Tuesday, June 21, 2011

JustintimeforWinter Bandit

The magic of blocking lace never gets old.  Unlike my back, which feels it after a sustained period of bending over pinning lace onto a blocking mat.  Even when that blocking mat is up reasonably high, on my kitchen bench.  Heaven forbid if I ever have to block something huge on the floor!!
So this is the result of my most recent pain in the back!

Details
Pattern: Springtime Bandit by Kate Gagnon Osborne.  A very nice, easy lace shawl (and also free!).  Originally done in worsted weight yarn, but as I used fingering/4ply, I did extra repeats - it is very easy to add extra repeats, no need to do any recalculations for the edging or anything, just add the repeats until you are done, and start the edging.  A very good feature of shawl patterns I think, is the ease of adding extra repeats.  In this case, the pattern calls for 4 repeats of the body charts, while I did 7.  And ended up with a shawl about the size of the original, heh!
Blobby pre-blocking lace
Yarn:  Wollmeise 100% Merino, in Admiral.  Yes, another Week of Wollmeise project done!  (hmm, that makes 2 out of 7 complete.  Not really that much cause to celebrate, heh!).  I tried to use as much of the skein as possible, but found I had 32g left after binding off.  But not to worry, I don't think I could have gotten an extra repeat out of that much anyway.  Maybe it'll be enough for a wee pair of socks...

This is a gorgeous navy/black colour, it works so well for lace because it is so dark, but you still get a gorgeous depth of colour.  It's just hard to photograph well!
Sticks:  4mm KnitPicks Options.  I'm glad I chocse the nickel sticks for this yarn, it made it much easier to knit at night!

Time:  1 September 2009 (heh!) - 9 June 2011.  Despite this, it's actually a lovely quick knit!

Modifications:  Only the extra repeats, noted above. 
Inspired by Al, I took some lovely "Victorian Lace Today" style photos at the WWKIP on Saturday.  Love how the sun shines through the lace.  Nothing like it to make you feel like a clever knitter! 

And that's another long-term wip I can cross off the list! I started the year with 17 WIPS, and of those, I have 12 left - so that's nearly 1 per month done.  Let's hope I can keep it up for the rest of the year!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

i started this shawl in an 8 ply a while ago and ditched it, but having seen this wollmeise one in the flesh, im seriously rethinking that. its just gorgeous, so beautifully done, and the colour is divine.

Bells said...

so glad to see this one ticked off the list. Worth the wait entirely. I loved making it - yours in 4ply gives me ideas!

kgirlknits said...

splendid shawl!! I can only just imagine how luscious that colour is in real life. and only 12 WIP's to go? - look at you!! ;)

Yarna said...

It's a great knit, isn't it? Love the colour - and so beautifully blocked! I'm thinking that I need to do another one.

Sweetp said...

Oh that is pretty. Black and lace is so dramatic! Lovely, well done!

Lynne said...

It is, indeed, lovely. A job well done.

amy said...

Pretty sure you can get socks for the boy out of the leftovers! Nice shawl, too, of course. ;)

MadMad said...

Whoa! Not sure which is more impressive, the lace or the 17 WIPS! ;) But that lace sure is beautiful! Great job!

Anonymous said...

That is simply the most stunning shawl I've seen - the colour is magnificent!

Gidgetknits said...

That looks gorgeous - wish I could see it for well!

WildflowerWool said...

It turned out very nice! You are doing well finishing those WIPs. Good for you!

Vintage Grrl said...

Lovely! The magic that is lace from knit to blocked always amazes me too.

Caffeine Girl said...

I love the shawl in black. It is so elegant, especially in fingering weight. Truly beautiful!

1funkyknitwit said...

Having seen and drooled over this today, I know how gorgeous the colour and shawl is ! ..your very lucky to have it go home with you ;)

You've done a beautiful job with this Jane, fantastic pattern and blocked to perfection. I hope your back is feeling better .D - the things we do in order to get our knitting blocked.. ahahaha

Leonie said...

Oh it's beautiful and the shine of the Wollmeise will be perfect :-) Might just have to add this shawl to my list of things to make!
Congrats on knocking another WIP off the list, that's always such a nice feeling.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, but the shawl is magnificent in person. I have Linda my Admiral WD, and now I am thinking violent thoughts about how I can get it back....

Olivia said...

Sigh, yes I agree about sun shining through lace. Just beautiful.

Ann said...

Gorgeous & it looks so good in that dark color. Congratulations on getting thenmber of wips down.

2paw said...

The Winter Bandit name made me giggle. I agree, blacking lace is magical and your shawl is beautiful!! Very magazine-worth pictures!!