FO: Flower Basket Shawl

Finished!

Blocking.

Do you see the flower basket?

Girls modeling their shawls.

Remember when I started this one? Well, I finished it up last week and still have about half a skein of yarn. It was a nice knit. I had some problems with the repeats, though that was my problem not the pattern's. And it was pretty easy to find mistakes (usually I forgot to PSSO), and I couldn't go further if I'd made a mistake, so I never had to tink back more than two rows (it's a stockinette pattern, so every other row is purl). The BMFA Seduction yarn is very nice, though I can't imagine making socks with it! I'm sure they would be lovely, though.

I'm working on a top-down raglan sweater now with some 100purewool merino in Sky Blue (or something - it looks like they've gone to a number-based name system). I've just finished the body (I think - not completely sure it's long enough). Now it's sleeve city, sister. The yarn is so soft. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow, perhaps while it's still in the sleeveless tunic stage for fun.

Isobel and I are doing well, though it's not easy.

Seduction Shawl

Here is the beginning of my Flower Basket Shawl. I think this was after only one repeat of the flower baskets, and I'm now on the fourth (of ten). This is another Evelyn A. Clark pattern, which appeared in Interweave Knits. I didn't do the crochet cast-on for two stitches but did a backwards loop cast-on as she recommended in the Old Shale Shawl, which I find a bit less fiddly. Away from my full stash I don't have any smooth, waste cotton handy for the provisional version.

BMFA's Seduction yarn is very slinky and lovely. Perhaps slinky isn't the mot juste, since it doesn't slide right off the needles or anything. It's very nice, but I'm glad I'm using a Bryspun needle as I've caught one or two of the three plies (plys?) a few times and think it would be worse with other needles.

You can't find the pattern on IK's website anymore, but if you Google it, you just might find the PDF... Desperate times call for desperate measures, and my new library (Wilmette Public Library - "we have so much money, we have to renovate or add on every two years!") seems to have only subscribe to IK last year. I'm sure another local library has back issues, or I could buy my own, but I only had a minute the other day to explore my WPL options before Isobel ran wild through the stacks. She has no patience for Mommy's library time. Thank goodness she's almost old enough for the Storytime that allows you to drop off and pick up your child. An entire half hour in the library on my own!

Lace

Just found a great lace blocking tutorial of Stephanie's via an old post of Eunny's. So clever to use some thread. Why didn't I think of that?

I've started a Flower Basket Shawl from an old issue of IK with the BMFA Seduction yarn. Just started the Lower Flower Basket chart, and it's going well so far. Only one tinking episode, which I attribute to my parents' watching of CSI: NY. I am not an hour-long drama girl as a general rule, but when in Rome (and without my Tivo)...

Anyway, I'll try to snap some pics tomorrow, though we all know lace looks like a lump until it's blocked. And now I have some additional ideas about blocking. Yay!