Shawl progress and completed socks

Somehow I managed to finish Amy's socks and complete the center part of the shawl within the same 24 hour period. In a way, I feel very productive having done this, although I don't think I would haven't chosen it to be this way. I like starting something new when I still have an old friend to come back to at the same time. But, the result? Pictures!


So do you guys like seeing pictures? Cause I often find that I can't decide on what angle to show. I just want to show them all. I like to see pics on people's blogs, so I hope you do too. Is there a reason to limit pictures?


Anyway... So, I completed chart 3 on the Flowing River Shawl. I had taken about a week off from the shawl at one point since I got discouraged after a mishap. Happily though, I fixed it and progress continued.

(Yes, that's a Holiday Inn pen on top of the shawl- to give some scale to the pic. No endorsement of Holiday Inn is intended...although I did choose IT over a Travelodge pen...hmmmm.)

At the end of chart 3 you bind off and then pick up stitches along the bottom two edges of the triangle to make the border. I am now stuck at this point since I don't seem to quite understand the directions. I'm fairly new to this, so I probably have it confused. But, when I do the math for the directions, I come up with 1 fewer stitches than I'm supposed to get. I have emailed the designer and am hoping for some pointers to get me back on my feet.



Unfortunately, I committed a grave error at one point and glided over a crucial direction. I'm meant to bind off WITHOUT BREAKING YARN!!! Well, I read that, but then decided that Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off would be perfect for the lace. Somehow I conveniently forgot (until I completed the bind-off) that the breaking-of-yarn required in that bind-off contradicts the no-breaking-of-yarn required. So, I'm not sure what I'll do now. Silk doesn't weave in easily. I don't want a knot in it either though. IDEAS ANYONE? Can I weave it in somehow after all?


For a short time however, I'm content to just enjoy the stage I'm at. It's fun to have it off the needles for a bit.

and...SOCKS! Prior to Christmas, my best friend Amy and I had a good conversation that helped us both relax. We agreed that we wouldn't stress to get each other Christmas presents by Christmas Day itself. This has felt very good, since I wanted to do something special for Amy, but knew I wouldn't have time before Christmas. Knitting these socks has been a joy; they helped me contemplate on her, our relationship, and aspects of the ways we relate. This colorway jumped out at me as THE socks for her, even though I didn't necessarily think of them as her colors. For reasons that are too complex to discuss on a blog, I have come to feel that this skein was, and is, the perfect yarn for her socks.

Happily, I present...Amy's socks.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill "Supersock", colorway "Northern Lights".

I used size 1 DPNS (except size 0 for the cuff, as I usually do nowadays).

I really like this yarn. As everyone says, it's very squishy and has strong stitch definition. These are solid socks, but still very soft. CTH impressed me and I will definitely be using them again. Since I've been knitting socks, I think I've had happy things to say about every brand I've tried. However, as I try more and more, I realize that some I had tried at the beginning aren't necessarily my favorite anymore. CTH showed me a quality in sock yarn that I like- the stitch definition and the solid, squishy feel. I didn't think I liked stitch definition, but I do. The sock itself feels like it holds up better somehow.

I balled up some Autumn House Farm yarn today. These will be for ME! I actually have no socks for myself at this point. I'm very excited. This yarn looks happy.

The next installment: Flowing River Shawl and CTH sock

I've completed the 2nd chart for the flowing river shawl, and my adoration continues. This is really my first time knitting something lacy and complex that doesn't repeat much. It continues to inspire me with the surprises in each row. "Hey! those K2tog stitches made THAT! Cool!" I also really like the silk lace- so light and airy, but still soft.

I've also been continuing on the Cherry Tree Hill socks- both because I need to get out this late Christmas gift, and also as a way to balance out the complexity of the shawl with the simplicity of the socks.

I really like this yarn. It's squishy and soft, and nice and round. It feels like there's something to this yarn. The Trekking, while lovely, was still kind of thin for me, I think. Also, talk about surprises- I really didn't expect this yarn to stripe at all. Now I find that this "supersock" is striping in a way I've never seen before- subtle, but still lovely. I like it. The colorway is Northern Lights.

The colors in the pictures just aren't working for me, so I'm gonna post 2.

This picture is darker than the true colors of the sock, but shows the depth of the reds better.

This picture shows the purples better.

Combine the two pictures, and you have a very unusual, but enjoyable colorway- one that's growing on me with every row.

I'm in love

I started the Flowing River Shawl this week and I'm totally in love with it. This is my first shawl, and my first time reading off a chart. I admit that it's been a bit of a challenge, but one I'm enjoying. I'm just incredulous when this random combination of stitches ends up looking like a flower. WOW! Fun.

Just finished with chart 1. I'm using Claudia's Handpainted silk.

Possible Shawl

Today Linda brought her mass pile of shawl patterns to the SnB. I looked through each one and found a beauty. I'm not certain yet, but I'm thinking this may be THE shawl. In January, the women in our SnB are having a shawl KAL. So, I've been looking for the perfect shawl pattern to join in with.

I really like this idea, since it gives me something to look forward to knitting- just for me. So this is my first real possibility: Goddess Knits' Flowing River Shawl. This picture of it doesn't do it justice, but it's the only one I can find online. I don't know why this company displays it in colors where you can't see the definition, but you get the idea.