Tag Archives: Shetland Tea Shawl

Where Was I?

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Ah so I decided to not complete the Artyarns scarf. Very slow knitting. Mind you the results were stunning but I just couldn’t get my fingers to cooperate. I realize other people do odious stuff for the sake of the J. O. B. but I am freelance knitter person and I need to get my groove on! Ummm not to imply it was odious just not my thang right now.

Guess what I picked up again? Ummmmm you do read the blog right? Enough to remember I was working quite deligently on Shetland Tea Time Shawl? Yes. It took me a few hours to figure out where I was in the pattern since I didn’t jot down a little note to self. My fingers aren’t cooperating on this one either. There is a rhythm to lace and I have my own particular language. This particular row[the one I stopped in middle of] was *k, together, over, k, over, together, over, slip 2 k pass over, over, SKA over SKA over knit over SKA* I have no idea where I picked up the SKA but thats what I mutter to myself while I work the row ‘together over kay SKA over kay SKA’ and if I am knitting steadily it turns into a little song. There is always an emphasis on SKA and note the lack of comma’s which any outloud reader knows indicates a slight pause.

Anyway I am working on getting my groove on with the shawl. I sincerely hope your knitting is putting you into a jive-alicious groove too ~ yarny day and knitterly evening to all!

 

Time!

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Ah so I took the advice of my commenters last week and took a time out. After all my readers are particularly clever gals and I would be foolish to ignore them. No work for me last weekend but rather a break for Tea. Shetland Tea Shawl to be exact. I finished the second lace portion and did my final increase round. Up to 574sts per round which means a mere 27,552 or 48,216 sts more until edging portion. Hmmmmmmm I wonder if I will feel up to the larger size which I suspect I want. No matter here is a picture of the second lace portion really poorly stretched out cause I wasn’t gonna risk loosing any sts and had to hold it with one hand and photograph with the other:

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/Question and Answer time~ I was asked if Stonington could be knit as a triangle. Why yes it could. I would make a few changes most specifically to work a few plain rounds after creating the center triangle to finish that edge up. If I were feeling ambitious I would even calculate to make sure I could attach my edging to top, including the side of borders, by doing math. I was also asked if I purchased yarn. Why yes I did. Some loverly {at least I expect it to be loverly} coned yarn from one of my favorite ebay sellers. No I am not sharing her name cause I cannot afford the bidding wars that are already in place and don’t need more fans fighting me for her stuff. Over the past ummm jeesh I think its been 4 or 5 years I have only managed to win the wars on 5 items including this time. And I try all the time really. I won 2lbs 15 oz of yarn {thats the cones stuff there is another 400 gms or 7 oz in hanks} I will make sure to show you the second I receive it. Why do I love this gals yarn so much? Its fine. NO not fine with all the winx but fine. Hey here is a pix of some of her stuff I already own: Image332.jpg
The fine gray strand is silk and kid mohair and my last purchase of last year. Yah I held out on you guys. The white strand is silk and cashmere. The thicker gray strand is put in there for comparisons sake~ its shetland laceweight yarn from J&S. I’m stocking up for the lace book that is due out soon please by Bridget Rorem. I preordered mine last summer from Schoolhouse Press.

Yay it was Amy who is knitting the loverly Coquette. I have been popping into her site via the referers page of site meter and enjoying her blog immensely for the past month~ she is now bookmarked. I sent a pkg out to Miss Steph for correctly identifying the blogger and leave it up to her to show you what she gets.

Toodles fellow knitters…. have a great yarny day and knitterly evening

2005 Goals

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

The fabulous Ms Prudence asked about the goals for the year. I actually have two so there is a 50/50 shot of my making them. And really I am being soooo easy on myself. I am adopting Nannette’s wonderful Stash Reduction Goal {SRG} instead of outright LINT-ing it this year. I think I can do it :^> I also have official permission to adopt her SRG and I have asked Mama Liz to puh~lease set it up for me on the sidebar with easy to understand instructions on updating. I think the easy to understand instructions on updating are holding her up a bit. Either that or her knee. The other goal involves a picture:

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I have actually been working on this goal for the past month….namely to downsize the coned yarn stash{CYS.} The top down ala Walker, Stonington Shawl ala EZ, and the Shetland Tea Shawl from GOL all share the common characteristic of being worked from CYS. I took the picture while I was working on Pretty in Pink last month. I also took a few minutes to weigh my CYS on my bathroom scale{which made me out to be fatter than I was when I was preggers 2 yrs ago and hasn’t been recalibrated} and the box didn’t begin fit on the surface. The total with box and cones was 48LBS. If Liz does manage to set up the handy dandy SRG area I will weigh the FO’s on a postal scale so we can have an accurate tally at end of year. I am also harrassing her to change my gallary thumbnails into 2004 and 2005 FO’s instead of Me, Work and Other gallaries. I am a demanding friend. Anyway stay tuned for exciting SRG and CYS reports!

Finally FO And One Knitter’s Prayer

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Let us begin with a couple of FOs. First we have the ex-filthy socks: Image298.jpg
followed by the finally blocked shawl: Image297.jpg
See I really do know how to knit.

The socks are Toe Up~my first and come from a kit put out by Bonkers. The colorway is Plum. The yarn has that plasticy feel some machine washable wools get but there is no notation that the wool is machine washable. The shawl comes from some wool/silk blend found in my stash. Actually spun by the now defunct Lumb mill{the same mill that did a lot of stuff for Rowan yarns} and feels kinda dry even post washing. Like paper almost. It was very rough to knit with and is now softer but is relegated to summer time wear. If anybody has the desire to knit a shawl out of it I do have one more hank of the yarn…. I used less than one hank for this shawl.

This is the time of year when many knitters discuss how much knitting they have to do and send out little prayers that the gifties will be well received. We also get notes about ungrateful relatives who have no appreciation for the time and skill that went into making said gift. I don’t knit holiday gifts for my family although I am considering breaking that rule. I do give handknit gifts year round however. Anyway I decided to add my own little prayer to the long list of poems/prayers out at this time of the year.

Oh Thomas, EZ, Walker, McGregor, Swansen, PGR and other knitting goddesses in addition to Fietelson, Szabo, Starmore, Thompson, Bush and other knitting high priestesses PLUS all knitters who have toiled in the name of their craft puhlease grant me the strength to not start another project. I am overwhelmed by the variety of stitches and yarns that tempt me daily.

There is the loverly top down ala Walker:Image299.jpg,

the shetland shawl ala EZ:

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We also have the fingerless mitts needing only a dozen yarn ends woven:Image307.jpg

and another shawl “Shetland Tea shawl”: Image300.jpg

with its loverly first out of three lace patterns already complete:Image301.jpg.

Of course I do realize work must come in the way of pleasure and there is the pullover for Unique Kolours:

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and the just arrived today Beach Bag for K1C2:Image306.jpg. Should I falter in my resolve could you please assist me from picking a small project such as one of these that have been set aside to be done asap: Ribble socks, Peticoat socks and Shadow Hat:Image302.jpg I shall not mention la Princessa which only has 1.5 of the 60ish starting edge points done.

Humbly your faithful servant, Elka