October 23, 2006Knitting, Spinning, FamilyThe Knitting:
Swallowtail shawl in merino tencel handspun: far and near. It's going well. I thought that I might be a bit short on yarn, so after I finished the tenth repeat, I weighed the yarn I had used (40 grams) and the yarn I had left (75 grams). Then I made a spreadsheet to determine how many total stitches a full swallowtail shawl would take (18,583), and how many stitches I could expect to get out of 115 grams of yarn (~15, 900). I determined that if I took out two budding lace repeats I would have enough yarn, and that if I simply added two rows with 4 yarnover increases before changing to the next lace pattern, I would have the correct multiple of stitches for the following lace patterns. This shawl was actually pretty ammenable to tweaking, so I really lucked out. I'm sure that what I wrote here sounds pretty complicated, but it's doable. If enough people are interested, I'll write up a tutorial on adjusting this type of shawl sometime. You never know when you'll need to double-check yardage and re-adjust. It sounds dull as dust, but I'm happy to forego the excitement of running out of yarn close to the end. My adjustments may very well make the shawl too small to be practicable to wear, but I've decided I'm enjoying it so much that I don't really care. If I can't wear it, I'll frame it. It's a lovely pattern and a really nice use of the yarn. I'll let you know if it's wearable or not, though, just in case someone else has 290 yards of fingering that they're considering using this way.  The red sparkly Christmas beret is almost finished, right on schedule. This is an easy knit. No thinking, no tweaking, nothing. Perfect for a gift, and completely season appropriate. Normally I shy away from sparkly, but this really appeals to me, and the person it's for does sparkly quite well. The Spinning:  Heart's Content: 80% merino, 20% bombyx silk from Chameleon Colorworks. I spun this at the spin-in at my house on Saturday. It's only 57 yards, but I should eventually be able to incorporate it into a project with some other handspun. I love the colorway, and especially after washing, it is really soft. The Family:  The crew, hanging out in bed the morning after the spin out. We never used to allow the dogs (we had two) in bed, but now that Caia is an elder, we just put an old quilt on top and let her sleep wherever she wants. The night of the spin-in she insisted on sleeping with me, and when I finally woke up, exhausted and dazed, I found that I was under a pile of furry love. I slept in that little corner at the top! It's amazing the way the kitties pile on when Caia is in the bed. They find the tiniest crevasse and wedge themselves in. Not much sleep, but a lot of love. Posted by Julia at October 23, 2006 06:56 PMIn berets | caia | kitties | main | spinning | swallowtail shawl | the rose
Comments
Thanks to everyone for the links to their swallowtails - these are so fun to see. Chirstine - I will write about the yardage issue - adapting requires a certain amount of guesstimation, but if you use some math to guess you'll get closer. As for spending less at Stitch DC - well, that's hard to do! Stitch DC was my DC LYS and I miss it - what a great yarn selection. Say hi to Marie for me - or Jess if you're in the Georgetown store! Tiffany - spin, girl, spin! (And show us some pictures!) Rebecca - I am so sorry to hear about Elsa (what a beautiful name). Shepherds are wonderful dogs. Caia is the center of our family and I can't imagine being without her, but at this point she is aging very rapidly (almost 14). We probably have weeks with her. If we're lucky maybe a month. It can be so hard to think about that instead I try to savor these moments with everyone piled in bed. Thanks for sharing. xox, J Posted by: Julia at October 25, 2006 06:55 AMSuch a great family picture! We lost our beloved german shepard, Elsa, six weeks ago so seeing your beautiful Caia makes me smile.....your Caia reminds me of her. I had to laugh when I saw this picture because Elsa used to do the same to "us". Of course, I was the one who got scrunched up in a little corner of the bed, while Elsa and my husband stretched out as if they had all the room in the world! Love the berets! Posted by: Rebecca at October 24, 2006 08:36 PMOh my, the swallowtail is looking grand! I love how it is turning out. I would love to have such a tutorial. It's a swell idea. Love the pics of family, so sweet! Posted by: Wanda at October 24, 2006 07:19 PMGo math-girl! Pretty spin-in yarn!!! Lucky one to have such a cozy bed-o-luff! I have finished one bobbin and have just barely started the second, whew! I am off to do some pre-drafting. Posted by: Tiffany at October 24, 2006 02:45 PMEvery picture made me smile! Thanks! Love the last picture of the family! The handspun's lovely; you've got the tight twisting mastered. Posted by: MJ at October 24, 2006 09:35 AMI'm loving all the pinks and reds of your current projects. And "The Crew"--they're all just lovely... Posted by: kodachrome at October 24, 2006 09:14 AMYour hearts content is beautiful! Posted by: kat at October 24, 2006 08:19 AMI would absolutely be interested in a tutorial on figuring out whether or not you have enough yarn; I am thinking about making the Shetland Triangle, but wanted a more rectangular shape. I am hoping to use the same plan you used for your wedding stole, but do not know how to figure out how much yarn I need--or, how big I can make it based on the amount of lovely pumpkin-colored alpaca I have sitting in my stash. Am trying to avoid spending more money at Stitch DC this week.... Any advice would be much appreciated. Posted by: christine at October 24, 2006 08:19 AMAww, you are making me miss Chez MOW even more! That bed layout looks awfully familiar (minus a couple of kitties)-I know all about sleeping in that top corner of the bed! I'm still in awe of the gorgeousness that is your faux koigu, and the berets...well, you already know how I feel about those! Posted by: Nonnahs at October 24, 2006 08:11 AMthat is a precious picture! my cats love our bed, too. and your spinning is progressing at a lightning speed. i'm super impressed. Posted by: blossom at October 24, 2006 07:43 AMThe Swallowtail is looking lovely - great color. I knit one earlier this year and it came out a little small, but this morning I discovered that even so it works great as a light scarf around the neck, so there's still hope. Posted by: J Strizzy at October 24, 2006 06:32 AMman, you've kept busy. I love your work. gorgeous. Posted by: Orli at October 24, 2006 02:43 AMThe Swallowtail is a fun pattern. I just finished an oversized one in worsted weight. The charted edging was done in another color to add some contrast. Am looking forward to seeing your shawlette! Your swallowtail is shaping up to be quite lovely- it looks incredibly similar to one I just finished. It's so strange how that happens. Posted by: Ami at October 23, 2006 10:32 PMOh my goodness - Moxie's face is on the blog! (the non-archives blog) Awesome. That's a great family portrait there, especially with M's grin, you can see how he smiles at you, off camera, in his eyes. The knitting and spinning pictures are awfully purty. Posted by: Mary-Heather at October 23, 2006 08:36 PMadorable pic of your family ;) and those berets looks awesome, i'm starting to get tempted to make one myself. still recuperating from the spin-in..!
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