Clapotis

Design: Clapotis

Designer: Kate Gilbert - in Knitty, free pattern can be found here

Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha

Fibre: 40% Silk, 30% Lambswool, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon

Colour: Garnet (22)
Needles: 5mm

This rather luxurious yarn would have normally been outside my budget, but The Wool Baa had it on sale. And the feel of it ... so lovely, and the colour was 'me' and I'd wanted to knit a Clapotis for ages and so I indulged - it wasn't terribly cheap, even on sale.

Jill, the lovely owner of The Wool Baa gave me some hints on working the Clapotis so that I didn't have to faff with stitch markers and twisted stitches - I basically just purled each stitch to drop - and this worked up pretty quickly.

And then disappointment set in. It was very comfortable and the colour sings - but I felt it was a bit too plain for me. I think I had 'Post Project Slump Syndrome'. But I persevered and wore it all through the autumn. And the comments wouldn't stop coming, from a friend you'd spotted me across the Peace Gardens because I was wearing this to the young guy 'chugging' in the city centre who just thought it was amazing.

And now I love it. And I want another one, perhaps in purple or plum. And probably in a yarn which has some colour variation.

And if you're lucky, I might post a picture of me wearing that one, and not my kitchen door modelling it!

Luna Moth Shawl

Design: Luna Moth Shawl

Designer: Elann

Yarn: Sirdar Blur

This is quite a sad little tale, really. This was my first ever shawl that I knit, back in January this year,  and I knitted it surprisingly quickly,with only a few mis-steps, and it was destined to be a gift for my BFF for her 40th birthday. And then the Royal Mail lost it.

I just hope that, wherever it it now, it is being loved and cherished, and wasn't just tossed in a bin ...

Golden Luna Moth Shawl

Design: Luna Moth - Freebie Pattern Available Here

Designer: Elann

Yarn: Golden Mohair Type - found in a charity shop

Needles: 5.5mm-7.5mm

Okay, I'm so far behind in posting my knitting finishes that it's quite embarassing - I finished this on our knitting retreat to York back in March! The picture was taken in the garden of the Youth Hostel there... It was taken preblocking, too, it's grown since then!

This was a pretty quick knit, relatively speaking - I started with 5.5mm needles and increased the size as I did pattern repeats, ending up with 7.5mm needles, so this got to be quite the monster! Add in glowing golden yarn and ... well, it's distinctive, I'll give it that! I haven't worn it much, as it's definitely an autumn/winter wear - and it's currently in the props basket at work, as it was used as 'grannie's shawl' when we performed recently...

The design is fairly straightforward and clearly written. I would do it again, but using smaller needles and a less 'in your face' yarn!

Kiri Shawl

This is the shawl before blocking. Relaxed, it was 62 inches at the widest point, and 29 inches down the 'spine'.

Here it is, taking over most of my living room. At this point, it was 81 inches wide, and 36 inches down the spine. I wet blocked it, and having not done that before, was quite surprised just how much the wool stretched. The sheet prevented the carpet from getting too soggy...

I'm glad I had an appointment to get my hair coloured after pinning this out, I don't think I could have resisted leaving it alone otherwise!

Design: Kiri
Designer: Polly Outhwaite of All Tangled Up. Pattern available here (free)
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn, 2 x 100g skeins.
Total cost: £18.50
Needles: 4mm circular, used as straights

The finished product. It's softer and warmer than I thought it would be knitting it up.

This shawl took a couple of weeks of effort to knit, and it was my focus project. At the end, there were over 450 stitches in a row. The Noro was easier to work with than the mohair I used for my first shawl, and the uneven texture doesn't really show, especially after blocking. I'm not sure that I would use this yarn for socks, though.

I wish the edges had scalloped a little more, but otherwise, I'm very happy with this.

I like the colour changes, and it gives off a very spring like vibe. Fortunately, I was able to join in the second ball with only a little wastage, and I have enough left over for a pair of fingerless mitts or similar.

The pattern was very easy to follow, and the regular repeats meant it was easy to track and correct mistakes, although I generally did that by fudging rather than ripping everything back. I can't see the mistakes in it now, and if I can't then no-one will notice!

I'm going to take great care of this, I don't want to lose it like the last shawl I made! I've spotted a lovely fabric rose pin in just the right shade of pink to wear with this ... over the top? Maybe, but there will certainly be no one else wearing such a shawl :o)

Blocked

I've just blocked out my Kiri shawl, and I'm waiting for it to dry ...

I can't believe I've made something so big - and so pretty!

Waiting with bated breath now...