Swallowtail

15 days and many, many nupps later, here it is:

This is my Swallowtail Shawl, beautifully designed by Evelyn Clark.

Now, those of you who read this blog are probably wondering why on earth I made this, given my (mild) dislike for lace and shawls. Yes, this is both lace and a shawl. Allow me to clarify: for some inexplicable reason I felt drawn to this particular shawl; it may have had something to do with seeing Natalie's shimmering version in the window of Stash a couple of months ago. The strange thing about lace is that although I don't always love the finished product, I do really love knitting lace.

Anyway, I knit it in Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in a lovely dark grey. It's really good to work with and just slips off the needles. I only wish there was a slightly higher sheen to it.

Did you notice that it's cunningly hanging from a tree branch? I had wanted to photograph the shawl amongst the red and gold foliage of my favourite season, and all week had had one particular russet-hued Beech tree in mind. However, I walked around the neighbourhood all day yesterday in van searching for a branch I could actually reach. In the end I had to settle for a tree with leaves that were still tinged with the previous season's green, but you get the idea.

This pattern was a breeze. Saying that, in the beginning I frogged it a grand total of five times while I tried to work out the Budding Lace repeats. It took showing it to someone at Knit Night (thanks Mel) for me to realise that there were three words below the chart which I had completely managed to miss: "Six-Stitch Repeat". Noticing that at the very beginning would have saved me a lot of frustration!

After that it went very quickly. The fun part was the nupps - lots and lots of them every row once you get to the Lily of the Valley edging.

I plan on wearing it to work to keep my necky toasty and prevent my usual winter cold, while remaining smart enough for an office environment.

As soon as this was OTN and blocking I got started on something else. Can you guess what this yarn is? There's no prize, I'm just testing you!

I also have some work to do on the camel cardigan, plus DH' s aunt has asked me to make something too, so I should probably get back to it...

New Year, New Projects

Having been stuck at home due to a chest infection (the doctor signed me off work for 4 days), I've been able to get on with a lot of things. Here are the Noro Long Gloves from the Noro Designer Mini Knits Book:

They have a very pretty picot edge which isn't very clear from these photos. I'd use that motif for edging things in future, perhaps a blanket...

They look good fully stretched out or ruched at the wrist. A quick and easy knit, the only correction I made was to knit them completely in the round. I couldn't believe the pattern was written flat; imagine all that sewing up around each finger!

Next was a very sweet little bunny who doesn't have a recipient yet, but I'll save it for a friend. It's one of the Lovable Toys by Marion Edmonds from Last Minute Hand-Knitted Gifts. I'll make an elephant sometime as I have the yarn ready.

Last up is the hat I made my for my brother for Christmas using chunky wool. I hadn't been able to show a photo before as he immediately took it away with him when he went skiing. I'm just glad he liked it; I worry about overloading family members with my hobby!

I'm not quit sure what to start next, but I'm flirting with Curlicue as I'd like to try a lace project with a bit of substance (i.e., not using airy lace-weight wool). This uses cotton in sportweight which is appealing.

Another possibility is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl in bulky but I'd better finish the one I started in Noro Kureyon Sock first! It looks lovely but takes so long on the longer rows. I've finished one hank which the pattern calls for, but to make it substantial enough it really needs to be a lot bigger, so depending on my patience, I have another two hanks to use. Somehow I have a feeling this one's going to hibernate for a while!