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Knitting Friday

As you know, I really admire the patience of lace knitting. I really don't have that patience and since I like carry-along projects, I make a lot of that so simple lace pattern:

Row 1 & 2: K1, *YO, K2tog* K1
Row 3 & 4: Kfb *K* Kfb

O larger needles and heavier yarn, it makes the shawl pictured on the right. (More on this later.) On smaller needles and lace weight yarn, it produces this pink beauty, pictured on the left. (Note: the shawl on the right is really dark blue, dark green, black and beige. The colors you see must be imposters.)

Now, the finished shawl worked up very quickly but my pink wonder is taking forever even though the only difference in needles is US 10 for the lace weight and US 10.5 for the heavier weight (Paton Classic Wool.) I know I should be using sharp metal needles for the lace weight but I'm using my old, reliable wooden needles. Sort of a bear in the YO department but fantastic if the phone rings and you throw down your knitting to answer it; the aitches stay on the needle. And, since I'm working as Daredevil Knitter Who Is Not Using a Lifeline on this project, this is very important to me.

I will probably be working on this pink project into the winter. But at the end of the day, I will discover just how large a triangular shawl with a border I get with one skein of Knit Picks lace (44o yards.) Answer to follow at a later date.

Now on to the finished shawl is Paton Retro. As I mentioned last week, this was sooooo retro looking in its original life as a cardigan that I frogged the whole thing and made the shawl. The shawl was done in a variation of the above pattern:

Row 1: K1 *YO, Y2tog* K1
Row 2: P1 *YO, P2tog* P1
Row 3: Kfb *K* Kfb
Row 4: Pfb *P* Pfb
For the rectangular shawl, at width: K2tog or P2tog at the ends of Rows 3 & 4. At length: K2tog or P2tog at both ends of Rows 3 & 4.

I think it looks much more sophisticated this way, is as warm as a thermal blanket and may or may not have its ends edged - I'm still mulling that part over. The pattern is modified stockinette stitch but there is no obvious dreaded st st curl, though there is a definite right and wrong side. I figure I used less than 500 yards (2 and 1/2 skeins for a 18.5" x 56" shawl - it's very stretchy.) I'm leaning towards using the leftover wool on an edging since I already have too, too many leftover partial skeins hanging around.

This week, I hope to start a cardi/shrug in Paton's Woodrose Heather. Pictured at right is my red Wool Ease cardi with those crazy half sleeves. I like it. It's not that warm but it's not an objectionable first (well really second) "try this out in the cheaper yarn" project.

Here's a project you may want to look at:

http://cache.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/20137ad.pdf

It's Lion Brand so you must do a free registration and it's one of their free downloadable patterns in Cotton-Ease. I like the Farrow Rib and the side slits but I think the total of over 200 stitches for the body is way too big for the X-Small. However, the final look is pretty enough to work out some alterations.

See you next week. Happy knitting.