girlwhoknitsandpurls

Good Afternoon!

I am currently working on my 2nd shawl in my year of the shawls in 2013! I am making it for my mother-in-law, and I plan to give it to her when she comes to NC in September from the Netherlands. I am quite excited to make this for her, and I hope that she will love it and feel the love that I feel for her as I make it. I have completed the Irish Hiking Scarf from Ravelry.com from my father-in-law, Wim, last month. I wrote about this scarf in March. I have also completed another scarf for my brother-in-law, Joram, and I am sure that neither of them expects the gifts that I have made for them.

Anyway, on to this shawl. I have embarked on the Rose Leaf Trellis Shawl for my mother-in-law, Grietje.

I am using Claudia Handpainted Yarn in a purple colorway, and I must say that it is a pure joy to work with. I love how this colorway is knitting up! It appears to have a different color or shade of purple depending on how you hold it up to the light. Sometimes the brighter colors take the lead, and sometimes the more intense colors pop out in the light. I just LOVE this yarn!

I am using the Knit Picks Sunstruck Interchangeable needles, size 6, with a 24 inch cable attached. I also love working with the light-colored cousin of the Knit Picks Harmony needles. I don’t yet have a preference between the 2 of them, but I do love how the patina develops on the Sunstruck needles vs. how soon the patina develops on the Harmony needles. Perhaps that is because the wood is so much lighter.

This shawl is a paid pattern, and if you are interested in purchasing it, you can do so here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rose-leaf-trellis-shawl-wrap

I have frogged this shawl 3 times because I just could not make the stitch count that seemed to be necessary based on the designer’s text. When I contacted her, she told me that on 6 of the rows the count would be off, coming in at only 18 stitches per repeat. She said on rows 7 and 8, the stitch count would come in as it should at 20 stitches per repeat +5 on the end. It was quite confusing the 1st and 2nd time I knitted this. I would get up to having done 3 repeats, which came to a total of 24 rows, and I couldn’t see the pattern starting to develop. After having e-mailed the designer and talking to her a little bit, I have now started it yet again, and I am working on the 2nd repeat of the pattern, up to row 5. I have been very attentive to the pattern, and I have corrected any errors in each repeat because I count each repeat as I do it to determine if I have the right count. I hope that by doing this extra step, I will be able to see the pattern start to develop as it should.

I am truly enjoying the pattern, especially since I have finally figured out how the stitch counts work across the pattern. I will be running my lifelines for sure! However, I believe that it will be quite beautiful once I am done. I have figured that if I can do 1 complete repeat of the pattern’s 8 rows each day, I will be finished with it in plenty of time before September 2013 when she arrives. I have to find a nice shawl pin to do this beautiful shawl justice. If you have any ideas on where I can get a musical shawl pin, something like a musical note, or a nice flower pin, I would appreciate the links. Thank you so much! Until next update with pictures, I look forward to reading any comments that my readers care to give me.

I hope to hear from you soon!
Linda

I have for grabs today 4 different annual CDs from Interweave Knits and Knitscene.

Each CD has 4 issues of the years mentioned below, and 1 of them has an additional copy of the Holiday issue that came out in that year.

First up is the 2002 Interweave Knits Collection. The 2002 season showcases over 100 patterns for sweaters, socks, shawls, and more—all from sold-out issues.

Next is the 2009 Interweave Knits Collection. This CD has the bonus Holiday 2009 issue on it.

From the website:

Enjoy all 4 issues of Interweave Knits exactly as they were printed in 2009: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter editions. Plus, you’ll receive a free digital edition of the 2009 special issue Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2009!

The full-color electronic versions of these magazines include easy-to-navigate table of contents, easy-to-print patterns, informative articles, designer profiles, and all the tips and techniques that Interweave Knits is known for.

The 2009 season showcases over 100 patterns for pullovers, cardigans, home décor, accessories, and more. Learn how to make colorwork easy, add textural stitches to your knitting, knit jogless stripes, venture into organic yarns, learn reversible cables, and much, much more.

Next is the very first Knitscene Collection from the years 2005 through 2007, to include 4 issues. This magazine used to be a special publication before it became a regular one like it is now. You can’t get the original issue in print any longer. This issue is the only way that you can get it, and it is the Knitscene Fall 2005 digital edition.

Next is the Knitscene for years 2007 (Winter 2007-Spring 2008) through 2009. This one still has the plastic wrapping on it.

Per Interweave web site: Enjoy all 4 issues of Knitscene magazine exactly how they were originally printed, including the incredibly popular Fall 2009 issue. These full-color electronic editions include easy-to-navigate tables of contents, easy-to-print patterns, informative articles, and all the tips and techniques that Knitscene is known for.

The 2007-2009 seasons showcase stylish projects for the spirited knitter. Considered for the advanced beginner, Knitscene has an abundance of one-of-a-kind projects using great yarns.

I paid $19.99 for each of these, and I am asking $15 for each CD plus 2.50 shipping, which totals out to $17.50 each.

I am downsizing all of my stash, including books, magazines, and digital magazines on physical CD.

Please PM your interest, what magazine you would like, and if you will be paying via Paypal or money order. Thank you so much!

I decided to change the 2 colors in my scarf back to the blue only because I just didn’t care for the 2 colors in the cable pattern itself. I am also considering knitting up a few rows of ribbing to add to the bottom once I am done with the scarf. I have completed 9 repeats now, and I will post a picture sometime today or tomorrow. I think it just looks better with only one color. I could not get the rows where the 2 colors met to look neat and clean. They were all up and down at the join lines, supposedly because of how the cables are done, although I don’t really understand why.

Any comments on why this happened would be greatly appreciated! I really need feedback from the more seasoned knitters. Perhaps I will also post some of my previous projects later in the week. Thanks for reading and following my newbie adventures!

Linda

Hey everyone!

Wow! I just realized that I have 125 followers! I can’t believe that! Thank you to everyone who is interested in my newbie knitting adventures!

So, I have just recently started a 2-color cable scarf for my father-in-law, Wim.

Here is the first pic of the blue starting repeats. You may be able to see that I have just started to put the black colorway in on this shot. 

It is my version of the Irish Hiking Scarf on Ravelry, which can be seen here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/irish-hiking-scarf

The pattern is beautiful, and the best of all is that it is free! I love beautifully written/designed free patterns. I chose the blue to match Wim’s eyes. He has gorgeous white hair, a square jaw, and his eyes are blue like this yarn. The 2nd color I chose was black because his winter coat is black, and these 2 colors pop and complement each other. I am using Berroco Comfort Worsted in the colorways of Licorice 9734 and Berroco Vintage in colorway 5178-Violetta.

I know that would make one think this is a purple yarn, but looking at it right now, it is so blue.. I can see tiny bits of purple in it but the bits are so tiny that the blue takes over and dominates this colorway. It is just gorgeous no matter how I turn it in the light. 

The yarn links below are for Vintage and Comfort respectively.

http://www.berroco.com/sites/default/files/yarn//vintage_lg.jpg

http://www.berroco.com/yarns/berroco-comfort

I love working with the 2 different yarns for this project. They have the same gauge on a size 9 needle, which is 4 stitches per inch. Gauge wasn’t critical for this project, so I just checked it for my peace of mind. I am using my Signature size 9 circulars in an effort to use the needles, LOL.. and to see how well they work for worsted weight yarns. The pattern called for a size 8 needle, and I just wanted to make this scarf a wee bit larger without having to cast on more than the 42 stitches. 

I will make another blog post once I have completed the next 2 pattern repeats in black so that ya’ll can see how it looks with both colors.

I also have this shawl on another pair of needles, but I have to find the SD card that the beginning pics are on.. This shawl is turning out gorgeous as well. 

Be on the lookout for a blog post about that soon! I am doing it in my mother-in-law’s favorite colorway of purple, and I am using Claudia Hand Painted yarn to do this project. It looks different depending on the lighting in the room. 

Until later..

Linda