Knitting again

Just a mini posting to show you all the completed second Forest Canopy shawl using a random sock yarn so the colour pattern is rather strange! Livens up the grey sweater dress but this yarn doesn't drape as well as that used for the first shawl.

Working backwards, here's the shawl being blocked, hi tech stuff this pinning it out through a towel on carpet, but hey, it worked and the pointy bits show!

Finally, the yarn before I started to knit,

It is Aviemore 4 ply from Stylecraft Yarns, 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon bought for £6.00 for 100 grams from Squires Garden Centre. There is a little yarn over so that will be used for hexipuffs. Total is 189.

Day 30 and yo

Well forget about the pictures of my knitting in the last blog, the work was all wrong.

Because I thought I knew how to do 'yo' the whole of my first attempt at knitting lace has been scrapped. Instead of simply bringing the yarn to the front and then knitting the next stitch, I had been taking the yarn over the needle instead and this process did not create a hole. I was so angry with myself for not realising earlier, thank goodness for U-tube to show the error of my ways. No way will I give up, learning new skills is for life!

I had assumed the knitting needed to be dampened and blocked to create the design I'd seen in many examples of this pattern, however once it had grown I realised this wasn't so, it took a while for me to realise where I had gone wrong. The variegated yarn didn't help, so I chose another yarn from my stash, a gift from Tee, a Canadian knitter.

 

Ian helped me to wind the Tanis Fiber Art  hand dyed yarn - merino (70%), cashmere (20%) and nylon (10%) -  into a ball and I've now made a successful start. According to the label the colour is Atlantic.

Will report on progress, well there is just one day of knitting blog left.

Domestic report

Day 29 of knitting so just two more to go. So a start with the pictures of the lace shawl that I mentioned before.

I think the colour is more accurate for the top picture, also this knitting will need to be blocked and spread out to see a pattern design, assuming I have not misread the instructions all the way!

Now marmalade. I'm aware in my previous blog the photos didn't appear always, however those jars of marmalade have been put away so I have taken pictures of the latest batch, made Monday and today. We have used up all our jars now, have a few to match lids to jars, then it is the fun of designing labels.

Just a couple more pictures of the hyacinths we were given for Christmas from different sources, both pots are highly scented and have brought thoughts of Spring in this chilly weather.

In the top pictures the snow, now melted, is visible. Am looking forward to venturing forth tomorrow, haven't been out of the house since Tuesday of last week. Am enjoying reading group book, The vanishing act of Esme Lennox, so with reading that, making marmalade, conquering the lace knitting and making more hexipuffs all is well at Pixie Towers.

Day 27.

About time I returned to the challenge of 31 days of blogging on a topic, as you know I have chosen to ignore the word consecutive. Well, my blog, my rules :)

So, knitting. Working on the principle that I wish to keep learning, both skills and knowledge I'm making a shawl so I can learn lace knitting. I started on size 5 straight needles, when I realised the total should be 195 stitches I searched out magic loop needles, fortunately had size 5, Ian helped me switch a long cable from other needles. Works better, especially as these Knit-Pro needles have a sharper point. The pattern I'm using is Forest Canopy Shawl.

The yarn is actually a sock yarn Stylecraft Aviemore 4ply, bought at Squires Garden Centre for just £6.00, .the colours should go with quite a few of my clothes.

To add to the knitting, did quite a few rows of Hexipuff whilst waiting at the Doctor's surgery for two steroid injections in my shoulder, decided exercise wasn't for me after that. To be fair, I expected the jab to be more painful than it was, even so to have full movement back will be good. Knitting doesn't cause any pain at all.