Debut

Optic Waves Shawl was finished before our trip and made its debut in the mountains.

Cool Breeze
Moraine Park

Blocking really opened up the stitch pattern. Remember what it looked like before? Now you can actually see the "waves."

Blocked Waves

I wanted a shorter shawl, so I stopped at 23 pattern repeats instead of the recommended 27. The blocked size of my shawl is approximately 22"x64". According to the pattern, the width should have blocked out to 29". I guess my gauge was off, though I thought it was on. No matter, though. It turned out to be a nice size for me.

Optic Waves
Lake Estes

Pattern: Optic Waves Shawl by Shelia January
Source: The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
Needles: US 8 (5mm)
Yarn: Brooks Farm Yarn Primero, 100% Kid Mohair
Color: Blue (MW K5)

This shawl was specifically designed to take advantage of the characteristics of Brooks Farm Yarn Primero and the pattern is easy enough for a beginning lace knitter.

One last look at the shawl and the mountains.

Enjoying the View

Moraine Park

It's too hot in June to wear a shawl in Texas, but it sure did come in handy in the Colorado high country.

Snippets

Optic Waves Shawl is progressing nicely. I've added seven pattern repeats. No new picture to show though, because it looks the same as this, only longer.

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I was the lucky winner of the random prize drawing for the Fashionably Late in '08 Clapotis KAL. I chose this gorgeous skein of Hand Maiden Sea Silk (70% Silk, 30% Seacell) in a color called Rose Garden.

The next project for Fashionably Late is Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark. This yarn would be perfect for it, so I may have to knit along. Care to join us?

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I'm still working on striped preemie hats.


I've been donating my hats to Hannah's Knitsters. It's a group at John's office that gets together at lunch to knit for charity. I was able to meet with them last month. I knew a few of the ladies already, but many I met for the first time. Here are some of the early comers posing in front of an impressive display of finished blanket squares, chemo caps and preemie hats.


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Knitting for charity is very rewarding. If you've been thinking of doing some knitting for others, now is a good time to get started.

Michelle is running a contest for the next ten weeks. For every preemie hat, bunting or blanket you knit and donate, your name will be added to a drawing. Details here.

Looking for a place to donate these baby items? Emmazing Grace Foundation is in the midst of their third annual donation drive.

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This week I'm traveling with John to Salt Lake City on a business trip, but first we're stopping in Estes Park, Colorado for a mini vacation that will include hiking and fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park...


...and shopping at the Estes Park Wool Market!

An Old Friend

I aired out Optic Waves Shawl at the beach this weekend.

It hasn't been out of the knitting bag since early May, but I intend to reacquaint myself with this project starting today. I suspect it will be like getting together with an old friend after being apart for a long time--a few awkward pauses in the beginning, but then quickly back to comfortable conversation.

I'm halfway through the recommended 27 repeats, though I may stop before that. Knit to size, this shawl will be 80" in length, which is probably too long for my 5' 4" height.

Time to go break the ice with my old friend, picking up the conversation right where we left off: repeat 14, row 1 of 12.

Before I leave though, a few pictures from the weekend.

West Jetty

Pool at Low Tide
or
Very Large Shoe Print

Setting Sun

Successful Fisherman in Silhouette

Optic Waves

My knitting is still focused on the Optic Waves Shawl. It has grown one or two pattern repeats each day, though that might not happen this week since our son, Matt, and his girlfriend, Carly, are here for a visit.

The shawl is seven repeats along in this photo taken on Friday at the beach.

Each pattern repeat consists of twelve rows worked over 101 stitches. Only four of these rows include increases and decreases. And to make it even easier, those four rows are exactly the same each time. The other eight rows are either knit or purl (with a few knit stitches on the edge), making this shawl a good project for someone knitting lace for the first time.

It's been a couple of weeks since our last trip to beach. The sky was overcast and rain was threatening, but I didn't mind. We've been visiting Matagorda Beach for about a year now and have come to love this stretch of surf and sand, no matter the weather.

This time of year there is a lot seaweed that gets wash onshore. I believe it is called Sargassum weed. Here someone used it to help hold together what I think is a support for a makeshift tent.


Along with the seaweed, the tide had also washed up a large number of Portuguese Man-of-War. I was concerned that John might get stung as he was wade fishing, but he never saw any in the water.


As I continued beach combing, I came across a plastic leg from a Barbie-type doll. I don't know why, but I took a picture of it. And since I did, I'll show it to you.


You never know what you'll find at the beach. That's part of the fun.

It's a Winner

As it turns out, abandoning the second sock did not jinx my baseball team's winning streak. They won soundly on Monday night as I cast on and began knitting my next project. However, last night the team lost, but it was their own fault--this project is a winner.

Baseball Knitting

Optic Waves Shawl from The Knitter's Book of Yarn is a rectangular lace stole with a simple stitch pattern: easy to memorize and easy to execute. Exactly the criteria necessary to qualify as good baseball knitting.

Jumbled Stitches

According to the pattern notes, it is designed specifically to take advantage of the unique characteristics of Brooks Farm Yarn Primero such as inelasticity, drape and weight. So even though the stitches look like a jumbled mess right now, I'm confident they will straighten out with blocking.

Brooks Farm Yarn Primero

Primero is 100% kid mohair with a smooth finish and a nice sheen. I do not know the color name of my particular yarn. It is only labeled MW R5. The overall color is blue, but look close and you will also see waves of purple and green.

At game time you'll find me cheering on my team with one eye on the ballgame and one eye on my knitting. It's a winning combination.

Applause for Clapotis

Worn as a scarf, Clapotis is thick and warm.



Worn as a wrap, Clapotis is light and airy.



Love the yarn and the drop stitches.



Dresses up a t-shirt, fishing pants and purple Crocs nicely, don't you think?



Protected me from the mosquitoes when the sun went down.



From start to finish, Clapotis is a good knit. I give it a standing ovation!

Clapotis
Yarn: Brooks Farm Yarn Duet (1+ skeins)
Fiber Content: 55% Kid Mohair, 45% Fine Wool
Color: Cinnamon Spice
Needles: US 8 (5 mm)
Notes: I purled the drop stitch instead of using stitch markers, but otherwise, followed the pattern as written.

Nearing the Finish

I'm making good progress on Clapotis this week.


Brooks Farm Yarn Duet
55% Kid Mohair, 45% Fine Wool
Cinnamon Spice

I just completed the straight section, which consists of thirteen repeats of twelve rows, 107 stitches per row. Each repeat took me about an hour to knit, plus another ten minutes to completely unravel the dropped stitch ladder.

I thought the dropped stitches would unzip easily, but that's not the case with the yarn I'm using. It is necessary to pick the stitches apart one at a time, due to the fuzzy nature of mohair. I'm glad I decided to unravel as I go. It's a built in break between repeats, which gives my hands a rest. And, I don't have hours of unraveling hanging over my head at the end.

Now that I'm moving on the the decrease section, things should speed up a bit. Shorter rows and shorter ladders means I might even be finished by the end of the week!

Weekend in Oklahoma

We left early Friday morning for Oklahoma Christian University to visit our son and attend Spring Sing. I brought along some knitting for the road.


Between Houston and Dallas

This is my first time to knit Clapotis. I'm using Brooks Farm Yarn Duet in Cinnamon Spice. Anyone thinking of knitting one of these might want to join us in the Fashionably Late in '08 Knit Along.

Several hours of knitting in the car yielded three repeats to the straight row section. This scarf/shawl is easy to knit, but I'm not breaking any speed records with it.

It's been a good visit with Matt and his girlfriend, Carly, though our time together has been brief and squeezed in between Spring Sing shows and clean-up. Matt was the stage manager this year and Carly was performing with her club. Carly's club theme was Shrek and Donkey, hence the green face makeup.


Shrek and Tech

For the uninitiated, Spring Sing is an entertainment event and competition between campus clubs. Each club chooses a theme and performs parodies of popular songs, accompanied by choreography and costumes. Student hosts also entertain the crowd with musical performances.

All too soon it is time to go home. The upside is I'll get a few more rows of Clapotis finished on the nine hour drive back. Though if I had a choice, I'd trade knitting those rows for staying a little longer.


Dropped Stitches

Discovery Cruise

On Saturday we took the Discovery Cruise on the R.V. Karma, a 57-foot teaching and research vessel that is a part of Texas A&M's Floating Classroom Program. It's home port is Matagorda Harbor in Matagorda, Texas. Captain Tom Klaiber guided us down the Intracoastal Canal while Coastal Naturalist Doyle Schaer educated us on marine life. This program was geared to the children, but fun for everyone.



A plankton net was dragged behind the boat and we got to see what we collected under a video-enhanced microscope.





Mud samples were taken and sifted through and also viewed under the microscope.



We learned how a shrimp net works and did a little trawling of our own. Our net came up with shrimp, a variety of fish and some squid. These were put in tanks where everyone could pick them up or touch them if they wanted.





Public cruises like the one we took are offered on the first Saturday of each month. It was really a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.



I liked their slogan: Where the Sea of Discovery Meets the Shore of Understanding

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Knitting can be a discovery cruise too. There is always something to learn whether you are a novice or expert. That's what keeps it interesting. I wonder what I will discover with this new project?


Flower Basket Shawl

Simple Shaw Finished

Everything about this shawl is simple. A good choice for a beginner or for anyone who just wants to knit without thinking too much about it. It's quick too as long as you don't let other projects take up your knitting time like I did.

To make one, find a yarn you really like.

I bought this in Kansas on our summer vacation. I found it at one of the best yarn shops I've ever been too. Next, pick a big size needle to give you a very loose gauge. I used size US 13. Cast on three stitches and knit being sure to increase every other row by making a yarn over after the first knit stitch and before the last knit stitch. This creates an eyelet edge. Continue in this way until the shawl is as big as you want. I went until I had 150 stitches on the needle. On the last row, K1, *yo, k2tog; rep until last stitch, K1. Bind off loosely. Block lightly making sure to open up the eyelet holes along the edges.

Nothing fancy. Just a very soft, light weight and surprisingly warm shawl. I think I'll be using this one a lot to keep warm while I'm at the computer checking out all the latest in blogland.

Not Forgotten

I was able to spend a couple of hours knitting on the shawl yesterday. It now measures about 22" in length, the width is anybody's guess. I still have a little yarn left in the first ball, but I'll be pulling out the swift and the wool winder for the second hank soon.

Simple Shawl

Yes, I decided the Llama yarn would indeed become a simple garter stitch shawl with eyelet edges. There's not enough yardage for a real lace shawl and I didn't want a scarf or hat or mittens. I think this will work out nicely though. I have two skeins, about 500 yards. This should be enough for a decent sized shawl. I will just knit until it is big enough or until I run out. The shop where I bought this yarn had a sample made from one skein, too small for my taste, so I bought extra. I can't remember if they said theirs was knit on size 13 or size 15 needles. I'm using size 13. These fat needles feel strange in my hands after months of knitting preemie clothes on small needles, but I'm getting used to it.

It's Finished!

Here it is. The Meadow Flowers Shawl from Knitter's Stash. The whole time I was knitting it, I doubted that the lace pattern would show up like I wanted. When I bought the yarn, I didn't pay close attention and ended up with a heavier mohair than I thought I was getting. However, blocking really works wonders. And, I am happy with the result. Using size 9 needles instead of the size 8 the pattern called for also turned out to be a good idea. My shawl is only slightly larger than the pattern's finished measurements. Not too big at all. Don't you just love it when things turn out better than you expected? This shawl will get some use on our trip to Colorado, where right now low temperatures are in the mid 50's. That's winter weather in our part of the country! Can't wait.

Knitting On The Border

It is really hot here in Texas. The other day it was close to 100 degrees. So, my husband was surprised to find me knitting on the Flower Meadows Shawl. "Why are you working on the shawl on the hottest day of the year?" The answer is simple, "Because I want to finish it." After two days of marathon knitting I've completed the border on two edges and with a little luck I'll get the other side finished today. It's surprising how long it takes to get around the sides. I had heard this from others, but I wasn't convinced until I experienced it myself. Today is laundry day, so between loads I'll be knitting on the border.

Progress

Believe it or not I actually worked on the Flower Meadows Shawl yesterday. Only two more pattern repeats to go and then the border. One day it will be finished, but not today. Today I'll be doing this...

...only this time it will be bread and butter pickles.

Slowly But Surely

The Meadow Flowers Shawl is growing, be it ever so slowly. Right now it measures 10 inches from the point to the edge. A more deligent knitter would be almost finished by now. However, I've decided not knit on it unless I know I have a good chunk of time to knit uninterrupted and I'm not too tired to concentrate. Lately, that means I haven't been working on it much. What I'm trying to do is avoid careless mistakes, because I've found that this yarn is really hard to "unknit". The long hairs tend to get knotted and it can become very frustrating to rip out. My plan--MAKE NO MISTAKES. Yeah, I know that's not going to happen, but maybe if I'm really paying attention I can catch a wrong stitch before I start a new row. So, this project may take some time to complete.

I've been trying out some new preemie hat patterns. I'm not really sold on either of these. Although, I think they look better in the picture than in person. Maybe I should donate them afterall. If not, they will make cute hats for some little girl's baby doll.