Kiri Shawl

Yarn: Argosy Yarns Shikoku, 50% silk, 50% seacell

A large hat, and random photos

FO: Purple Habitat
Pattern: Habitat, by Jared Flood
Yarn: Garnstudio, DROPS, Alaska
Needles: US 8, DPNs

I love cables! The hat came out too big for me, but I am hoping to shrink it a bit though some hot water blocking.

March of the Shawls

FO: The Tiny Shawl
Pattern: Shetland Triangle Lace Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merinocash in Stonechat

Needles: 4.0 MM Addi Lace Needles


This is my first lace pattern made with lace weight yarn. Yay, one thing to check of the knitting to-do list. I loved making this, but it turned out so very tiny. A shawlette, for certain. It looks cute worn kerchief style or under a jacket. I have tons of yarn leftover, so it will hopefully appear again on these pages in the not to distant future.

The yarn is very soft and cozy. I bought it at a sample sale at Imagiknit in San Francisco, and was unable to find it on the Malabrigo website just now when I looked it up. Its a merino-cashmere blend, and it is pretty divine.


FO: Betsy's Shawl
Pattern: Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante
Yarn: Zitron Trekking Pro Natura

Needles: 4.5 MM Bamboo Circular Needles

I made this shawl for my friend Betsy who just finished taking the California Bar Exam (woot for Betsy!) The shawl is perfectly named for her, as she spent the last year in London and is spending the next year in DC and Switzerland.

This pattern is always a joy to knit, and really looks great in most yarns. Its a great stash buster for me because I have a ton of sock yarn but it takes me eons to make socks. Shawls seem much faster for me (yay big needles).
This shawl has more drape but less definition than the last two. I love the color, which is darker than these pictures show. I made the shawl as directed, no size mods. I made the last one bigger, and wished I had not, as it resulted in long thin ends to the shawl. I think this shawl is best made as directed.

Frogged: The Sweater Fail

A couple years ago, one of my knitting goals was to knit a sweater. I knit the pieces, and I had a bad feeling about the bulky yarn, the boxy shape, the horror of seaming. So I stuffed it into a tote bag and pushed it out of my mind. I decided to get this knitting resolution off my chest, so I could say I had followed through. Sure enough, the finished product was super heavy, bulky, and made me look like I was wearing a gross chunky cape. No insult meant to the Nimbus pattern, I have seen many cute renditions on Ravelry. This knitting resolution was just not meant to end in success. I do feel vindicated however, that I made a technically wearable garment from a bunch of string. The yarn is now frogged and re-wound, awaiting a new life as a new project. Perhaps a lovely Brooklyn Tweed stole.


I solemnly declare myself an accessory knitter.

Onward and upward, I am trying out a new-to-me skill in knitting: Enterlac! I was a bit intimidated at first, but its actually quite easy. I am using the ubiquitous Lady Eleanor pattern from Scarf Style paired with Noro Silk Garden. I love it so far. I am about one skein into the pattern, and really enjoying it so far.

WIP: Thorpe Hat

This week I started my first stranded color work project that involves more than simple stripes. I have been wanting to try for a while, inspired by all the glorious Estonian mittens and socks out there. As with lace, I decided to make my first color work project in a thicker yarn than the more advanced things out there knit up in sock or fingering weight. I chose Kristen Kapur's Thorpe Hat. Thorpe has been in my queue for ages (over two years, according to Ravelry!) and I thought it would be a perfect starter project. I am knitting it up in some Lion Thick and Quick that has been in my stash since my days as a knitter began.



The stranded nature of the project is making for very dense fabric. It is taking me forever since I have not yet mastered the art of changing colors swiftly. Each time I have to change colors I am dropping my yarn and picking up the other one. It definitely takes a while, but I am liking the results.


I loved this sculpture I came across at Civic Center while doing my Jury Duty this week:

WIP: Sock Yarn Scrap Blanket

I started an ongoing scrap yarn project-- a granny square blanket. With the fairly thin sock yarn, the squares are coming out very delicate and lacy. I crocheted about 13 squares this weekend, and do not have too much scrap yarn left, so this is bound to be in the works for a while, unless I break the rules of a scrap project and buy some assorted skeins to finish up. I love making up the squares with unlikely color combinations and seeing what happens. Below are the scraps from my last Traveling Woman shawl and some teal socks I knitted up last year.

FO: Sea Silk Traveling Woman

My mom gave me a skein of Handmaiden's Sea Silk about 2 years ago, after several years of lusting over the product. As knitters tend to do with coveted yarn, I hoarded it until I thought I found the perfect pattern.



I loved the Traveling Woman Shawl I made for my mom so much that I decided to make myself one, too. Paired with the Sea Silk, the FO is beautiful and wearable.

I did make some mods to the project. I knit extra stitches in the garter portion to give me an extra repeat of the first lace pattern. Then I knitted an additional repeat of chart A, to make a bigger shawl. Naturally, I made no calculations, only guesstimates, and ran out of yarn midway through chart B. I just cast off when I ran out of ran, because I do not tend to be overly controlling about my knitting. I have no problem casting of mid chart if the project still looks good, which I think it does.

I blocked the shawl to have a round edge versus points, as I usually wear this type of shawl bandanna style and I like the way the rounded edge drapes.

I am having some problems cutting the ties with this pattern. I currently have another one on the needles, hopefully to be cast off today. Its a gift for my aunt in a very fall colorway. I think I will have to take a break from the pattern after this project, but its so fun that it might sneak its way back into my queue in the not so distant future.

The Secret Is Out

If I've been gone awhile, it's only because I couldn't show you what I've been knitting the entire year. I still love you. Promise.

But now that I've gone ahead and gotten married (if only in God's eyes since we can't seem to find our marriage license) and gifted this year's loving labors, I can finally reveal:

THE BRIDESMAID SHAWLS. All five patterns plus my own wedding shawl were knit from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. It is maybe the best knitting pattern book I've ever bought, and actually knit from. All five bridesmaids' shawls were knit using Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk in the colorway so aptly named "Dark Gray." See Ravelry links for all mods, dates, needles, etc.

"Shells" aka Peacock Tail and Leaf Scarf

"Double Leaves" aka Leaf and Nupp Shawl

"Waves" aka Madli's Shawl

"Single Leaves" aka Lilac Leaf Shawl

"Holly" aka Triinu Scarf

I can't say that every moment working on these shawls was a joy, but I will say that it was worth every second of it. The time spent knitting these shawls for my wonderful bridesmaids cannot even compare to the love, appreciation, and gratitude I feel for each of them.

To my ladies: Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Fall Knitting

A few FO posts to come, but for now, a taste of my fall knitting.

A Romney Kerchief inspired shawl for mom, in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.


Another Traveling Woman Shawl, this time for my aunt, in a lovely colorway of DIC Smooshy. The color is Chinatown Apple and it makes me feel fall festive even though our trees don't really turn here.

FO: Wispy

FO: Wispy
Project: Wisp
Yarn: 1 Skein (250 yards) Louet Kidlin Pixie (mohair/nylon/linen)
Needles: US 8 Bamboo Circs


Another yarny gift from my mom! Louet Kidlin Pixie lace weight, a strong, fluffy mohair/nylon/linen blend. Looking at the yardage for Wisp, I thought I would need both skeins my mom gave me, but I decided to cut it off after one, lest I make the world's longest Wisp. This has been happening to me a lot lately, thinking I will need more skeins of a particular yarn than I actually do. I suppose that is better than running out part way through.


Nothing like modeling one's handmade knitwear for the camera in a crowd of eager museum goers!
I have been wanting to make Wisp since it came out in Knitty a few years back, but more exciting projects kept usurping its place in my queue. When this mohair blend yarn strolled into my life, I wanted to choose a project that would make frogging a non-issue. Something simple that eliminated the possibility that I would have to rip back the mohair and end up with a tangle of sadness. So, Wisp re-entered my radar. In the end, I am glad I made it, but it was kind of a boring knit. I was itching to cast on another Traveling Woman shawl in Sea Silk, but I needed my Wisp needles to do so. I spent most of the project knitting as fast as I could to get to the next one, which does not happen to me all to often. Usually if I don't want to knit on something, I fling it aside and knit what I want. But here, I wanted this off the needles.

All in all, I like the finished product, and I think it will be wearable for the days/nights here when a full on wool ensemble is to warm, but the fog and the breeze require some sort of protection

FO: On the Silk Road

Love: long weekends, friends and family, and luxury fiber. I have been knitting with some nice stuff lately, all thanks to my yarn patron numero uno, my mom! This was an amazing fiber gift-- silk, cashmere, camel, and alpaca spun into a really smooth yarn with a nice sheen. I have really been liking projects lately that combine stockinette with random (or seemingly random) garter ridges. I really like the fabric the stitch combination makes.

FO: On the Silk Road
Pattern: Reversatile Cowl by Katie White (free pattern here!)
Yarn: The Road to China, The Fibre Company, 65% Alpaca, 15% Silk, 10% Camel, 10% Cashmere
Needles: US 7 bamboo DPNs

I only used one of my two skeins of this lovely yarn on this project, and am contemplating a cabled cowl for the other skein. I was thinking of doing matching fingerless gloves, but the yarn is so soft that I did not think it would be a practical choice for handwear.

The color is a very lustrous jade green that I think will look great for fall. We have finally been having some warm weather here, so I will have to put off wearing it a bit longer.


The cast off edge is a tad tight...

Traveling Women

FO: Red Traveling Woman
Pattern: Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply Soft, 100% wool, fingering weight, 2 full skeins
Needles: 5.0 mm bamboo circs


Yay! I loved this pattern. I usually like most patterns I knit, aside from a few epic fails (including a short row hat) but I LOVE this pattern. Quick, fun, accessible lace. Pretty, too. I really like lace patterns in fingering and sock weight yarns. I like the increased stitch visibility. I still have a lot of trouble seeing my stitches when I knit in lace weight. The pattern was intuitive, and since I was able to see my stitches much better than when I use lace weight, things went quickly, easily, and happily. Usually I spend a ton of time counting, recounting (every repeat!) and then at the end of the row I am still off. This has dominated my lace experience until Aestlight, which I knit in sock weight. I am now a big fan of the lace pattern-sock/fingering weight combo. Not as delicate as a lace or cobweb shawl, but much more realistic and enjoyable on the knitting end.

This yarn was given to me by my mother, my number one source of amazing yarn. She loved the yarn so much, that I always wanted to make it into something for her. I have had the yarn for at least two years, maybe more, before I found the perfect pattern. I am so glad I waited for it. The yarn looks great with the pattern, and was very easy to work with. I have read critiques that the Rowan 4 ply soft is anything but soft, but I did not find that to be true. I thought it was springy, soft, and held its shape really nicely as I knit. It only got softer with blocking. I am a bit sad its discontinued, personally.

Happy wearing, Mom!



Preview of the next Traveling Woman, in the oh-so-lush Sea Silk:

Preview of another FO, a Mohair/Linen version of Wisp: