It’s been a while since I posted anything here – I hope that no one was holding her or his breath waiting to see my next project! I’ve still been knitting, however, so I’ve got a few finished things to share. I’ll be playing catch-up over the next few days, posting photos and writing about what I’ve been doing.
My big current project is the South Seas Stole. Since the instant I first saw a photo of this pattern, I’ve wanted to knit it. Tracking down the pattern itself, however, proved challenging; at the time, the designer did not have any information on where to find it on her website. I found it, finally, on Patternfish.
As you can see from the photos, the stitch patterns are very different from most of the lace I’ve knit before. None of them are particularly difficult, so this has been a fun pattern.
The yarn that I’m using for this project has been another adventure. I’ve read Fleegle’s Blog for some time now, and always enjoyed the lace projects. She recently opened a store on Etsy called The Gossamer Web, with lovely hand dyed lace yarns. I’m working the South Seas Stole with a yarn from this site called Love Potion No. 3, a cashmere/silk/merino blend. You can see from the scale of the knitting against my hands in the photos that it’s pretty thin stuff – I think that this is the thinnest yarn I have worked with to date. However, it has been surprisingly easy to knit up, and the knit fabric is wonderfully soft and delicate.
More to come over the next few days, I promise! But for now, it is time for the gratuitous cute hedgehog photo:
Yep, Harold likes to explore our shoes!
Can’t wait to see all those projects! Glad you got some of the Fleegle yarn. She is such a nice person!
Awesome knitting
The Hedgehog is adorable is he your pet??
Joy
What kind of needles do you like for lace knitting? (Please email me back)
Hi Marilyn,
I’m pretty fond of Knitpicks nickel plated needles. I’ve also got a few sets of Addis, both the lace and the regular kind. They’re better for certain yarns, but not all. Addi Turbos are too blunt for me, but I like the finish. Addi lace needles have nice tips, but I hate the gold finish – it’s a bit grippy, and also it reacts with my hands and smells coppery, which is a bit off-putting. I’ve also tried Inox (a bit blunt for me) and Chiagoo (bad joins for lace, OK for larger-gauge projects). I keep going back to my Knitpicks needles, because the tips are good and the finish is right for me. They don’t hold up well; the joins are weak. I modify them by crimping in the very end of the metal sheath with pliers, and as long as I don’t crimp too much they will hold the cable more securely without snagging the yarn.
Lately I’ve had to knit with my right hand, because I sprained my left wrist (I notmall knit Continental). I’ve discovered that I really like sticky bamboo needles for English-method knitting. Normally I hate bamboo needles. So, I suppose that the lesson here is that different knitters will like different needles! What I like might or might not work for you. Experimenting and finding out what works for you is part of the fun – good luck with your lace!
Hi Titanknitter
Have just spent the last few hours reading your blog and adminiring all your beautiful knits – I particularly love the large, intricate shawls – and felt I couldn’t leave without expressing my admiration. I love to knit, but you are way out of my league. Thanks for an interesting, readable blog. I have throughly enjoyed it.