My Luck Holds

I have really good luck knitting from stash. First, I had that one lonely ball of light blue Kidsilk Haze, and then Knitty published the Ice Queen pattern. Now, I have one lonely skein of Misti Alpaca lace weight, and Knitting Daily decides to give away the Swallowtail Shawl pattern for free. I can't wait to start!

I haven't been able to knit much lately, but I did finish my second Ice Queen. The crystal beads on the light blue one really did look like ice, but on this one (a very pretty light green; much lighter than the picture) they look like dew drops. Very Elvish! The blue one was for my youngest daughter, the green one is for my middle daughter, and I've started one for my oldest daughter in a lovely dark teal. The beads are looking like ice on this one, too.

I was wondering what to do when I finished the third Ice Queen, since I only have three daughters. But now I know: I'll make a Swallowtail! For me!

Then maybe I'll be confident enough to start something from Victorian Lace Today.

Some Much Needed Excitement

Knitting has been pleasant but rather tame lately. I made a couple of dishcloths. I made progress on my grey tweed socks. I started another Knitting Pure and Simple Baby Cardigan. But today, along with a new set of KnitPicks Options, my copy of this arrived:

Now it can get exciting!

Not Hooked

Well, I finished my Seraphina's Shawl. I love the shawl and had no trouble remembering how to crochet, but I still like knitting better.

Apparently, there are people in my hometown who like to knit too. They've gone and knitted cozies for all their trees! Check it out.

Also Done!

Finished Project! Here is the lovely Aurora, modeling her completed Ice Queen. This was a very fun knit, and I am very happy with how it turned out. So, while visiting Boone, NC, I went to Laura’s Yarn-Tastic and bought yarn for Ice Queens for my other 2 daughters.
And some aptly-named Miss Babs Yummy SuperWash Sock and Baby Yarn in the Mallard colorway.

Then, before I could cast on for another Ice Queen I was distracted by all the lovely pictures of the Seraphina Shawl on Ravelry. Before I knew it this happened: I hadn’t crocheted in years, but it all came back to me as soon as I picked up a hook. This is James C. Brett “Marble” Acrylic DK weight yarn, color MT9 (variegated dark reds), picked for its smooshiness and machine washability. This is going to be the shawl I leave at work for those days when I just can’t get warm. And, at the pace I’m going I’ll be all done and ready to cast on another Ice Queen before the weekend is over.

Done!

I'm getting in lots of pleasant knitting time these days because a friend of mine loaned me the entire Brother Cadfael series . Usually if I love the book I will hate the screen adaptation, but these are wonderful. Perfect sets, costumes, music, and casting. (Well... perfect casting for the most part. I loved Hugh in the first season; not so much the later Hugh.)

While watching Medieval intrigue, I finished Clapotis!
I had become a bit confused with the Ice Queen and put it aside for a while. I was afraid I'd make a mess of it in my frustration. But when I picked it back up I saw the problem right away, fixed it easily, and now it's going great. Hope I can finish it in time for Aurora to wear it this year.

Booorrring!

I don't have anything to take pictures of, and I don't have much to blog about, because I'm still knitting my Clapotis. I'm starting to think that "Clapotis" means "never ending" in French.

But at least it's a great project for DVD watching. There hasn't been that much on TV lately, so I've been revisiting all my favorite movies. Tonight, I think it will be "Sense and Sensibility".

I'm off to sigh over Colonel Brandon....

Torn Between Two Projects

I started an Ice Queen last week for Aurora, and I’m loving it. But I wanted something that didn’t require so much attention. Something to knit while watching movies. So, I went to the yarn shop, bought yarn in a colorway I love, and cast on a Clapotis. Now I’m obsessed with both of them!

The Capotis yarn is Dover, by Idena, and it’s kind of like an upscale Lion Brand Homespun. I think Homespun is attractive in a project but hard to work with because it is basically acrylic fuzz wrapped in string. Dover is wool and acrylic wrapped in string. It is a little easier to work with. And such pretty colors!

I think I’ll go knit a few more rows on Clapotis now. No, Ice Queen. No, Clapotis…