Thursday, December 04, 2008

Before & After

Before Blocking: A lace scarf that looks anything but lacy. A curling jumble of stitches that masks the potential hidden within. Doubts and hope all mixed together.


After Blocking: Light, airy, beautiful lace! Chaos put in order. Doubts erased. Hope fulfilled.


Pattern: Road Not Taken
Source: A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud (held double)
Color: Horizon
Needles: US 6 (4mm)

I have nothing but praise for this pattern and the book, A Fine Fleece, Knitting with Handspun Yarns. The book contains a wonderful collection of patterns: many sweaters and vests, scarves (one with a matching hat) and several pairs of socks. Each pattern is shown knitted in handspun and commercial yarn, so you really don't need to spin your own yarn to enjoy this book.

Road Not Taken features a pretty zig-zag lace stitch that is easy enough for beginning lace knitters. The stitches are charted, which I like. The pattern is written to be knitted as a 10-row repeat or a 20-row repeat--it's your choice. I went with 20 rows.

This is a scarf that I will knit again.

32 comments:

knittingyoyo said...

Absolutely beautiful. I would love to knit this.

Margene said...

That scarf moved up my list as yours is so beautiful! I love the magic of lace.

leah said...

Amazing! Thanks for showing the before pic! It is always fun to see the transformation occur!

Chery said...

I love lace, too. So much fun to knit and a joy to see when blocked.

Jean said...

That is my favorite part of a lace project. It's like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon. Beautiful!

Laura said...

Wow! What a difference blocking can make! It's lovely!

SSK* said...

you've been busy! It's beautiful!

Jennifer said...

Cloud is a perfect name for this yarn. The scarf looks like it was knit from clouds. Lovely knit.

Luni said...

The transformation never ceases to amaze. Lovely scarf.

Nancy said...

Beautiful scarf, you are really going to enjoy wearing it.

Jean said...

The scarf is such a pretty color, it will be gorgeous on. I like the way you showed before blocking and after blocking - what a difference!
I will definately put this book on my check it out list.

YayaOrchid said...

Oh, my word! What a difference it makes with the blocking. Such a beautiful creation, Tracy! BTW, I also like the rustic board and medallion next to the scarf. Very pretty!

Trisha said...

Just gorgeous! The transformation in blocking is amazing!

Robin said...

It's so beautiful. I've never blocked a garment and have quite a bit of anxiety associated with possibly ruining a project when the time comes. (Silly, I know!)

vlb5757 said...

That's truly lovely. I have a total weakness for lace scarves. I especially love Alpaca lace yarns. They are so light, airy and really soft. Nice job!

Debbie said...

So pretty.

Debbie said...

Beautiful! I'm so glad you included the before pic...what a transformation!

Caroline said...

I love Robert Frost, so it seems like I should knit "The Road Not Taken," especially when the pattern is so beautiful. I loved your comments about the doubts of lace knitting. I thnk that why I hesitate to do much of it.

Alison Boon said...

What a magical transformation that was. It's so fairy like now. The colour is perfect.

cinnamongirl93 said...

It's stunning. What a transformation. I don't have enough words to express the beauty of the scarf. Well done!

Teyani said...

love the before and after shots.
lace is so magic - and this project turned out wonderfully.

Jennifer said...

Wow - what a difference blocking makes. The scarf is simply a work of art. It looks so light and airy that I'm tempted to believe you took the blue sky and spun it into yarn.

Tracy said...

What a sight...such huge differences from the "before" and then the "after"! This scarf is delicious...the pattern is so lovely, and that icy-blue shade of yarn is sublime...So elegant! Well done! :o) Happy weekend ((HUGS))

stitching under oaks said...

That is beautiful. The magic of blocked lace is truly amazing.

rohanknitter said...

It's so beautiful! Lace is magic!

HAINAngel2000 said...

beautiful!!!! All I can say is gorgeous.

Diane said...

I just love that scarf. The color and pattern are perfect together.

Marcia said...

That is a very nice scarf, good work! What is the difference between the 10 and 20 row repeats?

knitalittle said...

Beautiful. I love how blocking makes all the difference.

Kathy said...

So lovely. Now that I am finally learning to knit lace, IM going to have to learn to block!

Renna said...

The transformation after blocking is amazing. It's a beautiful scarf, and I love what you wrote about the 'before blocking', and 'after blocking'. So poetic!

Judy said...

Wow! Love this scarf and the color is beautiful. Merry Christmas!

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~Tracy