FO: Kimono Shawl

I finished knitting this shawl the end of January, but it took me a while to get the blocking wires, block it, and then even longer to take and post photos.



Pattern: Kimono Shawl by Cheryl Oberle
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss in Burgundy
Needles: Addi Lace Turbo in US size 5 / 3.75 mm
Dates: July 5, 2007 - January 26, 2008
On Ravelry

The only mod I made, other than yarn substitution, was to knit 16 rows of garter stitch at the top and bottom edges instead of the 20 the pattern calls for. That way the garter stitch border was even on all sides instead of being a bit thicker on the top and bottom.



I love this shawl! This was my first lace project, and I was just enchanted with it the whole way through. It is a long project - over 600 rows - but so worth it. It took me 7 months, but I wasn’t knitting exclusively. I learned so much about knitting lace from this project. I've since moved on to triangular shawls, which I think I'd recommend to a first-time lace knitter just because they go faster, but I certainly do prefer to wear the rectangular shape - it actually stays on your shoulders.

I love the yarn I picked. The Knit Picks Gloss is easy to work with and a great weight for the project. The burgundy colorway is gorgeous. It took just over 6 skeins of the yarn, but if I had frogged my swatch, 6 skeins may well have been enough. I went on to knit another shawl (the Tuscany) with the same yarn, and now that I'm knitting shawls with other yarns, I find I miss the Gloss.

Pre-blocked size was 17 x 72 inches. After blocking, it grew to 24 x 80 inches. This is a bit bigger than the pattern (22 x 72 inches), but since I used a wool/silk blend instead of 100% silk, I’m not that surprised. The final shawl is elegant and classy and lovely. It's my first lace shawl and suspect will long be my favorite.

73,944 Stitches

I knit the last stitch on Saturday afternoon. The Kimono Shawl is done.



Well, the knitting is, anyway. I haven't blocked it yet - I ordered blocking wires and they haven't arrived yet. Pre-blocking dimensions are 17 inches wide by 72 inches (6 feet, y'all) long.

I am so delighted with it that I've been wearing it almost everywhere. I can't wait to see it after blocking and will certainly post when I do.

Part of me was sad to finish because I enjoyed the knit so much. So I've already cast on another shawl (Ravelry link) and am swatching for yet another.

Getting So Close

I'm 95% done with the Kimono Shawl.



Every 6 rows is another percent done. Believe me, I've been counting. I'm still enjoying this knit, but it's taken a long time.



Here's hoping I'll have an FO to show off by next weekend!

WIP Updates

It's that time again. To tell you about my progress with two projects that just don't want to be finished. If I had had any clear idea that both would just keep going and going, I would have realized that casting them both on in the same week - the first week of July - was not a good plan. I snuck a little hat in last week just to be able to finish something.



Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock medium weight in Thistle and Nodding Violet
Needles: Knit Picks Options in US size 5

I'm 42 inches in. I have to confess that the thought of going on to 77, or even 66 inches, just makes me want to cry. Can't I be done already? Seriously, it's like a slap in the face that this is from a book called Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Yeah, she says it will take a while. And, yeah, I've put it aside for long stretches of time because I'm burned out on it. I can't believe that some of you have knit more than one! Of course, I did buy enough yarn to knit two in different colorways...



Speaking of yarn, I adore Socks That Rock but find that there is noticeable pooling, especially of the lime green, and I just don't like that. I've actually considered frogging but think I will more likely give it away. What's your opinion?



Pattern: Kimono Shawl by Cheryl Oberle
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss in Burgundy
Needles: Addi Lace Turbo in US size 5

I am exactly halfway through my Kimono Shawl. That's 33 inches of unblocked lace. I adore this pattern and I love the yarn and I continue to enjoy the knitting, but at this rate (one 24-row repeat per week), I'll be done in December. And I really want to be wearing it now!

I thought the Kimono Shawl would be a good first lace project since I wouldn't have to deal with shaping for a triangular shawl. But I think the triangular ones would go much faster. Also of note, I substituted fingering weight yarns (Gloss is 70% wool, 30% silk; the patterns calls for 100% silk). I ordered the same yardage of yarn as the pattern called but, at the rate I'm going, I'm only going to use about 60% of it. Amusingly enough, I'll have enough leftover to make a triangular shawl!

The Yarn Harlot Comes to Town

Yes, her visit was a week and a half ago. But my father was in town (and agreed to be dragged along - lucky for me, as he had his tourist camera on him, and I had forgotten mine at home) and so it's taken me a while to process my pictures and find the time to write even this short note.

I was afraid Third Place would run out of chairs, so we got there about half an hour early. (It didn't, but there were a few hundred people there to see her). It's a lovely venue which endeavors to be a community gathering spot - the bookstore is only part of it - so we had a bite to eat before the show started. My partner and father then wandered the bookstore while I sat down with my shawl and listened.

Man, the cameras went crazy when she did her standard shots of the crowd with the traveling sock. Of course, I was one of them:



Stephanie talked with us for a while, and was witty, funny, and enjoyable. She made me swell with knitterly pride. I'm not sure if it actually was a book reading - I've read the book and didn't recognize her piece as being from it - but her talk belongs in print, IMHO. Beyond the humor, one point that stayed with me, and impressed my father, was: 100 years ago, it was considered a waste of money to buy something that you could make. Now, it's considered a waste of time to make something you can buy. I'm quite pleased to be part of the movement that is taking back the value of making.

I tried to take some pictures while she was talking, but the lighting was poor. Here's the best I managed:


Pretty awful, huh?

With family in tow and a big crowd, I didn't stay for the book signing. But I did hover around the stacks to get a better picture of her in person:


I love that she's wearing Birkenstocks, because I was wearing my own pair that night.

Shawl update: I took Stephanie's message to represent for knitters to heart (although frankly would have done this whether or not I had made it to see her) and took my shawl to a two-day training I attended for work last week. I completed almost a full repeat and a half in two days and the training was much more enjoyable. And I've churned out another repeat since then! I've now finished 11 repeats, which is 45% done! With autumn upon us in earnest, I am eager to be able to wear the shawl soon.

Kimono Shawl

Lovely Kimono Shawl,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. You are my first lace project, and I'm learning so very much. Like the correct way to do SSKs. How yarnovers and decreases go together like peas in a pod. That purling Continental style is a breeze. Why it is important to pay attention on the purl-back rows. How to fix missed yarnovers, and how to fix mis-placed yarnovers four (count'em, four!) rows down. The value of lifelines, even though I haven't needed to use one yet.



2. You are being knitted in such a lovely yarn. (Knit Picks Gloss in the burgundy colorway). You have all the elasticity and warmth of your 70% merino side and the sheen and softness of your 30% silk side. Your color is a beautiful deep red that doesn't want to be photographed despite my many attempts. And you smell yummy too.



3. You are rectangular, so I don't have to worry about increasing to make a triangle or shaped for shoulders. (The next project or two, perhaps).



4. Your pattern looks like leaves and petals and feathers all at once. You are gorgeous.



5. I love you more with each repeat I knit. And I've finished seven now! (Of twenty-five.) I can't wait until you are done and I can wear you all the time!

WIP Updates

I've been on vacation this last week, at home, doing projects around the house - painting the home office (which left me without internet for almost a week) and making jam. Plus an emergency root canal, oh joy. And, of course, some time for knitting. So here's the update on my two main projects:



I'm 28 inches into the Chevron Scarf. Which means I still have 7-10 inches to go to be halfway through, depending on how long I end up making it. The lime is a little more lime - vibrant lime - than the picture shows, and it's pooling a little more than I'd like - despite the yarn changes, the pattern of the lime is very noticeable. But I can think of several people who would really love this scarf, and I expect to be making one of them happy come the holidays.

This is a great knitting project to take with me when I'm out and about, and I'm looking forward to trying it in some of the other yarns I have - which is partially why I'm leaning towards a 70, not 77, inch final scarf. I'm also happy to report that I'm doing a lot of Continental knitting on the scarf - pretty much everything except the k2tog and kfb rows. (I've found the knit front and back to be very hard to do left-handed.) This is making the tendinitis in my right arm happy.



Almost done with the third repeat of the Kimono Shawl. I put a lifeline in after the second repeat. Luckily, I haven't had to use it, but I have had another instance or two of tinking a few rows. When I do the purl rows back, I have a tendency to somehow drop the yarnovers. I have to be much more vigilant with lace than I'm used to. Despite that, I'm still passionately in love with this shawl.

Travel Knitting

I recently traveled for about a week and a half. I made progress on the Chevron Scarf:


13 inches in. That's somewhere between one-fifth and one-sixth done, depending on how long it ends up being.

After knitting and blocking the swatch while traveling, I finally cast on the Kimono Shawl:



I'm almost done with the first repeat. I was actually a few rows closer when I realized that I missed a yarn over - 4 rows back. Aarggh! I hadn't put a lifeline in, because I was planning to finish the first repeat first.

I attempted to fix it by dropping four stitches back the four rows, but that made it worse. I tabled it until the trip was over and brought it to my knitting mentor. His verdict was: tink the four rows. I did this last night, but after purling a row to get me all caught up and clean, I found - a missing yarn over! So, one more row of tinking to fix that, and then I'll be ready to move forward again.

Oh, well, it's my first lace project. I didn't expect to be an expert!

Knit Picks Score

More yarn arrived.


Gloss fingering weight yarn, 70% merino and 30% silk, in Burgundy


Alpaca Cloud lace weight yarn, 100% alpaca, in Iris Heather


Shadow lace weight 100% merino in Vineyard and Sunset Heathers

I balled up four skeins of the Burgandy. This may sound weird, but it smells good. I think it's the silk.



I love my ball winder.

I cast on and knit a swatch.


Kimono Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. If this looks familiar, that's because I tried it once already in a different yarn - only to realize I did not have near enough of the gray alpaca to make a shawl.

I knit the upper half in US size 6 needles, the lower half in US size 5 needles. I'm not sure I can see the difference, but I'd love opinions on which size needles to use.

Anticipation

It's possible that project-deprivation, that fear of having nothing on the needles, made me order too much yarn. I was also able to justify it because I am getting ready to do some travel knitting, and it's important not to run out while far from my familiar LYSes.

Anticipation part the first:


Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock destined to be two Chevron Scarves. (I'm going for more tone-on-tone than contrasty).

1. Nodding Violet 2. Thistle 3. Lagoon 4. Rolling Stone


Anticipation part the second:


1. STR Nodding Violet 2. STR Thistle 3. STR Lagoon 4. STR Rolling Stone 5. Berroco Ultra Alpaca (alpaca/wool) in Oceanic Mix 6. Swift and Ball Winder combo 7. KnitPicks Options Knitting Needle Set 8. Gloss (merino and silk) Fingering Weight in Burgundy 9. Alpaca Cloud Lace Weight in Iris Heather 10. Shadow Merino Lace Weight in Grapevine Heather 11. Shadow Merino Lace Weight in Sunset Heather 12. Elizabeth I Lace Scarves Pattern

1-4: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock destined to be two Chevron Scarves, as I mention above.
5: For a Clapotis. I'm listening to old episodes of Cast On, and her description of how much she loved her Clapotis (before it felted) convinced me that I needed to make one.
6-7: Simply because I need them.
8: Knitpick's wool/silk fingering blend in enough yardage to actually make the Kimono Shawl.
9-11: Three single skeins of Knitpicks' lace weight yarns to give them a try. I'm planning on knitting the lace scarves seen in #12.

All now winging their way to me in the mail! I don't think I'll be project-less for quite some time. Hoo-ray!

Swatching the Kimono Shawl

A few months back, my knitting mentor gave me a wonderful gift:


ten 20g balls of Schewe 100% Baby Alpaca yarn (which I understand has been long discontinued), about 650 yards

I've been dreaming of knitting a lace shawl. The yardage of this alpaca may only be enough for a stole, but is so soft that I'd love to have it in something I drape around me and my neck. After much looking around at various lace shawl patterns, I settled on the Kimono Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. (Which, incidently, is the first knitting book I bought, after my learn to knit book, because I'm ambitious like that.) I've knit a swatch:





The top half of the swatch was knit in US size 5 needles, the bottom half in size 6. I prefer the size 6 and am really liking the Addi Lace circular needles that I'm using. I'm really pleased with my swatch, because this is the first lace work I've done (although not the first openwork I've done.)

My gauge is pretty close to what is called for in the pattern, but I've only got 650 yards of yarn, not the 1000 called for in the pattern. My yarn is DK/sport weight, not lace weight. I'm trying to figure out how many stitches to cast on to make a final piece that is a good size to wear - not too short, not too narrow.