I feel like I have Chart A memorized ;) Then, yesterday afternoon, I found the perfect match from my stash. I had some handspun, laceweight, lovely dyed Alpaca yarn tucked away for a special project and I love the look. I have my yarn - laceweight and on size 6 needles

There are a group of us making this shawl and praying as we go for a dear friend who is facing some big health problems. So as we knit, we are praying for her and her family ;) When I found this alpaca, I knew it was the yarn. It had been gifted to me by a fellow fiber artist who had recently beat breast cancer. Then, it was spun for me by a very dear friend into a beautiful yarn. I had tucked it away, knowing it needed to be made into something memorable.

One problem - ugh - I forgot to write down how many yards of the yarn I have! It is at least 350, so I know I have enough to at least complete the scarf version of the pattern.

So...with prayers for Dale and with special thanks to Margaret, Mary and Jackie for this knit a long - I begin! I will try to get a photo soon.

Anxiously waiting

My name is Lark. I live in Utah and have never tried a lace pattern before. Margaret assures me I can do this, so with her encouragement I have decided to try. I am going to use 800 yards of handdyed laceweight cashmere I bought at the SpinOff Annual Retreat in Park City, Utah last November. I think I will try size 7 needles and see how the fabric drapes. IF I can make it through Chart A that is! Anxiously awaiting my pattern so I can join you all.