the Akamai Knitter

My mother had the day off today, so we ran a few errands together and among those necessary chores was a trip to my LYS, Isle Knits. This was the first time I had been there with Mom in tow for awhile and I was surprised at how receptive she was to all the beautiful yarns.

She was so receptive to all the lovely wares, she actually bought some! Of course I’ll be the one who gets to knit it up for her. :-)

What she picked is some lovely Skacel Merino Lace in Color No. 1785 that is incredibly soft to the touch. She still has to pick out a pattern, but I have a feeling the Icarus is now in my future.

Now the main purpose for the excursion wasn’t for the delightful lace yarn. You see, I finally bowed down under unrelenting peer pressure and decided to knit my very own Clapotis. I blame Kim, Barb, Blogfree Michelle, Blogfree Chris, and KnitNana for this horrible lapse in practical project management.

I originally thought to use Noro Silk Garden, but the price of such luxury left my budget squeaking a bit too loudly in protest. Instead I chose a similar yarn in texture to Noro Kureryon, but with a more pleasing price, Plymouth Boku in Color 3.

I actually could have gotten the Noro Kureyon for just a little bit more, but then I wouldn’t have been able to raid Sue’s shelves of every last drop of yarn in that particularly colorway and yell triumphantly “I got it all!” Besides, there aren’t too many opportunities for me to support my LYS. This was definitely an added bonus.

Seeing as how I just can’t walk out of a yarn shop without the sock yarn catching my eye, this wasn’t the end of the yarn buying bonanza. You think that sock yarn actually decides to reflect more light once you’re ready to pack it all up? Ooh. Shiny.

Either way I could not resist more Artyarns UltraMerino 4, Color No. 144. What happened was that the two skeins just hopped into my bag on the way out. Honestly. Impulse control wasn’t an issue here. It just didn’t even enter the conversation.

At that point I was so high on yarn fumes I was levitating. So that’s when Sue sprung this on me.

Isn’t it gorgeous? But that design intimidates the bejeezus outta me! Sue has promised to hold my hand through it and I bought the magazine. But I think I’ll wait awhile before I commit to buying the actual yarn for it. Garment shaping! So scary!

After we left the yarn store, I had one errand that came about in such a way that I felt I had to share it with you all. Earlier this week, I was about to pick Quincy up in my arms. Apparently he had no idea I was in his immediate vicinity even though I was talking to him, because the silly fraidy cat jumped about a foot in the air.

In the process he took my glasses with him. My glasses got jammed into my face and I got a small cut under my eye and a tiny bruise, plus the frame got all out of whack.

So off I went to get my glasses adjusted today. It was just such a freak accident that I had to share. The poor boy was so sorry. I didn’t blame him in the least. How could I with a face like this?

P.S. Was that enough eye candy?

After finishing Swan Lake last week Monday I couldn’t resist casting on for a new lace project. Many of you already guessed what it is and I would have to say that you’re all correct. (As if the button in the sidebar wasn’t a clue.) It is indeed the Bee Fields Shawl from Anne Hanson!

I’m using the laceweight yarn in Olive from handpaintedyarn.com which is the same yarn as Malabrigo according to an article from Knitter’s Review. It’s a gorgeous semi-solid single that’s soft and easy to handle. For some reason the pictures are showing the yarn to be more of a forest green then the true olive green it is.

It’s taken me awhile to get used to using size 5US/3.75mm needles. For some reason they felt huge in my hands and I have no idea why. I mean I was using size 4US/3.5mm needles for Swan Lake (MS3) which really isn’t a huge jump. My hands just got incredibly odd on me. That’s all I can come up with.

As for the pattern, the charts are easy to follow and the edging is fun. I decided to ditch the original backwards loop cast on called for to make the picots and use the lace cast on recommended by Alice, who, by the way, has already finished her shawl. It’s absolutely gorgeous and she’s inspired me to keep going even if it means neglecting the poor abandoned Forest Path Stole.

Note to self: No blame must be attached to the indubitable Alice, no matter how urgently a scapegoat is needed.

I digress.

So yes, I am enjoying this pattern immensely. And even though I go through periods of doubt where I worry that my stitches are too loose, I am on the whole very happy with the way it’s coming out. Truly, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have periods of doubt and misgivings on whether or not I’m producing something that will be a major disaster or something beautiful.

So yes, for the most part I like the way the bee hives seem to float in the air as if they were dangling from trees. More then that, I’m having a ball with the knitting. Never mind how it looks, it’s the knitting that matters. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself since all the feedback I’ve gotten on how it looks has been positive.

Do you ever feel like this about your knitting?

This past Saturday, my friend Veronica came by for a lesson on how to spin with a spinning wheel. This lesson was all a nefarious and not so subtle plot to woo her into buying my Schacht.

Ever since I bought my dream wheel, the Majacraft Suzie Pro, the Schacht has seen absolutely zero action. So it made a lot of sense to pass her into the hands of someone who could make use of her and love her like she’s meant to be loved.

Since I had already taught Veronica how to use a drop spindle, the only thing she needed to learn was how to handle the wheel itself. I showed her how to tweak all the tension points, treadle while drafting, and before you know it she was in business.

I haven’t had a chance to spin with anyone since my friend Carole left the islands and boy have I missed it. Veronica and I had a blast spinning together. I’m hoping we can set up more spin dates together, especially since I was able to get so much done.

The proof is in the pudding! Here we have the first bobbin of the Spinderella Thrums Hearts On Fire done.

Once Veronica departed with her new spinning wheel in tow, I didn’t stop with the spinning. Thanks to the contagious enthusiasm of a new spinner I kept going.

Since then I was almost able to fill half of a second bobbin. It doesn’t seem like much now that I see the pictures, but if you look at how thin the singles are, you might get a better idea of how loaded each bobbin is.

Still, it’s not as thin as I would normally prefer it. Rather then get all anal retentive and try to manipulate the fiber into something more frustrating to achieve, I’m trying to relax and listen to how the fiber wants to be spun. This seems to be working and I’m eager to see how it will look plied.

I hardly got any knitting done this weekend, but I’m not complaining. It was a treat to teach a friend the secrets of the spinning wheel, though I would hardly call it teaching since she picked it up so quickly. There’s just something special about passing on something you love to someone you know will love it too.

I finished the knitting on the Mystery Stole 3 and after seeing this post I was eager to block it as well. (Thanks to Annmarie for the link!) It took me about 45 minutes to get it all pinned out, but I think it was worth it.

The theme is Swan Lake and I’m really happy that I went with the black on this occasion. Although I’m not sure if I identify with Odile or even want to. Being the deceptive other woman is just not something I want in my repertoire. ;-)

The only modification I made with this pattern was that I added more beads to the wing then called for. I think that Melanie staggered the bead placement. I opted for putting a bead at more regular intervals within the stitch pattern. I didn’t change the row that the beads were on, I just added it to every repeat.

I really enjoyed knitting this stole and I’m glad I got to be part of such a large group effort. It was a lot easier to finish this project since the knitting came in increments and I feel more then a little sad that Fridays will hold no knitting surprise for me.

So sad, that I’m trying to divide my current project into installments in a sad imitation of mystery clues. I do think that this will make large lace projects less overwhelming and in the end, get them accomplished one way or another. *cough*ForestPathStole*cough*

All in all, I consider this project a huge success!

I finally blocked the Luna Moth and I’m so relieved that it’s done. Please excuse the rather crappy pictures, it was a dark and cloudy day.

Pattern: Luna Moth

Needles: Size 5US/3.75mm Addi Lace Needles

Yarn: Super Kydd from Elann (approximately 2.5 balls)

Started: April 30, 2007

Finished: July 26, 2007

I didn’t make any modifications other then adding more repeats to make the shawl a little bigger. I didn’t keep track of how many repeats I did. Nor did I measure the shawl. I’m just a lazy bum. :-)

I can’t say this was one of my favorite knits. I battled the mohair too many times for that. And although the pattern is simple, I never could quite get the rhythm of it down. Usually I find some sort of harmony in the stitch pattern and it just didn’t happen for me this time around.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Musical knitting? I know some of you are shaking your heads at me, but I swear that there are times when I’m knitting lace when everything just clicks and there’s a certain beat to my needles as they click to the pattern stitches. Surely I’m not the only one who’s experienced this.

Either way, I’m glad to put this shawl behind me and move on. What’s in my future do you ask? Why another insect of course!