FO: Faux Spanish Lace Shawl

I just finished Mmario's Faux Spanish Lace Shawl. I learned of Mmario and his lace designs through Men Who Knit and this particular pattern which he created as a beginner's lace project. Mmario also has a Yahoo Group called MMarioKKnits where he offers patterns and discussion of his designs from the simple Faux Spanish Lace to a variety of sublimely intricate lace work. While knitting the Liesel scarf I was considering getting a t-shirt which read "not now" or "just let me finish this row", but Faux Spanish Lace can be memorized in no time and I could actually converse, watch a movie or even put it down and know what I was doing when I picked it back up.

I loved knitting this shawl so much that I am considering doing it again with a variation as well as using laceweight. I used worsted weight this time because I wanted it to be a sturdy, warm Winter shawl for my grandmother.

Here are the specs:

Project: Faux Spanish Lace Shawl

Pattern Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MMarioKKnits/

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool (Solids)

Yarn Color: Scarlet

Yardage Used: 419 Meters (458.2 Yards) Almost Three Skeins

Fiber Content: 100% Wool

Needles: 6.5mm Knit Picks Harmony Options (US10.5)

Finished Dimensions: 155cm (61") across the top X 91cm (36") down the center

Date Started: March 15th

Date Finished: April 15th (it doesn't really take a month but I was lazy and I don't count an object finished until ends are sewn in and it is blocked... in other words I procrastinated).

Care Instructions: Hand Wash Cool Water, Dry Flat, Do Not Wring

Notes: Mmario had posted to Men Who Knit that it had come to his attention that the chart for this pattern was printed incorrectly (the written instructions are however correct). I don't know if this has been fixed on the PDF file or not but it may be worthwhile to compare it to the written instructions if you are using the chart (using charts is something I avoid like the plague).

And finally the whole shebang. I didn't have a model and my shoulders are way too broad for a shawl so the lat bar of my home gym kindly obliged...

FO: Liesel Scarf

The Liesel Scarf is blocked, unpinned and ready to be giftwrapped to give to my mom on Easter Sunday. Here are the specs...

Pattern: Liesel by Mary Joy Gumayagay

Made For: Mom

Needles: KP Harmony Interchangeables size US8/5.0mm

Fiber: 100% Wool

Fiber Weight: Worsted

Fiber Brand: Lion Wool by Lion Brand

Colorway: Winter White

Fiber Amount: 271 Meters (296 yards)

Finished Size: 150cm (59") x 23cm (9")

Liesel Scarf

Well I finally managed to complete Mary Joy Gumayagay's Liesel scarf. I am very pleased with the project, the pattern is well written and no problem to figure out, although I had some trouble at the beginning with the SK2PO (slip one stitch, knit two stitches together, pass slipped stitch over), I can't remember what I assumed it meant but my knitting posse at Men Who Knit cleared everything up for me.

Don't think it was all wine and roses, Liesel and I started off on the wrong foot. This was my first "big boy" pattern, life before Liesel was all knit, purl and not much else. I was determined to get through this however. I started Liesel on some aluminum (I don't like metal), straights which were the only thing I had at the time in that size. What resulted was bursts of progress and then a mistake of some sorts would send the thing flying into the frog pond. "Great" I thought, I would have to lock myself up like a hermit if I were to ever make some serious progress with this (that's when I learned about using a lifeline). Then something new came along to halt this project, I ordered my KnitPicks Options Interchangeable Harmony Wood Circular Knitting Needle Set, surely after frogging it yet again I could wait until my fancy new needles arrived and dump those aluminum straights. Well, as it turns out the size I needed for the Liesel Scarf was in place and I was happily knitting away when I found there was a defect in one of the tips which snagged unrelentingly at the wool. So another wait was eminent, thankfully Knit Picks took care of the problem in no time at all. Finally, with no more excuses, Liesel was under way toward the end of February. As I type this entry, it is done. Liesel is blocking on my ironing board right this very moment, as a matter of fact, my hands are still pruny and smell of wool wash.

As a beginner, I learned some good lessons from this pattern. Here's a little rundown...

• When dealing with patterns composed of various stitches/techniques, keep count of your stitches! I double checked at the end of each row that I had the correct number on the needles. I also went through each row of the pattern and wrote down the number of stitches that should be left on the needles at completion of that row. This made life so much easier.
  


• I made myself a large-type printout of this pattern in an easy to read font with lots of space between rows. I put said pattern on my clipboard and was ready for action (this stopped me from knitting half of row 6 and finishing it with half of row 7).
  


• SK2PO means Slip One Stitch, Knit Two Stitches Together, Pass Slipped Stitch Over
  


• Using a lifeline is as vital as the name suggests. I used a length (not too short or it may pull through) of black cotton embroidery floss after each pattern repeat. This way if I had to frog, I only had to rip down to the string which also let me know how my stitches should go back on the needles. I used embroidery floss as it is less likely to get in the way when knitting the row above it, embroidery floss also doesn't (shouldn't) shed, getting odd colored fibers into your work. Think about it, why would you want to frog an entire project when you could get away with frogging only a couple of rows?
  


• The felted join is a fabulous way to start a new ball (assuming that the yarn you are using can be felted)
  


• Knitting the tail of your Cast On into your work with the first couple stitches (no need to weave in one end at least).
  


• Duplicate Stitching as a means to neatly weave in the remaining yarn end(s).
  


• And finally, I've learned that my ironing board isn't such a great blocking board. I really need to come up with something different.

All in all I am very happy with my Liesel scarf. This is the first project I am super proud of. I will post some specs as well as pictures of the finished scarf soon. Also, to my fellow newbie knitters; dive in the deep end. I highly recommend it. Choose a project that seems just a bit too advanced for you and get yourself through it no matter what. I guaranty you will be pleased with the lessons you've learned.

I Am Wool

No, I'm not making a Zen knitting statement, I just took the "Which Fiber Are You" quiz at the Pottercraft site and it tells me that I am wool. Finally I know my destiny. Really though, it's a fun quiz and if you email them with your results as the subject and your postal address as the body of the message they will send you a free button so you can tell the world.
So what does it mean to be wool like me? Well according to the quiz results it is this:

Wool – Resilient and extensible“Wool is extremely resilient and highly extensible…you can stretch it a third of its length, or two-thirds when wet, and it’ll recover to its original shape.” –The Knitter’s Book of Yarn
Wools have a very peaceable and amenable personality. You are a social animal and tend to prefer the company of others over solitude. You are agreeable and rarely on the wrong side of an argument. You are not a fighter but you are strong. You are resilient and don't let things bend you out of shape, and you can show a lot of self-restraint when necessary.

Perhaps so, though I would have to disagree on the dislike of solitude. In public, the more the merrier but when I walk in the door to my house it's like walking into my own hermitage. Save for Tom, the dogs and the cat I really just want to be left alone most of the time.

*** Update - 1, February 2008 ***

I just received my free "I'm Wool" button from Potter Craft. It looks just like the picture at the top of this blog. Someone even wrote "Enjoy!" on the card to which it was attached. I'm a sucker for personal touches, they melt my cold little heart.

Counting My Chickens Before They've Hatched

The US government is in the process of approving a tax rebate for citizens who meet certain criteria in order to boost the economy. The original plan was an $800 check, but it's looking like $600 is going to be the amount if in fact it is approved. Nonetheless, I'll take it! Though I take everything our government says with a proverbial grain of salt, I'm jumping the gun on this one. Maybe it's the winter doldrums, maybe it's the after holiday poverty or maybe it's the promise of several hundred dollars worth of knitting books and supplies! Tom and I tend to be very simple, practical people who don't splurge on much of anything. Even our income tax returns never go towards anything fun; they go toward things we need, not things we simply want. Tom and I decided that this would be "free" money for us, we can each spend our half however we please. Of course this had me poring through knitting catalogs/websites as well as my Amazon wishlist in order to compose what I called my "$800 List". Well, it looks like I'll be paring the list down a bit but I'm not upset, after all it is money that I wasn't even expecting. I was only at an estimated $700 of my $800 list anyway. At least I didn't get too carried away.

Why Am I Here?

No, this isn't a theological question. I started this blog as sort of a journal of my progress (and lulls), on my quest to become a knitter. Yes, as I write this entry I can technically knit. I can cast-on a few different ways, knit, purl, yarn over, PSSO, sk2tog etc. with the best of them. I can determine gauge and even follow a pattern, but it's all completely new to me. I still consider myself a beginner.
I have done several types of needle arts through the years and some time ago, I decided that I should learn to knit. I didn't know anyone who actually knitted so I made a poor attempt at it myself and soon tired of trying to figure it out.
In 2007, I made a connection that I never made before, knitting + Internet = virtually unlimited information. I spend at least an hour a day on the Internet looking up one thing or another and it never occurred to me to look up knitting. I soon discovered a handful of websites that make up my knitting arsenal. If someone were to ask me how to knit, I would tell them to buy a skein of yarn, a pair (or two or three), of needles and to log onto Knitting Help. Honestly, with the exception of a little book of various stitches I bought in the craft section of a local department store, I have yet to buy a knitting book because of Knitting Help.
I also found Men Who Knit, an online community for... you guessed it, Men who knit! This is a fantastic community with lots of friendly, helpful fellow knitters. It was some of the guys on Men Who Knit who inspired me to knit something other than garter or stockinette stitches. They are bold and creative and unafraid to try new projects, even if they have to frog the thing and start all over they are cool headed and determined. I think if I hadn't found this site I would be knitting garter stitch scarves for the rest of my knitting life.
So after all of this searching and learning, I started by making swatches (with the occasional garter stitch scarf for good measure). My swatches were for practicing new stitches and techniques, the scarves also had their merits. Some people frown upon a garter stitch scarf as a "waste project" but honestly I learned from them, I learned how to cast on, how to cast on neatly, how to knit, how to keep a good tension, and how to cast off. Because I used nice yarn for the scarves (I use cheap crap for the swatches), I also had some nice scarves to keep (just one), and give away as much appreciated gifts (the gushing over them made me blush because it was such a simple process to make them).
To get you up to date with me, I am currently working on Mary Joy Gumayagay's Liesel scarf pattern, and naturally learning quite a bit from it. I am frogging the thing for the last time (I swear), and starting over. Here's one of my lessons, I "discovered" the life line, the strand of contrasting thread you weave through the last row of work in a repeat so if and when you screw up the next time you don't have to frog the whole blessed thing. I felt like man discovering fire when I came across that one. I was beginning to have nightmares involving the Liesel scarf.
Well, that's pretty much my story thus far. Also, if anybody actually reads this, look me up on Ravelry as well, I'm on there as Asbjorn (sans umlaut).