Swallowtail Shawl

Andi of My Sister's Knitter is hosting a KAL/CAL that is focused on encouraging the participants to finish WIPs by September 30th.  Anything that is cast on prior to August 1st counts as eligible.  And if the comradery of the group isn't enough to motivate, then there are also fabulous prizes!  :)  I recommend that you check it out and join up on Ravelry!

My first entry into the prize drawing is the Swallowtail shawl.  I cast on for this in February 2009, and finished it just the other day.  I can hardly believe that this baby has been on the needles for over 4 years!  Feels soo good to have it finished.



I'm really not sure why this one took soo long.  I'd go through periods where focus on knitting this... lace  knitting for me is the perfect way to destress - I literally sit down in a quiet room away from all distractions and focus on the pattern.  But then, after a bit of attention, I would put it away and forget about it.  I was happy to have a nudge to pull this project out and finish it up.



This colour is soo pretty and think that the subtle shifts in tone don't detract too much from the lace pattern.  If I had a do-over, I would have added more repeats of the leaf pattern.  The shaw is a reasonable size, but I would have preferred a little larger.  (I blocked this to it's max :))



Details:

• Pattern:  Swallowtail shawl by Evelyn A. Clark (available as a free ravelry download)
• Yarn:  Curious Creek Fibers Meru, colorway is Emerald City
• Needles:  US 3
• Mods:  None

Hopefully this is the first of a couple of projects that I finish in the next couple of months.


What do you have on the needles?

Have a great weekend.
Sam
xxx

Tyk and Tynd

I recently had the good fortune to spend a weekend with my knitty friends.  Each year a group of us head up to the mountains for our annual Camp Wanna Knit Knit (for camping, read 'glamping').  A girls weekend of delightful company, fantastic food and oodles of crafting.  I have soo much fun on these weekends, and although it's always a little sad to say Goodbye to my little angel and dear sweet hubby, I do LOVE the dedicated crafting time and a grown-up girls weekend.

Naturally all that crafting time means I get to make a good dent on projects.  This year's focus was on finishing the Tyk and Tynd scarf.  A beautifully simple pattern (perfect for mindless knitting while I catch up with friends) with a stunning end result.





Part way through knitting the scarf I had an idea to replicate the scarf ridges in the form of a coordinating Wurm hat.  I kept the scarf on the needles while I worked from the other end of the yarn balls.  This way, when I returned to the scarf, I could knit until all that wonderful yarn was used up.





Details:

• Yarn:  Kauni Effektgarn and Isager Alpaca Strik 1 (alternating)
• Scarf pattern:  Tyk and Tynd scarf
• Hat pattern:  Wurm (a free ravelry download)
• Needle size:  As recommended in the patterns

The combination of the Kauni wool and the Isager Alpaca is genius - the alpaca provides a colour wash that helps smooth out the transitions in the kauni wool, as well as 'lifting' the overall scarf so that it feels light and airy.  I am extremely happy with the end result and know this will get some good use once Winter rolls around.

Stitchy Stuff

Hi Folks,
This is a quick one.  I have lots to share... just not enough hours in the day :)

For this post I wanted to drop a quick note about a couple of quick sewing projects:

Ruffle skirts:
These are quick and easy - just buy ruffle fabric and matching elastic for the waistband.  Measure to the desired width and join together.  Naomi's ruffles are horizontal, and mine are vertical.  It was fun to play around with the fabric, and there is no shortage of online tutorials - here's a particularly pretty and feminine on:  Coastal Curtsy skirt .  Tempted :)



Minnie Mouse Dress:
This uses pre-smocked fabrics from Joanns. Again, measure to desire size and seam up the back. That's it.  Literally in 5 minutes I had a completed dress for Naomi.  I added a couple of ribbons for shoulder straps and it was done! Naomi is a very happy girl!



Swap Blocks for Guild - Liz's Star Quilt.
The guidelines on this were really straightforward. Make a star, any star, using the muted fabrics provided, and add a pop of colour from your own stash, if you so desire. In the piccie below you can see all the squares she has received to date, and the 2 I contributed.



That's it for now.  I have lots of knitty goodness to share next weekend :)
In the mean time, have a fabulous week,
Hugs,
Sam xxx