Knitting Friday

What I learned this week:

1- I learned that lace weight yarn is lovely but unless you want to tie yourself down to one place (a large area where nothing can drop) and watch snippets of CSI (a great lace show since you really don’t want to see everything that goes down on that show and what better way to divert your attention than lace); don’t use lace weight yarn to knit lace. Use fingering or sport; your life will be so much easier. I must have started four times on a knit lace pattern this week. It was a disaster. So much time; so little results.
2 - I learned that lace weight is lovely in crochet so I got to brush up on my crochet skills. (To digress: I don’t like to crochet because almost all the time the stitch definition looks so heavy. However......) I learned that with a large crochet hook and lace you can produce some lovely looking and lovely draping pieces. Right now, I working on the Schrap at:

http://crochetroo.blogspot.com/2007/07/schrap.html (Note: they use British terms.)

I’m using a H hook but if I can find my I hook, I may go up. Also, I just finished another 3 dc cluster shawl with an N hook and lace. (Pictures will follow.)
3- I learned that the picture of the loaded potato in the Charlie Brown restaurant flyer is not that loaded potato I ate yesterday. There I was, mentally preparing to scoop away all the rich stuff atop that very healthy baked potato. I shouldn’t have worried. It was pathetic; burned skin, 2 bacon bits, 3 diced tomatoes, and the oozing cheese??.... just where did they put that, obviously not on my potato. Next time, I’ll just eat the flyer.
4- I learned that when you finish a sleeveless top during a heat spell, the weather will immediately drop to the “ass-biting” cold range as if did for me. However, I was pleased to finish the little bugger (pictured below) since I think it had been languished months in the “To Do” pile; which is why my rule of: If I can’t finish it in two weeks, I’m not making it
The Top:
I’m pleased with the top. I probably should have used smaller needles to get a tighter stitch but it looks nice on. This time, after the hem (I will search for the magazine which had that pattern - it was so easy.) I did some increasing to 132 stitches and I think I got a nicer look because of this. The waist starts at 28" and I increased to 34" at the armhole.

It’s a basic cotton pattern after the hem: just straight stockinette in the round to the armholes. Then I decreased 6 stitches at each armhole (3 -1-1-1.) At the neck, I made each shoulder 18 stitches which I decreased at the neck edge to 15 stitches each side. After I joined the shoulders, I ran one row of single crochet and 1 row of crab stitch around the neck and arms. And then it was done. I’m not thrilled with the look of the cotton but that’s cotton. I’m debating whether I should block since it fits well now. I know it wouldn’t pass muster in a Master Knitting program as is. If I can locate the hem pattern, I’ll post the entire pattern.

Next Friday: Finally, a picture of the black Wisp shawl (it and I should be in the same place by then). And a winter vest pattern. I know it’s summer in my part of the world but I think I can handle a small wool vest.