Granada shawlette

Without any preamble I'm going to launch into posting to my blog again.

Here are some pictures of a shawlette I made up and knitted in a lovely yarn by Janet Renouf-Miller of Create with Fibre based in Dalmellington. I had bought some of her yarns from the Galloway Craft Guild Shop in Castle Douglas earlier this summer. It's described as a sock yarn, a fairly heavyweight one, I'd say, but as ever I cannot resist sea greens and blues.

I cast this shawlette on on the train between Madrid and Granada, where I was having a study visit. On that train ride I was full of anticipation and a little trepidation wondering what my two weeks in Granada would hold.Well, I had an absolutely WONDERFUL time- I learned so much, met some fantastic people and saw the really beautiful city of Granada from up-close. I knitted bits of this scarfy shawlette while I was there, while I was on the train back to Madrid, and when I got back home.

Every time I wear it I will think of my wonderful experience in Granada, and all the friends I made there.

In a future blog post I'll tell you about how inspired I was by the tile-work of the Alhambra, but for the moment- Granada Shawlette! x K

Blocked and ready for take-off!

Here's Multnomah washed, blocked and ready to face the spring breezes.

I am pleased with this and think the shades in it will complement lots of different colours and look great against good old black.

Down in Galloway for the long weekend for Spring Fling

http://www.spring-fling.co.uk/

Ready to face what the weather holds as we check out some studios, some old favourites, and no doubt some new to us. Enjoy the Bank Holiday if you're getting it. x K

Copy-cat knitting

It's not often you see me knit a garment in the recommended yarn, never mind in the same colour as the published pattern, although some people swear by it.

This case is the exception, I'm making "Feeling Good" by Sarah Hatton, published in Simply Knitting August 2010.

Thanks to Ravelry I know that there are errors in the published pattern, such as the lacy panels on the fronts are identical and not mirrored. These are the kind of helpful things that are easy enough to fix if you know in advance to look out for them, so thank-you Rav.

I'm making it in Rowan Purelife Revive in shade Quartz. I have used this yarn before in a Montego Bay-type scarf which I've yet to show you.

I've bought extra yarn because I agree with the designer when she says in the magazine article that she thinks

it would be nice with kimono sleeves.I've never had great upper arms, and now I'm forty, well... they ain't gettin' any better, so, cover-up it is.

And thank-you for your kind comments about Swoony Multnomah. It has had a nice bath and I hope to have some modelled shots to show you over the long weekend.

That is, if I get a long-weekend, curse you Jury Service. x K

Multnomah Preview

Dodging the April-style showers to take a couple of snaps of a little shawlette I've recently finished.

These are the unblocked shots of my Multnomah by Kate Elsa of HelloKnitty.net.

A lovely little knit which was a pleasure to make in the Colorimetry Swoony Sport yarn I bought at The Life Craft in Glasgow.

I made some minor

modifications- I slipped the first stitch of every row, and I introduced a half-repeat of the feather and fan pattern when I had enough stitches, rather than having fields of garter stitch at the sides and centre. This has resulted in more of a pull on central column rather than the straight as a die lines in the original, but I don't regret it. I just kept going until I ran out of yarn which resulted in a few extra repeats. I'm going to give it a wee bath and then put up some nice blocking and blocked shots.

Winter Warmer

Question: What do you do when you like the look of a fair isle scarf from M & S advertised in the paper, but when you see it in-store you realise that although it's lovely, there's something not quite right about it?

Answer: You make one of your own of course!

Mine doesn't really look anything like the original of course because I only used that a spring-board, but I love it all the same. And because I wanted a bolder look I used a unifying background colour (except when I felt more contrast was needed) rather than also changing background colours as in traditional fair isle knitting.

I used some patterns from the thankfully reprinted Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting, combining them as desired, although once the sequence was set, I stuck with it. It all looks different though because the colours were also cycling round too, and by design I didn't get the same motif in the same colour more than once.

I learned a lot about the reading of fair isle charts. Basically the contrast colour is either on or it's off and once I got into my rhythm I was motoring ahead.

I am on the laptop here and don't have all my photos in the drive, but there are plenty more views either on Ravelry or on Flickr for those without Ravelry accounts.

Edit: I should also add that this finished object owes something to Kaffe Fassett's Lidiya Scarf from Rowan 48. (No links but that info should enable you to find it.) End edit.

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the Christmas season. x K

Beautiful prize

Look at this beautiful prize I have won!
It's an Ishbel shawlette, in Malabrigo Sock yarn, Tinzano red.
I was knitted by Paula, A Celtic Stitcher , who made it as a prize for those who donated to her Race for Life fund-raiser.

I am absolutely thrilled with it- the yarn is luscious, the stitching is immaculate, and the pattern is a modern classic.

Here's a link to the page where P outlines the project and has some lovely photos. Linky














Real-life friend Paula has produced some beautiful knitting, as well as raising funds for a great cause. Thank-you very much for both :-D
If you see anyone swanning about wearing an RFL Ishbel neck-kerchief style, thinking she's the Queen of Sheba- that'll be me!!!
Aren't I the lucky one? x K