Cast On:
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Completed:
Saturday, 24 May 2008
Pattern:
Blue Jeans Lace Leaf Shawl by spinndiva
http://ramblingdesigns.blogspot.com/2008/04/have-look.html
Yarn:
Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Azalea Colorway
Purchased on sale from Pick Up Sticks
Nearly all of 2 skeins = approximately 900 yards
Needles:
US 5 / 3.75 mm Knitpicks Harmony
My first lace project that isn't on socks. *gulp*
I had to rip out the beginning at least 4-5 times to get it right. Also, I started off with the Knitpick Options size 6 needle. It was way too slippery. I switched to a size 5 Harmony as I don't have a size 6. It definitely worked better. Also, the Harmony needles have an even sharper tip which worked well for the k3tog stitches that occur in every lace repeat.
The repeat isn't too bad. It got easier with time and I could see it if I made a mistake. (Though there were a couple early on that I didn't spot but given the yarn color, they are pretty hard to pick out.)
It is taking some getting used to lace yarn. It is much thinner than anything I had used.
I couldn't do this as tv knitting when I started. There is just too much going on with it to keep track. But I did find that I was able to knit without looking at it as much with some practice. So I could do some of it in front of the tv.
I had to look with the k3 together decreases that are in all the right side rows. Otherwise I would miss a stitch and drop it which would be bad. So it wasn't mindless enough TV knitting, so I did miss things from time to time. Luckily, my hubby Paul is patient with me and rewinds when it is important or tells me if I missed something. *grin*
I think the Malabrigo Azalea colorway is probably be a bit busy for the pattern. However, I like the pattern & enjoyed the way it come out. I think the yarn might have been better served with a very simple pattern. But I would have gone batty doing tons of stockinette with lace weight! So the pattern is keeping me interested without being so busy that it is totally lost.
I was originally thinking that 30 repeats would give me enough length. However, I found 35 gave me the length I wanted. I wanted it to come down to my tush. I kept saying I would just keep doing the repeats until it is long enough. But I decided to go with 35 which was good as I kept wanted to opt out of more repeats the wider it got.
I confess that I got pretty bored with the repeats about half way through the project. I just started saying I had to do X number of rows before I could do my other knitting for the day. The good news is that it is done!
I honestly don't know if I will do lace weight again any time soon. I think I would need to be a much faster knitter to enjoy doing a lot of it. But I may try more again at a later date.
I will probably see in anyone wants the remaining skein on Ravelry. I don't think I would want to do something in this colorway again any time soon. So I would rather it go to someone who would enjoy it. I don't honestly think I will be buying any more lace weight yarn in the near future.
After blocking it is longer than it was. It is around 40" long which seems ideal. I should take some more pics with it wrapped around me to show the length.
Though I think I might have pulled a bit too much when I blocked it. The repeats are a bit elongated. But I like it.
Though I have learned that blocking lace and getting a straight edge is not easy. The top isn't a straight line. I blocked it and then repinned the edges when it had dried a little. I put the pins further into the edge and smoothed out the edges. I can see why people love blocking wires if they are doing a lot of lace knitting.
Though the Yarn Harlot says she runs thread through the edge and uses that. That seems like a great way to go as well. Just not sure how exactly that works. But might be worth trying if I do it again.
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