Non-knitting Lace

My knitting time has decreased significantly over the past six weeks or so because I'm no longer spending hours every day with Mom. I'm delighted to report that she is adjusting has adjusted really well to life at her new home, a nearby memory care residence to which my brothers and I moved her. She …

Never Gets Old

I generally find Facebook's "memories" kind of creepy, in part because, well, Facebook is kind of creepy. But also because they remind me how poor my recall of time is. Take yesterday, when I found myself thinking, "that was 9 years ago?!" when I saw this blast from the past: The magic of blocking was …

Blocking to the Rescue

Pretty much from the time I cast on the Starshower shawl-cowl, I began thinking about blocking it when I finished. It was knitting up kind of stiff, even though the pattern was lace-ish, and didn't have the drape that I was hoping for. Did I swatch before I started? Why, no I didn't. Thanks for …

Monkeying Around

Based on comments from my last post, there's a lot of folks who'd like to see more of the Monkey Socks (or, given the state of my progress, the Monkey Sock). Socks are my go-to knitting project, especially when I'm traveling since they're easy to stuff tuck into a bag. So a couple of weeks …

Shed a Little Light

This is my first real candle jar cover, but I can say with confidence that it won't be my last. A great way to use up extra bits of yarn -- this is fingering weight -- and to try new lace patterns. In my home, we light candles at dinner every night. In my opinion, …

Project for a Dark & Stormy Night

Since finishing the striped shawl, I've been in a bit of a knitting rut. To be candid, it mirrors my present state of mind -- preoccupied with challenges that leave me mentally jumping from one thing to another. But I believe I've found a remedy of sorts, in the form of a small, relatively quick …

Bermudiana Shawl Done!

Learned i-cord bind off and adding beads in the Bermudiana Shawl.

“Bermudiana” Preview

Sara Wolf, teacher on the marvelous Sheep Ahoy Knitter's Cruise, designed a shawl especially for the cruise. Drawing on the sand, shells, and hibiscus flowers of Bermuda, the shawl features a scalloped lace edge (sand) and lightly beaded lace "flowers." Since I misunderstood the pre-cruise instructions for what yarn to bring for the edge (oops!), …

Knitting at Sea

Long-time readers of the blog know that this is not my first knitting cruise; in fact, it's my third -- last fall, we went to Canada and Maine and two years ago to Bermuda. Of course, even regular readers (some of whom are family) are a bit bemused by the notion of a knitter's cruise. …

The Magic of Blocking

OK, that was definitely worth the effort.  I'd long heard about the wonders of blocking lace and had seen lots of photos on various blogs.  And I'm a big believer in the power of blocking (don't scoff!) to turn ordinary knitting into something more finished, polished even. But even I wasn't prepared for the rush …

Random Thoughts of a Knitter in June

1.  Now that it's warm enough to knit outside, I find myself loving Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace (color #01) more and more.  The subtleties of the color changes are much easier to see in bright light.  See? 2. Still haven't mailed the log cabin baby blanket to Michael's teacher.  I really must get her …

How Long Did it Take to Knit That?

I'm never sure how to answer when someone asks how long it took me to finish a project.  The truth is, I just don't keep careful track of the time.  And I usually have several works in progress at the same time (OK, some have been sitting in a bag in the closet for a …

Learning to Love Lace

I've had a mental list of things I'll need to make before I can consider myself a "real" knitter.  Let's not go into why I believe this to be true.  It's not rational, of that I'm sure.  I know that I AM a real knitter: I take yarn, manipulate it around two sticks, and create …