One Down. Two to Go.

The fishtail scarf made from Paton's Silk Bamboo is finally finished.  Hallelujah!  And I was right in my calculations:  it reaches approximately 52 inches unblocked (perhaps I can squeeze out another inch or two with blocking?).  A deep sense of relief washed over me as I cast off the final stitch.  Perhaps it was because this scarf started off as something else here and then had to be ripped out; maybe it was because other projects seemed more interesting; or maybe its 'cuz this one is for my mom and I was plagued by doubts over whether she would truly appreciate it . . . .  At least I only have two other items left to finish for Christmas and then I can focus on other projects--non-holiday related projects.

There's a big bag of Christmas knits that need darned ends or a little seaming or perhaps a button or two, but at least I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm actually quite proud of myself for having completed so much and for staying some what on the long and narrow path--and it was a long, long path 'cuz my Christmas knitting began in August! 

Happy knitting :)

Experimenting . . .

Since I've started blogging, I think my photography skills have improved--relative to where I was when I started.  Reading the manual, playing with the camera settings and checking out tips at various photo blogs are hopefully netting me good pictures.  Personally I'm attracted to beautiful pictures; most of the knitting and crafting blogs I enjoy reading and return to repeatedly have wonderful pictures.  Nothing can make--or break--a blog like good photography.

Then I came across an excellent link from one of the blogs I follow; over at Green Apples Stitchywitch (who incidently has great pics) had an awesome link here regarding how to build a lightbox.  I bookmarked it.  Winter is fast approaching.  With dwindling daylight  and frigid temperatures, I needed more options other than taking pictures outside.  That just isn't gonna work in minus -20C!  As soon as I find the right size box, I'd like to build my own lightbox.

The information in the link got me thinking: where in my house can I find better light?  Then the light bulb in my head went off (sorry for the bad pun): over my washing machine and dryer I have a fluorescent bulb.  White bristol board covered up the machinery. Then I photographed some yarn and knitting.  What do you think?  I took these pictures at night.

By the way, that's my fishtail lace scarf (remember from here and here?)  Reinforcements arrived in the mail a little over a week ago: 3 new balls of Patons Silk Bamboo in moss.  I've already gone through one ball.  Only two left.  And guess what? 

My scarf has just passed the halfway point.  I'm aiming for 52" and at 27.5" I can honestly say I see light at the end of the tunnel.  Oh joy!

Reinforcements Have Arrived!

My Bamboo Fusion order from Elann.com arrived today! Yippee! It took approximately one week and one day, which really isn't a very long wait. More importantly, I got the same dye lot! How awesome is that? No alternating skeins.

And my bamboo arrived just in time. My second scarf project also just ran out of yarn. I would have had two projects with no way to move forward! (Hmmm . . . there are a lot of exclamations points in this post, n'est pas? Too much excitement?)

Remember my frogged scarf made from Patons Silk Bamboo? I had recycled that silk bamboo into the fishtail scarf. I don't recall the length of the frogged scarf before its unfortunate demise, but this fishtail one is approx 13". So if one ball makes 13", then 4 balls should give me approximately 52". Does that sound right (have I mentioned my "issues" with math? Number phobia? Fear of failure? Whatever the reason, numbers make me nervous. Perhaps a left-brain/right brain sort of thing . . . but I digress)? I hope 52" is plenty long. The tape measure said it was long enough, so I'm gonna go with that.

I figure I'm still on track for getting these knits completed in time for Christmas. September hasn't even begun yet (not until tomorrow anyways). I'm off to a good start--as long as I don't add anymore projects to the list.

Later,
:)

Lots of Lacy Goodness

I can't believe my initial trepidation regarding lace (see link here). If you've ever considered experimenting with lace, my advice: go for it! There are lots of easy lace patterns out there to get your feet wet. There's even a beginner lace group on Ravelry that has a list of easy lace projects (if you're a knitter/crocheter/spinner and you're not yet on Ravelry, what are you waiting for? The best knit/crochet/fibre resource online, bar none).


Remember when I wasn't sure what to make next (see link here) ? Well I've actually completed two projects! Remember that lilac acrylic? I only needed one ball to finish the lacy hat. Using an old knit-pattern-a-day calendar, I found Grace's Lacy Star Hat (found on Oct 28 2008). Since I still had another ball left over, I also cast on for a matching cowl using the Fishtail Hat (found on Feb 19 2008). Obviously I've modified the hat by casting on one less pattern repeat width-wise, making the item shorter and omitting the decreases. Enjoyed the fishtail pattern so much, I may have to make the hat at some point with perhaps a matching scarf for myself.

I've also started my second lace scarf. My yarn of choice was Elann's Bamboo Fusion. It's a little splitty, but feels very nice. Although I've only just begun, the bamboo looks good thus far into the Ferns and Lace Scarf pattern (free download on Ravelry). The instructions/chart are easy to follow (bonus: you can always contact the designer on Ravelry if you get stuck).

Back to knitting . . .