Spiderman

The Spiderman blanket is finished. It still should be blocked to make the edges straight, but it has already been claimed by the recipient (my youngest son), so the blocking will have to wait for a little while.
The pattern is available for free at AnneM's blog.
I ended up using 3 skeins of true blue Classic Merino, 3 skeins of bright red Classic Merino and 2 skeins of black Classic Merino.

Mystic Meadows Swatch

The adventure starts....... The Mystic Meadows Swatch has been uploaded to the files section of the group for the KAL. Here's your chance to try out your yarn.

If you have already signed up for the KAL (below, using PayPal), but not yet joined the yahoo group - now is a good time to complete the process. There are a few people who have paid, but not continued to the yahoo group. If you are one of them and have lost your invitation, email me and I will resend it. If you have your invitation..... well, you know what to do.

The swatch only uses a few of the stitches used in the shawl, but it should give you a good indication of whether the yarn works with your needles.


The Mystic Meadows KAL is still open for signups. See below for details.

Mystic Meadows and Other Projects

I've been asked for a preview of the Mystic Meadows stole. Since it's a Mystery project I can't really show you a picture. So instead I chose the pictures above to represent what the Meadows are to me.

Mystic Meadows is knit with the usual stitches - knits, purls, yarn-overs, a few different types of decreases and double decreases, as well as a couple of special stitches which will of course be described in the pattern. I think it's just over a dozen different types of stitches used in the pattern. The stole has some patterning on the wrong-side rows, although the bulk of the work is done on the right-side rows. The pattern is available in chart-form only, and all the pattern rows are charted.

The Mystic Meadows KAL is still open for signups. See below for details.


The Spiderman blanket is coming along. I'm working on the last red stripe, and then I have a black stripe left. I think this means I have 14 rows left to go (plus the sewing at the end). I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but at this point each row is 552 stitches and it's still growing, so I'm not sure how long it will take. I am also starting to get worried that I might run out of yarn. I have finished with the blue, and I had about 25 cm blue yarn to spare..... I don't have a picture to share, as it is horribly scrunched up on my needles. I really need circulars with a longer cord, but I'm trying to make do with a set that I already have.


For upcoming projects, I must note that I have been seduced by the Kauni yarn. I have seen so many lovely Kauni projects recently that I had an irresistible urge to get my hands on some yarn and try it out. I ordered some from the Yarn and Fiber Company in New Hampshire. My order has shipped, so now I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival. I will be knitting Ruth Sorensen's Autumn Cardigan, as well as a shawl (or perhaps two....). I know it's the wrong season for cardigans, but at least it will be fun, and should be ready to wear when it gets cooler again in the fall. And I'll have to do steeks (cutting into your knitting with scissors), which should be an exciting adventure.

Mystic Meadows KAL

Announcing the Mystic Meadows Mystery Shawl knitalong!


This rectangular stole draws its inspiration from the flowering midsummer meadows with colourful flowers of every hue.
The finished dimensions are approx. 60 cm by 190 cm (24 in x 75 in).


My shawl is knit on 4.5 mm needles, using 8 oz (two skeins) of Prezzie Signature yarn from Brooklyn Handspun (480 yds per 4 oz skein). The shawl uses approx. 960 yds of yarn. As always, yarn substitutions are encouraged.


SIGN UP FOR KAL
The pattern will be made available for a knitalong, starting June 2.
It will be distributed to the members in four consecutive pieces, once a week on Mondays.
The last part of the pattern will be released on June 23.

There is a $5 CDN fee to join the knitalong. Please place your order here:

You will receive an invitation to join the yahoo group after your order has been received.
If you use a different email address with your yahoo ID and your PayPal account, you need to let me know.

The knitalong is available at this price if you join prior to the release of the first clue. After the first clue has been released, signups will remain open but the price will increase to the regular pattern price of $8.00 CDN. All members of the KAL will have access to the clues as well as the complete pattern in one nice set at the end of the KAL.


An alle Deutschsprachigen: Keine Sorge, auch bei diesem gemeinsamen Stricken wird es wieder eine deutsche Übersetzung geben.

Svensk-språkig hjälp finns förstås som vanligt också.

Mystic Light Lace Shawl

The Mystic Light Shawl draws its inspiration from light in its many forms. The upper parts of the shawl show the starry night sky, and the lower part of the shawl represent the dancing flames of a warming fire.

Mystic Light is a triangular lace shawl with a height of 97 cm (38"), and a width of 206 cm (81"). There are cables in the center and along the top edge of the shawl. The first half of the shawl has one-sided lace patterns only (plain wrong-side rows) but in the second half of the shawl there is some lace-patterning on the wrong-side rows as well.

My shawl is knit on 4.5 mm needles, using 230 g of Merino 2/6 yarn from Fleece Artist. 100% merino wool yarn from Nova Scotia (325 m per 115 g). The shawl uses approx. 650 m of yarn. As always, yarn substitutions are encouraged.

This pattern is available in .pdf format for $8.00 CDN.


Mystic Light comes in two separate files. The MysticLightInstructions contain the beginning and finishing instructions, as well as the legends. All the charts are in MysticLightCharts. Please read the instructions carefully as they contain the entire setup for the pattern, as well as instructions on how the charts are used.


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Mystic Light is the second shawl in a series of four representing the four elements (water, fire, earth, air).

New Projects All Around (and Burridge Lake Afghan)

In the past week or so, I have started no less than three project. There was actually a short period of time there where there were NO projects on the needles. Obviously that was rectified quickly.

I'm working on two new lace stoles. One is knit in Blåmussla from Färgkraft. It takes its inspiration from the ocean - the colours in that skein were just perfect for the theme.

The second stole is knit in Prezzie from Brooklyn Handspun. The yarn is a lovely purple and makes me think of "April showers bring May flowers". I hope that April snow will bring the same.... Actually, we've had a few wonderful days in Ottawa. It's been 20C, and it's incredible to sit out on the back deck in shorts and t-shirt looking out at the snow-covered lawn. I don't imagine this state will last a lot longer, but right now it is surreal.


The third project is a Spiderman blanket for my youngest son. The pattern is available for free at AnneM's blog. It was a bit of a rough start (I forgot to check the errata on Ravelry.....) and I found a missing k1 in row 17, but aside from that, it's moving along nicely. I'm knitting it using Paton's Classic Wool Merino, which had the best colour-choices for the Spiderman theme.




Here is a visit from an old friend.... the Burridge Lake Aran Afghan.
I'm sure many are already aware that MAGKnits folded last week. This lead to the pattern for the Burridge Lake Aran Afghan being unavailable (out of print already?!?). The pattern is now available again. I've republished it via Ravelry. Happy knitting!

Thistle Scarf

The Thistle Scarf is a Lace scarf knit using 2 skeins (44 g) of Luxurious Buffalo Down (100% Buffalo, 155-160 yds per 22 g) from Cottage Craft Angora. The yarn is a natural, chocolate brown and incredibly soft.

The thistle pattern starts small near the end of the scarf and grows larger as it approaches the centre of the scarf, and then transitions to a diamond leaf pattern.

In spite of its lacy appearance, the “halo” from the yarn makes this a nice, warming scarf for those cool spring/fall evenings.

Blocked dimensions:
l: 190 cm (76"), w: 25 cm (10")


You can download a .pdf version of this pattern using PayPal for $8.00CDN.




Lorraine of Cottage Craft Angora is offering a discount on the Luxury Buffalo Down yarn to the knitters who would like to knit the Thistle Scarf. The yarn can be purchased from her web-site for $20/skein (as opposed to the regular price of $22) with a discount code that can be obtained from me with the purchase of the pattern.