And now the end is here

I am saying farewell to Percy today.


Percy of many thanks is off to be the present of many thanks.


I have learnt so much whilst knitting this project.  

  

• Lifelines are a must - I used it at least once at each change of chart.
• Reading about the pattern and various issuses on Ravlery actually helps.
• I can knit lace and do lace knitting - one has a purl/garter stitch row on the alternate row the other chart reading both ways.
• Putting my mind to something does work and pay off
• I can knit a shawl over 500m - I got to 878.7m according to the weight I used
• Nupps are really worth the effort and not that scary - really

I looked at it last night once it was blocked and again this morning - and I actually can't believe I did it.  I am already having lace with-drawl and I have been searching for the next lace challenge - I feel a circle or a shetland coming on......


Details


Pattern - Percy - free from Ravelry


I did 16 repeats of CHART A 
Rows 5-31 once of CHART B 
Rows 1-27 once of CHART B 
Once CHART C

Yarn - Fiddle sticks Knitting Exquisite Silky Laceweight - nearly 100 grams

Needles - 3.25mm until the cast off where I used 3.75mm

Today I have been to visit my darling and gorgeous Aunt and two cousins who are over from Perth - they are staying in a fantastic serviced apartment in Bondi Junction.


Tonight I am going out to dinner with some S.V.'s family whom are visiting from Melbourne - we are off to  Glebe Point Diner - weeeeee


And tomorrow - well that is another exciting day to look forward to - I believe there is a picnic and various fun things planned - I will let you know.  And I might just be a bit older by the next post.

fraught percy

Dear readers - you may have realised I have taken on a large lace project with a deadline.

Until yesterday all was going very well - chart A is a series of yarn overs and knitting two stitches together in one direction and purl in the other.  This is a free pattern so it isn't as fully written out or charted as a lot of purchased patterns are.  

How to set up rows is a bit vague especially if you are new to charts and lace, which I am not but it did take me a minute to work this out.  The first and last 3 stitches as well as the center stitch are not charted and it isn't clear which way to read the chart as only 1/2 of the shawl is charted  - this is ok for chart A but when you get to chart B this is not ok.  Chart B is lace knitting both rows back and forth - and not a symmetrical pattern.

Bring on the life line and Ravelry forums.  The first is a must and the second is helpful although there is a great amount to wade through before my specific question was answered.  This was -

How do I do this?  

The difficulty being that the chart is neither mirrored nor symmetrical.  So I knitted the first row, row 5, then as I started the next row I realised that I needed to read row 5 left to right and then left to right again.  I also added another marker in the middle of the 32 pattern repeat, this really helps as I kept losing concentration and my place over 32 stitches.  Row 6 is knitted reading left right  and then left right again.

So this morning I took an hour to sit and concentrated on these first 2 rows.  Wish me luck for the next 2, then the remaining lots.

Chart C looks like it is much easier.  

10 days to go til I need to finish this to allow time to block.  Will I make it?

knitting lace update

Thanks to Sue for the wonderful fluro tape - which is removable so I can reuse it heaps

This here is Percy(of many thanks) which I am slightly changing the amount of repeats to match this one here.

I already cast on and undid once as I messed up the first repeat.  As you can see I am also relying on life lines for each repeat.  I learnt my lesson during Ene's scarf where life lines really did save me.  I also use stitch markers as I put it down so much I would just really lose my place and alot of time counting the stitches over if I didn't use them, they get moved around each pattern repeat - every 8 rows

ends

I just have to sew in the ends - I am not sure what possessed me to block this before the ends were all sewn in.  But it happened.

This is Ene's Scarf by Nancy Bush out of Scarf Style

Knitted from Knitabulous' last installment of the Indian Summer Club a merino lace-weight in the most gorgeous stormy blue.

I loved knitting this for the second time - as you may have read in my last post.  The wool is slightly variegated in the diameter and gets thin and thicker as it goes along.  It has washed and blocked to a gorgeous drape.

Now I am at a loss as to what to knit next.......

how did this happen

I knitted a shawl in 48 hours

we bought a car

and some thin steel needles relieved me of some pain - acupuncture rocks

Beginings

Inspired by Lyn and others I am to confess of a yarn purchase, I am not brave enough to blog what I really buy every month as I am sure I am still in denial about the actual amount I purchase.

I have been bitten by the Zauberball bug and I bought not one but two last week they arrived yesterday

these some of the socks I have started in the last week - I have also been bitten by startitis bug

By now you must all of realised that socks are a a chronic illness in my life


Just to prove the point some one fat slug yarn also now starting to be socks



Trilobite socks from Wendy Knits Toe up book

I just went to link to her book and found she has a new one coming out soon

And last but not least here I am nupping away on my Swallowtails shawl - shawl flu is now lace virus as I pore daily over Victorian Lace Today, pet my Knitabulous silk yarn and dream of knitting a larger lace project......