Triinu Scarf

 

 

This is the Triinu Scarf, from Nancy Bush’s Knitted Lace of Estonia. This is the second project I’ve made from that book, and it certainly won’t be the last – I think that I could happily make every project in the book, and then start playing with the included stitch dictionary. I knit this scarf with two skeins of Misti Alpaca laceweight, and size 4 needles. The Misti Alpaca was likewise a joy to work with. It’s great to combine good yarn with such an enjoyable pattern!

I normally tend to tweak patterns to fit my particular tastes, but I largely left  this one alone, with the exception of not slipping the first stitch in each row. I used to always slip the first stitch of every row, which makes a nice, neat edge, but I’ve had a few lace projects develop tight edges during blocking.  At this point I’ve knit enough lace that my edged stay neat regardless, and I value the more flexible edge because I typically stretch my lace to the limits while blocking.

I also took some liberty while blocking, and blocked a scalloped edge on the scarf. I thought that it made for a more unified look between the narrow, lace ends, and the garter-stitch long edges. It also meant that I got to use about 200 fewer pins! I finished this while traveling, and blocked it out at my mother’s house in Ohio. My blocking wires, alas, were at home in Texas, so I made do with straight pins from her quilting supplies. I don’t think that I would have even considered a scalloped edge if I had blocked it at home, so it worked out OK; I really like the scarf with the scallops.

A little too quiet.

 

 

Ned.

July 6, 2008 – June 25, 2009.

 

Our living room has become very quiet at night.

House!

Winter Mittens in the Spring

I love knitting mittens. However, I hate knitting the thumbs. So, typically, I knit up the mittens until I’m ready to do the thumbs and then stick them at the bottom of my work basket until I feel guilty enough about the unfinished project to tackle the thumbs.

The thumb-guilt set in a few weeks ago, so finally, my mother-in-law gets the mittens I started for her last Thanksgiving.

For these mittens, I used a skein of Cascade 220 for the light tan color, and a skein of Arucania Nature Wool for the dark color. The Arucania is slightly varigated. I was a little concerned about the varigation not working well, but the backs of the mittens came out OK, and the crosshatching on the palms looks really neat.

Now to get to the post office and mail them to Wisconsin…

Happy spring!

I heard through the grapevine that a few of my friends and family Up North were wondering what had happened to my blog. Well, what has happened is that I’m having a very busy spring! After 18 months or so of going back and forth to doctors, we finally seem to have my migraines under control and I am feeling much better overall. This means that I am able to take on an increased workload and more commitments in general, which translates to less knitting and less blogging about knitting. I’m not about to give up either pursuit, but I’m not able to spend 20 hours a week on those things any more as I was. Overall, this is a Very Good Thing. I feel healthy and strong for the first time in a long, long time.

So, what have I been so busy doing?

• As I said, I’m teaching lots more. I have some awesome students this year. Three of my middle school students are taking solos to contest that are off of the high school list! It’s hard to believe that I have a 7th grader playing a Mozart rondo, and playing it well, but it’s true.
• One of my great regrets regarding my college education was that I was not able to take any additional math classes. I tested out of the courses required for my major, and was never able to fit a math elective into my schedule. So, last fall I trotted over to the local community college and signed up for a trigonometry class this spring. I would have preferred to take calculus, but after 10 years of not doing any math, I forgot a lot of stuff and was told that I should start with trig. I’m doing great in the class and it’s fun, but I’m doing 10-12 hours of homework each week in addition to attending class, which in addition to work makes for a busy schedule.
• We’re buying a house! Because my husband is working so much overtime these days, I’ve been handling most of the logistics here, which at times has added significantly to both my workload and my stress level. The house is in central Austin, but details are otherwise top secret until we close in early May.
• My husband and I will be visiting our families in early June this year, in time to catch my cousin’s high school graduation in Columbus. When we visit we like to take up small gifts. This year we’ll be bringing lots of homemade soap. We started making soap over the winter and are pretty pleased with the most recent batch, which my mom helped out with during her recent trip to visit us. I hope that everyone likes soap that smells like lavender and vanilla! As you can see, we have a LOT of soap – this recipe made 10 pounds!
• And, last but not least, we are still having great fun with Ned. Have a good spring, everyone!