Handspun Shawl

This is my first FO with some of my handspun. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Ravelry Project Link

The yarn doesn't have much stitch definition, so the lace pattern is a little indistinct. It's supposed to look like a basketweave pattern.

I started this off as a simple stockinette shawl for a "mindless knitting" project. About halfway through I got bored and decided to add a lace border. I had to do quite a bit of re-working to the lace pattern to get it to fit with the increases, but eventually I got it figured out. I was excited about how the edging chart turned out too, it fits in perfectly with the basketweave.

Working with my handspun was a little nerve-wracking because of how thin and underspun the yarn was. One spot got so thin that I even considered frogging back to fix it. Hopefully the yarns I'm currently spinning will be better in that respect.

I have a skein of sportweight I have yet to blog about and I'm currently spinning up 4oz of merino top into some sockweight. I've already finished half of the singles, so I should have some more finished yarn within the next weeks. :)

FO: Aeolian Shawl

Ravelry Project Link

Pattern: Alternative Narrow Edging for Aeolian (used the regular Aeolian Pattern and then this edging because it was shorter than the original and I was ready to be done knitting)

Pattern Size: Kind of did my own thing here:

Yucca Chart: 6 repeats

Transition Chart: 1 repeat

Agave Chart: 1 repeat

Edging: Alternate Edging

Center Back (from CO to tip) Measurement: 22.5"

I started this knit in April but I took several months off, so I only just finished it a few weeks back. I think the amount of stitches is what got me. The final BO took me almost 2 hours (though I do attribute some of that to the fact that I was watching Little Dorrit, and was probably knitting at a much slower speed than usual)

I love how the final piece looks, it's just gorgeous. I'm a little unhappy with the yarn that I used though (Knit Picks Shadow) because even though it's a fine yarn and the colour is great (I love heathers) it has a tendency to be "sticky", which leads to "felty" and with a piece that I put so much time into, I wish the yarn was higher quality.

Overall though, I'm happy. :)

Swallowtail Shawl

Project Details:

Ravelry Project Page

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Laceweight (colourway: Maize, 1 skein only, but it was close!)

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark

Needle: Knit Picks size 3 (3.25mm) 47" circ Mods: Enlarged following the instructions here.

Timeline: Took me 10days to knit, plus one to block. Went very fast indeed, even though the final stitch count was approx. 406sts!

I really enjoyed this knitting this shawl, the border helped keep it interesting. The finished product is very, very delicate, more so than my Shetland Triangle. It seems to have a definite Victorian air about it.

As for the dreaded nupps (rhymes with soups), I actually didn't have any trouble at all. Before beginning I watched this video on the Knitting Daily website, and found it very helpful.

Stylistically, bobbles and bobble-like elements aren't really my thing, but I actually really like the nupps, I think it helps that they are knit in laceweight as it then creates a fairly delicate look.