Warning! Actual knitting content to follow...
During the bushfire appeal my blog didn't actually talk knitting that much, and since the appeal ended I've been a little bit blogged out. (I am in awe of the people who commit to the blog every day for a month challenge..and I think you are all slightly insane!) I have some finished projects and some new ones which I'd like to mention on here but before I get onto that, I really should wrap up the bushfire appeal.
In the last few weeks I have received quite a few emails asking whether the prizes had been drawn and if people had won. Well yes they have been drawn and all winners have been notified and have confirmed their details to me. So if you haven't received an email from me, unfortunately you haven't won. I won't be announcing the winners on my blog because not everyone (including myself) appreciates having their name and surname listed publicly on the internet. That said win or lose the main purpose of the appeal was to raise money for the bushfire victims so once again thank you to everyone who donated.
Onto the knitting content. I am well behind in presenting my FO's although people who follow my projects on Ravelry will have seen pretty much most of these thing. To start with here is a finished project that has been hanging around since December.
Project Specifications:
Pattern: Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush found in Scarf Style
Yarn: 1 ball of Merino Silk Laceweight from The Knittery in charcoal
Needles: 4.00mm Addi lace
Project started: 5th November 2008
Project completed: 10th December 2008
I cannot tell you how much I love this scarf/shawl. (Sorry Nancy, I always think of it more as a shawl than a scarf). It has quickly leapfrogged straight to the top of my 'wear all the time' queue and I've already got more use out of this shawl than probably all my other lace shawls put together. I've also realised how useful simple shawls in neutral colours can be and hopefully can find a few more appealing patterns to make in the future. Having made Ene twice already, I can't see myself making it again.
That said I have already cast on for my next shawl and am now get closer to the finish line. Not exactly a neutral colour, this yarn was gifted to me by Kris and Amelia when they went to Wonderwool in Wales last year and it is definitely a colour I would wear. The yarn is Posh Yarns Cecilia in the Pot Pourri colourway. It's a silk cashmere blend laceweight and lovely and soft to handle. The variegation is only slight, enough to give the shawl some depth but not enough to take away from the patten which is the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls.
I am actually really looking forward to finishing this shawl because I can't say that I have exactly loved knitting it by any stretch of the imagination. I started it when we had a really bad heatwave in January and temperatures were above 43 degrees for 3 or 4 days in a row. Well in that heat anything you knit is going to be tiresome. Also since the actually pattern repeats are 24 rows long, I find I can really only get through 1 - 1.5 repeats in a night...so it feels like I am knitting knitting knitting and getting nowhere. That said I finally seem to be making some progress and have almost finished 17 repeats. The pattern recommends 25 but most people of Ravelry seem to think between 20-23 repeats is really long enough. I'm aiming for 22 myself but I will reserve my final decision until then. I'd also like to use up the maximum amount of yarn possible so I don't have any leftovers but I can't see that happening as there is still quite alot left even at this stage.
Ok, that is enough knitting talk for me today. I'd like to finish documenting my older FO's and my new ones on this blog in the near future so please bear with me if you have already seen some of the things that will be appearing. Next up I'll be waxing lyrical about the wonderful Pear Tree yarn I picked up at the Melbourne Stitches and Craft show. This yarn is so nice that it didn't get within coo-ee of my stash tub as I came home and cast on with it immediately!

