Shawl Woes

I was really excited when I joined a yahoo group to knit a gorgeous shawl based on the American Beauty rose but have met up with a pretty massive roadblock. I did the swatch beautifully, but what's killing me is the set up at the beginning of the shawl with 3 needles. My hands won't let me perform the acrobatics with such thin yarn and small needles so I'll have to rethink how I'm going to knit the shawl. What should have looked absolutely lovely came out looking like this.

I also won't be knitting the shawl mentioned in this post for my girlfriend since for some reason I can't figure out the setup at the beginning of that pattern. I'm going to take it as a sign that it's not that shawl for her. I've already got some ideas rolling around in my head that would use slightly larger needles and slightly thicker yarn as well, involving angel wings. But I'm going to leave it at that for now, or at least until I've figured out this wisp of an idea nagging at me.

With my hands having issues holding smaller knitting needles this weekend was spent knitting nothing more interesting than washcloths. I'm on the 3rd one now, very simple knit, nothing to really think about but it keeps my fingers busy while my brain stews over ideas for a shawl for my girlfriend.

My sister sent me a lovely Valentine's card along with a picture of my niece in it. The last time I saw my niece she was 4, she's now 14. You do the math. It's been a long time since I've been able to visit my family. Lack of funds and a vehicle have been the 2 major stumbling blocks keeping me away from a visit.

Good news & Updates

Good news: My friend finally received her wristwarmers that I had mailed a couple of weeks ago! and she loves them! :) I'm so happy that they made it. I was getting worried that Canada Post had lost them on the way.

I'm swatching for the summer shawlette I spoke of in this post. I'm not sure what to think of the swatch at this point. I will have to wash it, block it and see how the fabric holds up under use. I'm a little unsure of the fuzziness of the yarn. It's a 2-ply and I'm holding it double to give the fabric some consistency as well as drape and lightness since it is supposed to be a summer shawl. I may have to use a different yarn if the one I'm experimenting with doesn't perform as expected.

I've got one mitt completed for the test knit I'm doing on a pattern for a fellow raveler. I'm not entirely happy with the yarn I chose to use and will likely reknit with a different yarn this weekend to see if it will look better to me.

I have discovered the joys of our local library. They have an online catalogue and it feels like I'm Christmas shopping every time I use it to find knitting books and place them on my order list for pickup. I love this system. It's so much easier than trying to find a specific book amongst 1000's shelved row upon row. It's a huge library (4 floors) so there are tons of books. What's fun with the online catalogue is that it expands the selection by including all the area libraries and not just the one nearest me. What a joy to just sit at my computer, search for specific titles, put them on order and a few days later pick them up. No fuss, no muss.

I picked up Minnowknits Too from the library last week. What a wonderful little book of children's knits. I especially love the skating cardi and plan on knitting it for my nieces. I've also been looking at other books from the library,">Lace style : traditional to innovative, 21 inspired designs to knit which has a lovely feather & fan cardigan in it that I like.

A hug for a friend

I have a friend who has been there for me through thick and thin. She would say the same for me, so I guess that's what is known as true friendship. We have never met face to face but feel as if we've known each other for years. We've both been through some pretty tough life changing events in our lives and we've always supported each other through it all. One day I hope to meet this sister, this friend, because I would wrap my arms around her and give her the biggest hug she's ever received.

Since I can't do that, I'm going to send her a hug. I have found the perfect knitting pattern for a shawlette I know she will love and wear. It's called the Summer Lace Shawlette developed by Sandi Wiseheart of Interweave Knits. The pattern can be found on Knitting Daily in the free patterns section. I always loved the look of this short shawl and can just imagine my dear friend wearing it like I was giving her a big hug.


The pictures are just a teaser. The one shows the back which is nice and airy and the other shows some swatches of the back and front. I still have to determine what color I will make it in, but I have a feeling it will be in something vibrant since she is a lady filled with energy, love, compassion and caring with a heart as big as Chicago. I will post more as I progress.