A Scarf That Wants To Stroll

When Sister and I were in Paris I, like so many before me, was fascinated by the French women's apparent obsession with scarves and shawls. This translated itself into my obsessively collecting pashminas and wearing lots and lots and lots of scarves. (To the point that you may recall I now have a whole TUB-o-scarves.)

Stylistically speaking, I prefer wearing the pashminas to the skinny scarves. Pashminas seem to translate better into the spring and summer. So, I thought to myself, why not knit a pashmina style scarf/shawl? I could knit something out of a lighter weight/breathable yarn, make it wider, and perhaps attempt to make it look woven. (I was even insane enough to momentarily consider using lace-weight yarn...luckily I didn't get on that crazy train!)

I ended up going with a cotton yarn, and spring-like colors. (The whole yarn dye lot debacle has been previously blogged...) I decided to name the scarf after one of my favorite places in Paris...Les Tuileries. I used the linen stitch from my stitch-a-day calender, which gave the woven look I was hoping for. (I also switched skeins every other row so that the dye lots would blend.)

It has taken me a long time to finish this project. Not because it was difficult, but because other things with deadlines got in the way. (Also, this is knit on 16" long needles, and since I was alternating skeins I couldn't very well take it in my purse.)

The scarf ended up a lot shorter than I had originally envisioned, and due to the previously mentioned issues, I was not going to even attempt to get more. When I ran out of yarn, and saw the finished length, I made a spur of the moment adjustment to the pattern. Instead of having a skimpy shorty scarf, I seamed the ends together to have a generous deep cowl. This also gave me an added bonus...if a sudden spring shower should hit, Les Tuileries can double as a stylish hood!

I finished it while visiting Sister this weekend, which was appropriate since the trip I took with her was my inspiration.

Now if we could only get to Paris to show it off...

And the Medal Goes To...

ME!

I finished the shawl...and most importantly I finished it ON TIME!!!

This despite the setbacks of intruding purses and felting, sickness, graduate school, and some semblance of a social life!

Now, back to the regularly scheduled project queue!

Can She Finish?

I feel like Dory from Finding Nemo...



Just keep knitting. Just keep knitting. Just keep knitting, knitting, knitting.

(Just today and tomorrow left in the Knitting Olympics!)

Felted Purse Session II: Recap

The second session of Get Knittin'@the Library: Felted Purse was last night. Not everyone from Session I returned, but there were also a couple of newbies. 24 total.

The class was a little more fragmented than I would have liked. The students were all at different stages. My overhead presentation went over how to seam up the purses, but not everyone had completed pieces to seam up. Some of them were still working on their knitting, or needed "triage" done on their pieces. So I put the seamers at tables, and the knitters in chairs. I went through the presentation, gave a felting demo (using a coffee cup cozy), and then showed them samples of customizations for finished purses. Then I just spent a lot of time running around doing various things...I think I got a little scatterbrained. I hope that the students were not overwhelmed, and I especially hope they don't feel I neglected them.

On the positive side, I have heard back from two people who have already felted their purses, and they seem very pleased with the results. I am going to start collecting pictures of the finished products to put up in an album here on the blog.

I didn't finish all of the samples I intended to before the class. I only got 6 done, and I had 8 planned. Here are the six:

A. Felted Bangle Bracelet Bag with Silk Flower Embellishment



B.Purple and Lilac Striped Purse with Flap



C. Rust and Black Purse with Variegated Ribbon Accent



D. Variegated Standard Purse



E. Black and White Two Tone Purse with Button Flap and Scroll Pattern Button



F. Large Mocha Brown Purse with Flap and Stone Button



[By the way...all 6 of these are going to be for sale...if you are interested, please email me.]

PLUS SIDE OF CLASS BEING OVER: IT IS NOTHING BUT MOHAIR CINEMA SHAWL UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT'S CLOSING CEREMONIES!!! I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO FINISH THESE KNITTING OLYMPICS!!!!

Becoming a Bi-Athlete

Just as the real Olympics have the biathlon...my knitting Olympics are also swiftly turning into a combo-event. Only instead of skiing and shooting, I am juggling multiple projects.

I initially signed on to knit the blue mohair cinema shawl for my Knitting Olympics project. I waited patiently, and then cast on during the And it is progressing at a snail-slow but steady rate.

However, at the same time...I have a stack of felted purses to finish as samples for the class I am giving next Wednesday at the library. And by stack, I mean seven...which are at various stages of done-ness. (I couldn't count the purses as my official Knitting Olympics project because many of them were in progress before the Opening Ceremonies.)

I have been alternating back and forth...mohair shawl, purse a's strap, mohair shawl, purse b's body, purse a's strap, mohair shawl...etc.

Now I am starting to worry that not only will I not complete both tasks by their respective finish dates, I might not complete either one.

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

(I comfort myself with the fact that the shawl doesn't have to be done until the 28th, and the purses (finished or not) can be set aside after the 24th. That gives me FOUR WHOLE DAYS of non-stop (except for work and school) shawl knitting to play catch up in.)

Opening Ceremonies

I decided to go with the mohair cinema shawl...

...I cast on during the opening ceremonies, knit for 4 hours, and barely have 4 inches...

...this challenge might be harder to complete than I thought!

Living on the Edge

I am living on the edge! I am not going to buy another skein of the yarn for Les Tuileries.

I would like to say that this is because I am a risk taker.

Or that I am frugal.

Or that I am a math whiz who figured out that 2 skeins was indeed sufficient.

I'm not.

The truth is I am a weenie little spendthrift blonde.

However, I am an uptight weenie little spendthrift blonde.

I actually went to Knit This, Purl That yesterday to buy another skein.

Unfortunately, none of their stock of this "dye lot" was even remotely close to what I purchased last time. (Funny...I thought the point of having a dye lot was that the yarn WOULD match...call me crazy...)

Anyway, the perfectionist in me refuses to buy another skein that is so completely off color.

I will make do.

It will be ok.

I hope.

Now...Or Later

I am getting a lot of work done on Les Tuileries...

It is turning out beautifully.

Although, it is a wee bit of a pain having to alternate skeins every 2 rows. (Honestly, they had the same exact dye lot on the label, and looked the same when still skeined...once they were balls though...WOW...huge difference...I'm talking a difference you could drive a Mack truck through...)

The problem is, that I am not sure that the two skeins I have are going to be sufficient for the wrap I have envisioned. If they are not, I will need to introduce a third skein into the mix, alternating it every two rows with the remainder of original skein A, and then every 2 rows with the remainder of original skein B. Which means, I will need to get it now so that I can start the intermingling as soon as possible.

But I am on a budget.

And there is always the chance that the two original skeins WILL be sufficient, in which case I will have spent 20 odd dollars for nothing. AND I will be left with little bits of left over yarn in odd dye lots...

I'll probably just cave and buy another skein...Ugh.

Cinema Shawl

Based on the Movie Theater Dishcloth I, this shawl is a breeze! It is simple enough to work on in the dark. Also, depending on the yarn used, it is elegant enough to wear on a date night to those chilly theaters.



Cinema Shawl

Finished Size: 50" Wide, 26" Tall at Center Point


Approximately 400 yds of worsted weight yarn [I used Cascade Yarns Sierra Quatro; 80% cotton/20% merino wool; Color 93, 2 skeins]
1 - pair US size 10.5 straight needles
1 - US size 10.5 circular needle, at least 24" long (optional)

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch

Cast on 1 stitch onto straight needles. (Switch to circular if shawl gets too wide to comfortably fit on straights.)
Row 1: Kfb (2 stitches now on needle)
Row 2: Kfb, Kfb (4 stitches now on needle)
Row 3: K1, Kfb, Kfb, K1 (6 stitches now on needle)
Row 4: K3, YO, K to end.
Repeat Row 4 until there are 250 stitches on the needle Or until shawl is size you would like and you have an even number of stitches on needle.
Border Row 1: K3, (YO, K2Tog, repeat from till last 3 stitches) YO, K3
Work 3 more rows knitting every stitch.
Cast off loosely.

Weave in ends, block lightly, wear with pride.

Why Yes...That Does Sound More Impressive

Brother and Sis-In-Law stopped by for a surprise visit on Sunday afternoon...and once again Brother said something amazing.

I was showing Sis-In-Law some of my yarn and patterns for current/future projects. One of these was for a shawl/vest thing knit out of lace weight. I showed Brother the yarn and told him that the garment took just shy of 1000 yards.

"Really...that's almost a mile!" (Actually...it was only about 5/8 of a mile, but close enough.)

"Really? I hadn't ever thought of that." I picked up the shawl I had just finished and told him that it had taken about 450 yards.

"Well, that's about a quarter of a mile then!"

Turns out that a mile is 1760 yards. Which I knew. I had just never connected yarn quantities with distance before.

Brother and I went through and converted some of my projects over into mileage. A sweater was a mile. A wrap was a half mile. A pair of socks is a quarter of a mile.

"You should start telling people that," Brother said. "A quarter of a mile of knitting sounds a lot more impressive."

He has a point.