Six

It's my sixth blogiversary!

Exactly two years ago I posted that I had wound this yarn up,



but clearly it took me a while to cast on and turn it into this:



Pattern: Celes by Jared Flood
Yarn: A Verb For Keeping Warm Wishing in Indigo Blue Sky



While I didn't find this pattern difficult to knit, it is the most complex shawl I've made in terms of construction. It has a graft in the center and a knitted on edging, which were actually the parts I enjoyed working on the most. There's something so satisfying about an graft that blends in with the rest of the stitches, and the border went along surprisingly quickly.



I had to dip into my swatch to finish the border, but thankfully I had enough yarn!

Three

It's my third blogiversary! Let's celebrate with a lacy triangle.



Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Paris Night (52), less than 1 skein
Needles US 4 (3.5 mm)



I really enjoyed knitting this (and wearing it too)! While I originally was making this for a Malabrigo March knitalong, I thought the greys fit in well with the North and stone grouping for Project Spectrum.



During the same time I was working on Ishbel, I read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. The heroine, Catherine, is fascinated with Gothic novels, so I took inspiration from this and found some Gothic-influenced architecture for a photo shoot.



Have a great weekend!

Trellis the Second

It's pretty rare that I knit the same pattern twice, but earlier this year my grandma asked me to knit her a Trellis Scarf. She liked mine, and wanted hers to be a darker blue.

Over the past few months, I had been making some progress on her scarf, but the approach of Christmas gave me the extra push to finish. And here it is!



Pattern: Trellis Scarf by Evelyn Clark, from Interweave Knits Spring 2006
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk in Aegean, less than 1 skein
Needles: Addi Natura US 1 1/2 (2.5 mm)



The only major modification I made to the pattern was altering the ending border. The pattern ends with a straight edge, which you block to points. However, this wasn't symmetrical enough for me, so I added in some make ones and decreases to the original chart.


Ending border on the left, beginning on the right.

I hope she likes it!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Perfect Fifth

Ene's Scarf (my fifth project from Scarf Style) is blocked...



...and ready to wear.



Pattern: Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush from Scarf Style
Size: 53" across top, 26.75" from top edge to bottom point, blocked
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Purple Mystery (30), less than 2 skeins
Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) Addi Natura



I did a cable cast on with a single strand, rather than a knit cast on with two strands as given in the instructions. As I was knitting my shawl, I was afraid my cast on was slightly too tight, but post-blocking I'm pleased with the result. Nice, gentle points along the edge.



I really love this yarn - it's so soft and comes in gorgeous colors. However, because it is handpainted and one skein seemed bit more blue than the other, I decided to alternate the skeins every two rows. A little cumbersome, but I think the result is worth it. Unfortunately, my pictures don't quite capture the true richness and subtle variegations of color.



Can't wait for some cooler weather so I can wear this!

Turning Two

It's my second blogiversary! Despite the name of this blog, I haven't written about very many of my blue lace projects. So, let me introduce you to one of my most recent FOs, a Mini Lace Triangle.



Pattern: I used the Flower and Medallion motifs from Evelyn Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles. Although I have knit several Evelyn Clark patterns before, this was my first time using this book. The instructions were clear and I loved building my own triangle from the given lace patterns and transitions.
Size: 22” across top, 10.5” from top edge to bottom point.
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Lace in Jewel Blue, 10g sample from the Malabrigo booth at Stitches West.
Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) Addi Natura.



I enjoyed knitting with the Malabrigo Lace so much that I bought some more - two skeins in Purple Mystery. Last night I cast on for Ene's Shawl by Nancy Bush (from Scarf Style).



Malabrigo has tons of great colorways, but I really love the depth of this one; it's a very dark purple leaning towards blue. So, maybe this can count as more blue lace?

~~~

I'd like to close this post by saying thanks to all of my readers! I always love to hear from you, whether in the comments, via e-mail, or on Ravelry, where you can find me as bluelacefiesta. Happy knitting!