Presenting the Cockle-Shale scarf

There it is this morning that is cool and grey, the ray of sunshine in my day!!!

The finished dimensions are:

166cm (65") X 30cm (12")

Even though it was a nightmare to make a smaller cockleshell, I learned a lot and like the look of the final result.

Gently folded on my desk, I am still staring, hm mm, doing that a lot lately...
The pattern worked very well even with an unavoidable difference of 1 st. in cockleshell and Old Shale, makes for a slithgly wider bottom edge...
The pattern directions are finished, ready for printing, this work was very educational and fulfilling, now I want to make another one with some of Sheepthrills yarn....

Almost...

When I got up this morning I was determined to finish the Cockle-Shale scarf. I knitted for 1 1/2 hour before work and got to the grafting stage. Then I had to go to work...

This afternoon I did the grafting with my knitting needles, a brilliant technique I found here, I love Techknitter, and was ready to soak...

Blocking is always time consuming but so worth the effort. I used a technique I found in the book "Traditional knitted lace shawls" by Martha Waterman, (now remember that if you puchase books at Amazon through Ravelry they get a cut)You use a continuous cotton thread through the outside, leave 4 loops at the corners, and tug... This only works on rectangles and squares, I still don't have wires, this works for me, with the help of a few push pins.



It looks beautiful!!!
Almost ready to photograph for my pattern.

Inspirations

I am knitting in all directions these last few days. Can't decide on just one project, want to do them all.

I have cast on another hexagon for a felted bag, discovered this, and had to do it, left the other half of the cockleshale in it's bucket, better get back to it, trying to finish another pair of socks, and then my flowers of the month showed up....

I stare a lot......

So while I stared I decided to get all my left over sock wool in balls, that was fun, I think I have enough for a baby blanket.

Hats galore

Thursday is chore day, so while I was at it I threw the pot holders in the wash, gotta save water. I think they turned out well. Not too much warp, it is a good design for felting. Shrinkage was 30%.

Triple side by side

Granny

and the double spirals

I flew through the chores as what I really wanted to do was finish the hat

It fits very well....Though I don't think this is my style!!!

The spiral is gorgeous though

Goes so fast I made 2 more!!!

This last one is with alpaca and yummy mohair/silk with beads that I got from Sheepthrills

Great productive day, chores done, pot holders felted, and 3 hats, too bad I have to work today....

Spiralling in control...

For the last week or so I have been on a binge of crochet. For some reason I had this urge to make granny squares and pot holders...go figure.

I am never one to fight my instincts, so I went with it. I forgot how much fun crochet can be. It is still wool, still a finished fabric and goes fast.

There you have it the classic granny square, pre felting.

and post felting

As I said I am on a binge. To keep it interesting I stated searching for more patterns, first at crochet pattern central, then of course on Ravelry which is another goldmine of resources. I keep experimenting, making tons of pot holders in the process, Christmas stocking are going to be easy this year...

Browsing through the magazine rack for non existent knitting mags(I already have them all) I stumbled upon Interweave Crochet. Now usually crochet mags leave me cold. Not only the pictures and the models are too old for me, but, big but, I opened it and fell upon the "Yarn spotlight" featuring spiral crochet!!!

Now we're talking.

Great article, easy to follow instructions for a rusty crocheter like me, and voila, another series of pot holders!!!
pre felting

triple spiral even.

For the triple you have to go to here for very clear instructions and picture tutorial.

Since I felt pretty confident about the spiral thing I decided to try the

"Spring Spiral Hat" by Chloe Nightingale. ( Same person that wrote the Yarn Spotlike article)

The start is a little more complicated, but as I am going along it is starting to make sense. I chose 100% alpaca for the main color and a gorgeous skein of sock weight merino dyed by Cedar to make the spiral, I love that spiral.

Stay tuned for felted version of spiral, I can hardly wait.

The picture says it all

Finally!!!

Yeasterday was gorgeous, went to the beach, swam, had tea and got to christened my chinese tea basket that I got for my birthday in November, worked on socks, lay in the sun...

A perfect day.

WWKIP DAY !!!

The island was buzzing for the last week in anticipation of WWIP Day. I had posted an article in our local paper that comes out once a month, and that got the interest going. Our small Island in the Georgia Straight has about 800 permanent residents, so word of mouth got out pretty fast after that. On Saturday June 14th we gathered at 2:30pm under the plum tree in the center of our Co-op Ringside Market, the weather was chill, but the spirit was warm. We were 22 strong, which makes it 3.7% of our population, a pretty good turn out. Our age range went from 20’ish to 80’ish, most of us friends for more than 30 years.

Some brought projects they wanted to figure out...

Some even shared their birthday with us, another knitter was born today, that cake came on her friend's bike!!!

Did I mentioned that the weather was chill....here is another friend wrapped up in my shawl.
I decided that a pictorial of all our hands would show best.

Doris

Marilyn
Bethany

Vicky
Muriel
Christa
Shelley
Deb, she was stuck at work across the way....
Mary
Suzel
Anne
Laura
Jessica
Donna
Serena
Jopie
Helen

Moi!!!
Sabina
Maureen
Gayle

Jean
Caro
Catherine
Louise
We had such a great time. I really missed my friend Cedar but she had to work, so she knitted there. I came home completely stoked, full of that great energy that comes when people are gathered for a common cause. We shared, and I feel especially connected as other all over the world were knitting too. Thank you Danielle for such a great idea...

It's 12:43am, June 15, I have been up since 5:15am yesterday, and still flying!!!

Just checked the WWKIP Day site 783 Kips!!!!

Awsome.