Category Archives: shawls

FO – Cold Mountain

Posted on 08/18/2010 by hjnknits| 8 Comments

Pattern: Cold Mountain from Knitty Summer 2009

Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Purple Mysteria (1.75 skeins)

Needles: US4

Oh, how I love this knit.  The actual knitting was not difficult but still interesting.  I was chained to the chart, but a more confident knitter could probably go without it after doing a repeat, especially the ends.  I have difficulties letting go of the security blanket that is the chart.

The yarn is gorgeous.  Unbelievably soft (what else do you expect from Malabrigo?) and the color is divine.  No bleeding when I soaked it despite being a very deep color.  However, I don’t think this is going to be a hard wearing shawl.  Single ply, 100% merino…it will wear quickly.  That said, it is not like it is a pair of socks or anything.

My only complaint about the whole project is the final size of the piece.  The blocked dimensions for this shawl are 26″x 72″.  I *so* did not get that.  In fact, mine is 17″X72″.  When I first pinned it out, I tried to get 26″ wide.  It was scary.  The yarn actually groaned I think at about 20″.  I mean my gauge could be off but 9″ off?  Anyway, this is a little disappointing because the lovely woman I am sending this to is not petite, and I feel like she won’t be able to wear it the way I hoped she could.  Which gets me thinking….should I keep it?  *sigh*  It is so lovely.  Yet this is how I would wear it….

Not very nice for the knitwear to just be bunched around my neck, but it is oh-so-soft and warm.  Must.be.good.grand.niece.  :)

Guess who started school again today?  Bubba.  He is not thrilled to be back.  I think his words when I picked him up from school today were, “I am not going back tomorrow.  It is not an option.”  *sigh*  Oh that child of mine.  How can he not like school?  Did I not raise him to have an inquiring mind?  Cripes, he asks enough damn questions you think he would go to school and be the sponge that he is at home.  Terry tells me though that it is possible to hate school and still like to learn.  That is just crazy talk, I tell you.  Anywhoo, I know on Facebook I whined about how much I couldn’t wait for him to go back, but I do miss him when he is gone.  He’s my quirky guy, and I adore him.

The other thing in the back of my mind on this first day of school is that this time next year I could be teaching again.  That about made me throw up.  I have been out of the classroom for 8 years now.  That’s like a lifetime in kid years.  It almost feels like I am completely starting over, and while I can’t imagine doing anything other than teaching, I often think I should take the opportunity to start afresh in another field.  That would mean more school.  That would mean money.  However, I like teaching.  I still dream about it and come up with lesson plans in my dreams (just so you don’t think I am crazy…I taught kindergarten…it helps to have kids around you all the time that age).  Could be big changes next August…for Muskrat and me.  :)

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Posted in Da boys, Yarn, finished object, shawls

Russian Blocking?

Posted on 08/14/2010 by hjnknits| 2 Comments

I have completed Cold Mountain.  Phew.  It was such a sense of accomplishment, but then I had a realization.  I have to block this SOB.  I have never blocked anything this large, but figured how hard could it be?  It will just take longer, right?

So I soaked the shawl in a lukewarm bath for about 20 minutes (not nearly  long enough) then took it downstairs to the workout/hobby/closet room to block it.  I use those kiddie playmats for blocking – you know the colorful ones that are squishy.  It works well and is way cheaper than a blocking board.  So there I am leaning over a soggy Cold Mountain shawl attempting to pin it out.  There are not enough pins in the world that would allow me to pin this humdinger out with straight edges.  Hmmm.  Blocking wires may be in order.  Call LYS – speak with nice woman on phone who says, “No, we don’t have any.  They are on order.”  Then she gets this hushed tone and she whispers into the phone, “There are other ways to get straight edges on your lace without using blocking wires, but you didn’t hear that from me.”  Then she hangs up.  Hmmm.  That was peculiar.  So, I google it.  This post comes up from way back in 2005.   Wow.  I can spend upwards of $75 on a set of blocking wires ORRRRRR I can spend about $2.50 on crochet thread and give Yarn Harlot’s suggestion a try.  Let.me.think.  As an aside, there were other blog posts using this method for blocking.  I just found hers the most entertaining….it was also sometimes referenced as Russian blocking but not everyone called it that.  Be sure to add “knitting” to your key terms when searching – “russian blocking” comes up with some interesting hits.

After I bought some crochet thread,  I began weaving in the thread along the edge of the shawl.  Now I am not going to lie to you.  This took a damn long time.  I mumbled to myself about the importance of finishing work while I was doing it.  Then I soaked it in a bath for a long time, like 45 minutes.

Back downstairs to the playmat blocks to attempt another pinning out.

See how much better it worked out?  Nice straight edges.  It still took a long time to pin it out – like 90 minutes.  Even with all that time I didn’t feel as those the edges were perfect, but I was getting nervous about tugging on the thread to make it all straight.  I read stories of blocking lace so aggressively that the stitches break.  Oh the horror!  Anyway, this method of blocking is certainly a work in process for me, but it is much cheaper for this knitter who knits maybe two lace things a year.  Now to the lady who risked it all telling me that there are other ways to block lace, my pocket book thanks you. Don’t worry…I will still manage to spend plenty of money at your place of employment.  :)

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Posted in shawls, technique

WIPing Cold Mountain

Posted on 05/13/2010 by hjnknits| 2 Comments

What?  Knitting?  Yes, knitting.  Here is progress picture of Cold Mountain.  The bee (I have a ton of those cutesy Lantern Moon tape measures…my husband loves to buy them for me) marks the last time you saw it.  Spreading my time between reading, gardening, and knitting has made for some slow, slow progress.  It is actually very easy knit so far and goes quite quick when I sit down to work on it.  Of course, I am sure that will all change when I switch to a different chart.  :)

Thanks for all your nice comments on my last post.  It was something weighing on my mind, and it was good to get it out there.  :)

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Posted in shawls

Twitchiness

Posted on 04/13/2010 by hjnknits| 7 Comments

I don’t know what it is like other places, but in Alaska April is somewhat cruel.  Warm enough that we can get out and about, but windy enough and muddy enough to force us back indoors after a short period of time.  The sun is up, and EVERYONE is thinking about summer.  We all get a little twitchy.  It is this time of year that Terry usually ships me off to a hotel room for 24 hours, so I can relax and the boys of the family can let loose.  This past weekend was that weekend.

My plans were to knit like a fiend on Cold Mountain.  Here is a close-up of the yarn I am using, Malabrigo lace.  All wound up in a cake it is very pretty.  The dominant color is a deep purple but as you can see the variations go all the way to a lavender.  It is a super, super soft yarn as you would expect from Malabrigo.

A number of hours of knitting later, this is all the further I am.  *sigh*  Depressing.  I am getting faster as the pattern is pretty predictable, so I don’t need to refer to the chart nearly as much as I did at first.  I have a long way to go.  However, I am a little nervous about the yarn.  Like Malabrigo worsted, Malabrigo lace runs thick and thin.  When I say thin, I mean thin.  Dangerously thin.  Good thing I am a loose knitter because the yarn has the potential to snap if strained.  I don’t forsee this as a hard-wearing shawl.  Keep away from jackets with velcro closers.

Since I was sort of feeling unproductive with Cold Mountain, it wasn’t all I did for my 24 hours away.  I knit on a sock.  I worked out.  I am reading Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  It was very nice.

As far as what the boys did while I was not home, they have been pretty mum on the subject.

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Posted in Alaska, Da boys, shawls

Wonderful Wednesdays

Posted on 04/07/2010 by hjnknits| 3 Comments

Three years ago when I was sitting on the floor (again) with my kids playing with blocks (again) one of the things that got me through the long days was the thought that one day I would have a small child in school full time and another child in preschool.  This would mean three glorious mornings to myself to do what ever I want.  See, one of the down sides to being a stay at home mom is the lack of change.  I know I am not any busier than my working counterparts, quite the opposite actually.  However, the days when the kids are littler are MIND NUMBINGLY dull and all you can think about are the things you could be doing.

Fast forward those three years and reality has set in.  Three days a week I have two kids in school.  Two days a week I volunteer at my son’s school.  Call it guilt.  Call it on the job training.  Whatever.  I spend two of my three days not doing what I envisioned, but Wednesdays.  Oh, Wonderful Wednesdays.  Wednesdays I do exactly what I want no matter the state of laundry, bathrooms, or need for shopping.

Today I cast on for Cold Mountain.  I really wanted to knit the vest for my husband, but we did the budget.   There is no room in the budget for buying yarn.  It’s okay – I really like this pattern and now that I am knitting it I like it even more.  I am skeptical about the Malabrigo lace.  Will it hold up?  How much will it pill?  Time will tell.

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Posted in me, shawls

FO – Volcano Shawl

Posted on 02/17/2010 by hjnknits| 7 Comments


Pattern: Multnomah by Hello Knitty (rav link)

Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock in Color S40

Needles: US3

Isn’t it purdy?  I love it.  I like to leave it laying around and just stare at the lovely color changes.  It is not remarkable knitting by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoyed knitting it UNTIL the very last two feather and fan repeats.  I kept fouling up and tink-ing back.  Let me tell you – those last rows are LONG.  :)  This is my first triangle type shawl and even though I understand the math and how large the rows can get by adding 2-4 sts ever row, nothing could prepare me for how long it would take to knit rows that long.

After many, many attempts to photograph this “shawlette” on me, and this is what I have.  I always see staged pictures of these “shawlettes” and thought they would be bigger on people.  They aren’t.  Now I am a big girl but not THAT big of a girl and this thing barely goes around my neck .  Still.  I can see where fashion savvy people like them.  I felt very European wearing it around the house.  I think it is a good look for picking up Legos….don’t you?

Here is my favorite story about this “shawlette”.  It is blocking beautifully on some foam mats and Bubba says to me, “I like your volcano thing, Mom.”  Huh?  Volcano thing?  So, I go into the room and ask him what he is talking about.  He points to the blocking Multnomah and says, “This volcano.”

Sure enough.  It is a volcano.  I love perspective.  :)

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Posted in finished object, shawls

A lot of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn….

Posted on 02/03/2010 by hjnknits| 2 Comments

Rewind to Christmas of 2008. I was a little obsessed with Noro sock yarn and asked my folks for some for Christmas. Now my mom crochets and is not intimidated by words such as worsted or bulky. She understands yarn. However, I failed to give her some very important information. I opened my present which was beautifully wrapped in a basket and I kind of balked…

Mom: “What’s wrong?”
Me: “Oh, nothing.”
Mom: “Something’s wrong. I can tell by your face.”
Me: “Oh, no. Nothing is wrong. It is just REALLY a lot of sock yarn.”
Mom: “What do you mean? It is enough for two pairs like you asked.”
At this point, I come clean that it is enough yarn for four pairs of socks. See critical information missing? 100g makes a pair of socks. Now I have 400g of yarn. That’s a lot of sock yarn folks. Not only that, but I have two 100g balls of two different colorways, which of course means I could knit something other than socks. For the last year, I have mulled over what to knit. Clapotis? Simple Yet Effective Shawl? Well, last week when Terry was struck down with the plague I decided finally to cast on Multnomah. Lots of garter stitch for a while and then some feather and fan. Love it.
This is it as of last Friday. Now I am knitting the feather and fan border. The pattern is lovely, but how it is written is kind of wonky. Almost like some punctuation is missing. I managed to get through and figured it out. It could just be that I have never knit a triangular shawl and had a hard time visioning what was happening too. Either way I love how this is turning out with the striping of the colors. It is great.

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Posted in Yarn, shawls