Lace Blather

I’ve been lacing it all over the place this summer. Especially since the case of the missing socks. I’m not a real lace knitter like Jean or Thomas – the works of art I’ve seen on their sites require more focus than I seem to be able to give to knitting at the moment. I’m more of a slapdash lace knitter. Easily memorized repeats – easily covered up errors. I’ll just knit these two together and fake a yarnover and no one will know. Next row, please.

One of the easiest traditional lace patterns to knit is Feather and Fan, also known as Old Shale. I recently made a stole in Feather and Fan in Domy Heather, lovely Michigan yarn, but not readily found, it seems. Too bad, it’s a beautiful yarn and a real value as they say.

When making this stole, I thought I’d start in the middle with a provisional cast on. Then, after the first half was completed, pick up stitches and work in the opposite direction so the stole would be perfectly symmetrical. OK, scratch that word perfectly. Even though the version of  Feather and Fan I was using has three rows of stockinette, the curve produced by the increases and decreases on the lace row is just too strong. I mean, look at this thing, it could head on over to White Lies Designs and pose as lingerie with the cup shaping already done.

Severe blocking did help.

This is a blocking device created by Mr. Guy from a screen door that had to be replaced. A friend walked right thru the screen one summer evening at dusk. During a party…

But really, I don’t think the symmetrical aspect was worth the fuss.

I’m making a Feather and Fan scarf in Malabrigo laceweight that is just one long pattern repeat. I’ll compare and contrast when it’s finished.

The curve produced in lace shaping creates another difficulty. That is the bind off problem. “Bind off loosely” just doesn’t cut it in some cases. Witness this one skein Silara scarf I designed for the shop. It looks quite nice at the cast on edge,

which I did with a backward loop, but even with a very loose bind off the bound off edge looks really poor.

I decided to take out the last few rows, work only 2 rows of garter, then use my trusty ole yarnover bind off. It isn’t listed in any of the books I was browsing through, so I can’t give a reference. I think I discovered it when I was trying to do a suspended bind off and goofed up. I googled for it, and the only place I’ve seen it is from Anne at Knitspot. She has an excellent tutorial on it, so I’m not going to try and take pictures of it. Just go see her post. (A woman who knows her lace. No slapdash faking it for her. She has some mighty nice lace patterns, too!)

Here’s the scarf after – it still has pins from blocking the ends, but I couldn’t even stretch the scarf enough do that before changing to the yarn over bind off.

I’m doing another stole pattern for the shop. This one has what is intended to be built-in blocking assistance. I’ll see how it goes and and post the results.

MLE

Red Scarf Project

I have been trying in vain to put Norma’s cute little GIF

into a sidebar widget, and failing. It’s time for Red Scarf 2008. Check out the blog and note the new timeframe. OFA would like scarves to arrive between September 1, and October 15.I will again be happy to pick up and ship scarves left at the Yarnery in St. Paul.

You might also consider a little donation if you don’t have time to knit a scarf. Norma is giving away some fantabulous prizes. Donate now and get your name in the drawing.

Need more incentive or information before donating?

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: More than 25,000 foster youth age out of state care or run away every year, leaving them without ongoing connection to family members or caring adults.

Foster care youth are :

• less likely to enroll in college preparatory courses (15 percent v. 32 percent) even when they have test scores and grades similar to those of non-foster care youth.
• more likely to drop out of high school (37 percent v. 16 percent).
• less likely to access higher education as young adults.

Research has shown that education is a leading indicator of successful youth development and adult self-sufficiency. Maybe one of these foster care youth will be taking care of your broken hip or finding a cure for Parkinson’s one of these days. Help them get ready to do that.

Sadly Sockless Summer

Perhaps some might call it a Sock-free Summer. I started these beautiful Sea Wool socks in June.

Then, I lost or misplaced (is that the same?) the little zipper pouch. I lost the yarn, one almost-finished sock, two sets of size 1 bamboo needles and one extra long size 1 Addi Turbo. Along with it, I seem to have lost my sock mojo. I have cleaned my office, my car, called my sister to ask her to check under the couch but nothing. No sock pouch, no mojo.

I keep hoping that I’ll show up at a friend’s house and they’ll say, “Hey, you left this last time you were here, and I kept forgetting to call you.” So all of you Sockapalooza, Socket Pal, Swapolicious Sock people keep on posting those pictures, maybe I’ll get inspired again. I did go buy some more Crystal Palace 6” bamboos, my favorites for socks. I’m ignoring them, though. Instead, I’ve been working on another more ‘boy’ baby sweater with Yarni, as well as a couple of lace projects. I hope to get a post together on those soon.
Meanwhile, I am also gardening and riding, so here’s some flower photos:

Shade garden photos (Some serious watering has been required in this time of drought.)

And one of the calves that were finally born in the past few weeks up at the barn. (That bull was some kinda slacker, I guess.) I look at the 10 calves and each day a different one is my favorite. This little guy won the day I had the camera!

Baby on Board with Sweater (finally)

The Yarni lace baby sweater is finished. The pattern is finished, and I finally found a baby the right size (barely) to model. Here’s the adorably solemn Audrey really working it.

I must have taken about 20 shots, and she never cracked a smile, no toothy grin. Just a solemn stare at me and the rest of the world. Not even when her brother, the considerably less solemn but just as adorable Benjamin, demonstrated (among other things) how the tyrannosaurus rex walks

And how the T-rex eats grass.

Then we discussed whether or not carnivores would still eat grass or leaves. Audrey was still not smiling, but probably glad to have the sweater off on this warm morning. Thanks to Sheryl and Shelley for arranging the photo op.

I’m going to teach a class using this pattern in the fall as in introduction to lace knitting, and shaping within a stitch pattern (the underarms) so I also knitted the sweater in DK to fit a toddler, but my model is on vacation.