So I went in to make my purchase and discussed what pattern to make, got the pattern and headed home. I then decided I was going to start this project right away, not wait to get it for Christmas. In fact, I could not remember the last time I treated myself to anything. This was something I was buying for me, for the simple joy of having something pretty.
And look:
As usual, the vibrant colour is a bit lost in the picture taking, but the colour is just stunning. And I have chosen to make the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark (I tried to find a photo of this pattern with no luck). There is a shop sample of this shawl on display at TS, and every time I go in I am drawn to it, so I knew right away that I had to make that one. This is something that is for me, and it is not something practical. It is knitting simply for the sake of something beautiful.
Yeah...so I tried to cast on. And here's where it gets tricky. It took several attempts to get the cast on through the crochet chain and I am still not 100% sure I did it right. And when I thought I was ready I moved onto the chart. Which may as well be in another language (non-knitters and knitters alike will agree that most knitting patterns are in a language all their own, Knitter-ese if you will, but I have never ever read lace charts before, so I am completely lost). Also, I knew when I bought the yarn that I should have also picked up bamboo needles. But I thought I *might* already have 4mm bamboo needles (I was wrong). But this yarn is just sliding all over the metal needles, making it really difficult to work with, so I'm going to need something with a bit of stick (haha!).
Cheryl at TS did say that if this is my first time that I may want some help with the cast-on and the chart, I nodded, sure in my abilities that I could figure it out. Well, tonight I am going to check out TS's SnB night and get Cheryl to help me. Luckily, I know that she just cast on the same shawl, so I am certain that she'll be able help me out.
Oh, yeah I know that it's not been winded into a lovely centre pull ball. I tried to do that, and the skein got away from me (this is what happens when you try to use your own feet as a swift) and very quickly got itself into a tangled mess. It took me two days to fix it. I finally got it all free last night around 12:30 am. I then tried to wind it into a centre pull ball, but I'll tell you this: the handle of my potatoe masher does not make a very good Nostepinne. In fact, while it looked like it would be a great nostepinne...it would not let go of my yarn. So at 2:30 am I just wound the yarn off the masher and into a ball. Not my favourite way to wind yarn for sure. Can someone please explain to my husband that I need a swift and ball winder for christmas? (I'd settle for just the ballwinder, but only as long as he is willing to be my swift).
Ok, enough rambling for today...I need to go collect my boy and pick up some milk.
3 comments:
My mister's the same way with the LYS. You should have seen him when he took me in for my anniversary present!
That silk is to die, and making a pretty sumthin-sumthin is just the ticket! I'll try to pop in at TS tonight too.
I love that shawl (I've seen it on other blogs) - lovely.
Mr Moe just turns a blind eye to my stash - he said the other day that he is glad that I knit: it makes me happy and keeps me out of trouble. Awe.
I have a feeling it also has something to do with me not bugging him and talking at him incessantly.
Toilet paper rolls make good nostepinnes. In fact, why don't you just long-term-borrow my winder, since I really like the nostepinne and can't remember the last time I used the winder. This is a one time offer, so grab it now!
And, by the way, if you can only get one of the three (nostepinne, swift, winder) get the swift. That frees you up from relying on anyone else, and from using your feet. And you can use the toilet paper roll nostepinne and wind perfect centre pull balls!
Oh, and that funny cast on thing, skip it and cast on 7 stitches. I mean, they only do that so you can't see where the cast on is, but really, it doesn't matter in the long run, and you won't be able to tell anyway!
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