First off ...
Feather and Fan Shawl, by Eugen Beugler: A Gathering of Lacestart: 07.01.08
fin: 09.14.08
4.3 skeins of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud: Sunset colorway
Size 3 Skakel Addi lace
more on Ravelry
The pattern offers a variation of a cabled panel, every-third panel. I chose to do the cable panels, and I am really happy I did! The different panel stirred things up a bit, because the pattern routine became quite mind-numbing on the longer rows. I am also happy in the visual spice it added to what would have been a sea of Feather and Fan. I was going to try to "cheap it out" and force it all into my 32" needles ... as soon as I did that, I will be damned if I did not drop a bunch of stitches TWO ROWS AFTER I HAD PLACED A LIFE LINE! PHEW, thank goodness for that life line! I bought the 60 inch circulars, and had no more problems.
In my version of this f&f, I placed beads at the visually interesting parts of the pattern. I used approximately 30 grams (~5000) 11/0 Delica Japanese seed beads. I just wanted a shimmer effect of a design ... I did not want the beauty of the lace to be over shadowed by the beads ... I wanted the beads to enhance the lace patterning. In addition to the other beading, I also added a tiny seed bead in the center of each little cable.
(subtle beading is hard to see)
The final 20, or so, rows were taking SO LONG. I must admit, I started getting a little bored. The final rows were taking and Hour-and-a-half to get around! I actually left out a beaded row because I really did not feel like taking 3 hours on a row!
For the life of me, I do not know why I decided to do this on size 3 needles. The pattern called for size 5. The thing is, during blocking (took over 370 pins), this shawl reached 60 to 65 inches (152 - 165 cm) in diameter! So had I used the larger needles, it would have been HUMONGOUS!
As for the Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud. I love the color! The yarn was a little stiffer, or harder (?), than what I am used to (I usually use Zephyr silk/wool). Even after blocking, it still has a slightly stiff feel to it. I am not unhappy with the yarn, I just think that I am unfamiliar with it's feel. Side by side though, I prefer the fluffy feel, and sheen of the Zephyr.
Mystery Stole 4
Not a lot to say about it yet other than I am enjoying myself, and I just finished the first row of Clue #2. I really love the color and feel of the yarn, though it is splitty (looslely plied maybe?). I dunno the terminology. All I know is that I really have to watch because it is easy to knit one strand of the ply, rather than both strands.
A Wool Gathering!
My husband, sensing that I needed a little break, shooed me out of the house when he got home from work. I jumped in the car and headed to Dayton, where I got to spend the night by my self in a niiiiice fluffy hotel. Holy crap, I got to sleep in AND there was a hot breakfast waiting for me downstairs! I arrived at the Gathering, and immediately, the fiber fumes went to my head. I was instantly drunk. Seriously, my brain left me when I walked into the first tent. I walked around for at least an hour before I was able to clear my head enough to remember why I was there -- I was on a mission. I was there to try out wheels, and to buy copious amounts of fiber! Because of this, there are no pics from the Gathering -- sorry.
Odd to say, but it was not all that easy trying out the wheels. I know that not every wheel there was for public use (people had their own person wheels and were spinning on the sidelines), but when you are a vendor who can sell wheels, and you have them setting out with prices on them, then please have them set up for people to try out! A few vendors had wheels to sell, but no chair for a person to sit at ... or no "beginner fiber" for a person to spin on. Sorry to say, but I just passed them by. I did meet a LOT of niceladies though, who did allow me to sit and spin, and my, oh my, am I hooked now. I would spin on a wheel, go buy some fiber, go find a wheel , spin, go buy fiber. My bag got so full, I had to unload the goodies into my car twice!
two balls of fun wool.
I wish I could remember who I bouth this from!
The orangy ball is 3 oz of an angora wool mix.
The greenish one is 4 oz of plain wooly delight.
a BEAUTIFUL hand dyed from
Dianne, at Creatively Dyed Yarn
8oz of 70% wool, 30% Seacell
4 oz. of 100% Alpaca roving from
Tina at Winding Creek Alpacas and Llamas
I am seriously thinking of buying more of this colorway...
Two huge 8 oz. balls of Romney Roving from
Per Ardua Farm, Paris, Ohio.
I am thinking of spinning these together.
A lot of my family is in the YS area, so I went to my cousins and hung out on their front porch for a few hours before making the long drive back to Flatlandia. Full of chips, dip, and root beer, they loaded me into my car, which was reeking of yarn fumes. The wooly essence wafted around my car in the warm late summer breeze as I drove home into the setting sun; my head still swimming with color and fluff. I had beautiful dreams of spinning that night.
The next post will be of The Pending Purchase....
In my version of this f&f, I placed beads at the visually interesting parts of the pattern. I used approximately 30 grams (~5000) 11/0 Delica Japanese seed beads. I just wanted a shimmer effect of a design ... I did not want the beauty of the lace to be over shadowed by the beads ... I wanted the beads to enhance the lace patterning. In addition to the other beading, I also added a tiny seed bead in the center of each little cable.
(subtle beading is hard to see)The final 20, or so, rows were taking SO LONG. I must admit, I started getting a little bored. The final rows were taking and Hour-and-a-half to get around! I actually left out a beaded row because I really did not feel like taking 3 hours on a row!
For the life of me, I do not know why I decided to do this on size 3 needles. The pattern called for size 5. The thing is, during blocking (took over 370 pins), this shawl reached 60 to 65 inches (152 - 165 cm) in diameter! So had I used the larger needles, it would have been HUMONGOUS!
As for the Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud. I love the color! The yarn was a little stiffer, or harder (?), than what I am used to (I usually use Zephyr silk/wool). Even after blocking, it still has a slightly stiff feel to it. I am not unhappy with the yarn, I just think that I am unfamiliar with it's feel. Side by side though, I prefer the fluffy feel, and sheen of the Zephyr.
Mystery Stole 4
Not a lot to say about it yet other than I am enjoying myself, and I just finished the first row of Clue #2. I really love the color and feel of the yarn, though it is splitty (looslely plied maybe?). I dunno the terminology. All I know is that I really have to watch because it is easy to knit one strand of the ply, rather than both strands.
(pic to come)
Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk, from WEBS
eggplant colorway.
size 4 needles
eggplant colorway.
size 4 needles
A Wool Gathering!
My husband, sensing that I needed a little break, shooed me out of the house when he got home from work. I jumped in the car and headed to Dayton, where I got to spend the night by my self in a niiiiice fluffy hotel. Holy crap, I got to sleep in AND there was a hot breakfast waiting for me downstairs! I arrived at the Gathering, and immediately, the fiber fumes went to my head. I was instantly drunk. Seriously, my brain left me when I walked into the first tent. I walked around for at least an hour before I was able to clear my head enough to remember why I was there -- I was on a mission. I was there to try out wheels, and to buy copious amounts of fiber! Because of this, there are no pics from the Gathering -- sorry.
Odd to say, but it was not all that easy trying out the wheels. I know that not every wheel there was for public use (people had their own person wheels and were spinning on the sidelines), but when you are a vendor who can sell wheels, and you have them setting out with prices on them, then please have them set up for people to try out! A few vendors had wheels to sell, but no chair for a person to sit at ... or no "beginner fiber" for a person to spin on. Sorry to say, but I just passed them by. I did meet a LOT of niceladies though, who did allow me to sit and spin, and my, oh my, am I hooked now. I would spin on a wheel, go buy some fiber, go find a wheel , spin, go buy fiber. My bag got so full, I had to unload the goodies into my car twice!
two balls of fun wool.I wish I could remember who I bouth this from!
The orangy ball is 3 oz of an angora wool mix.
The greenish one is 4 oz of plain wooly delight.
a BEAUTIFUL hand dyed fromDianne, at Creatively Dyed Yarn
8oz of 70% wool, 30% Seacell
4 oz. of 100% Alpaca roving fromTina at Winding Creek Alpacas and Llamas
I am seriously thinking of buying more of this colorway...
Two huge 8 oz. balls of Romney Roving fromPer Ardua Farm, Paris, Ohio.
I am thinking of spinning these together.
A lot of my family is in the YS area, so I went to my cousins and hung out on their front porch for a few hours before making the long drive back to Flatlandia. Full of chips, dip, and root beer, they loaded me into my car, which was reeking of yarn fumes. The wooly essence wafted around my car in the warm late summer breeze as I drove home into the setting sun; my head still swimming with color and fluff. I had beautiful dreams of spinning that night.
The next post will be of The Pending Purchase....
