GKAS Project Specs (and What's Next)

The Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl specs:

Size: 62" in diameter

Yarn: Jojoland Harmony - Colorway 06
(I used 2 balls, plus a little more of a third. This is a cobweb weight yarn. The colors are spun in an ombre fashion where one color is mixed with the next before it changes completely into the next, like Noro.)

Needles: Knitpicks Options - Size 4
(I love the points on these. You also have the option of threading a lifeline through the tightening hole and drawing it through the stitches as you knit. I used it for drawing the crochet cotton through so I could stretch it out for photos.)

Pattern choices:
Clue 1: A
Clue 2: B
Clue 3: D
Clue 4: D
Clue 4.5: Doubled again. Clue 2/A Rows 1-16
Clue 5: Edging as written. 192 repeats!
(I was going to morph clue 2 A and B together for Clue 4.5 as an enlarging option. It was just too much for me though. I think if I had made Clue 4.5 wider, the diameter of the shawl would have been larger and my edging points would have had more room to be blocked out at a diagonal, instead of being pulled straighter down in long points as I had to block them. By that time, each row was well over a thousand stitches. There are 192 repeats of the edging.)

This is a great pattern and it was a lot of fun to do it as a mystery lace knit-a-long. I highly recommend trying a Goddess Knits KAL for yourself.

Check out the other beautiful patterns on her website.

So what to do after all the excitement it over? Well, after I knit a little bit with some heavier yarn to clear my head, I'm going to start another KAL!

The Mystery Stole 4 KAL! Yay! My first mystery lace KAL was the MS3, the Swan Lake stole. It turned out beautifully and had beads! This year stole will also feature beads. I've been trying to match up beads and yarn. Here are some photos. *Disclaimer*-These photos have not been through SAP, the Sister Approval Process. I couldn't decide which one I liked better of the top two so I put them both in, even though I am not using these beads.

When I bought these beads, they looked just perfect. They are matte, but have a rainbow effect coating on them. (Gnatly, what are these kinds of beads called?) They match the yarn perfectly, but too perfectly--they blend in and disappear. I didn't even try a swatch with them.

Pretty, with feather, no?
I was sad about this until I remembered that my mom had given me some beads many years ago. They were left over from when she made some gorgeous crochet beaded clutch purses. She made them when I was 5 or 6 years old! These are some old beads! She bought them when my dad was stationed in Okinawa. There are three different kinds on this swatch. From the top is clear turquoise, then cobalt, then black. They had a shiny rainbow/oil slick color surface coating. (What are these called, Knatly?)

Can you all see them well enough in this photo to help me choose? I was wondering if I could use them all, you know, start with the darkest ones on the ends and get lighter? Opinions, please!

GK Anniversary Shawl Photo Spread!

Ta DA!

Okay, perhaps if I had stayed up a little later and checked my e-mail, I would have gotten the e-mail from my sister. Did I tell you I have the best sister in the world? She got on my Flickr, oh, about midnight, and left me humorous comments. These are her top picks. Thanks, Amy! I love you, man!

The next one won in the "roundness" category. Heh heh.

I am so happy to be finished with this beauty. I wore it around the house last night for fun. I need to go grocery shopping and do laundry as well as other mundane tasks right now. I may post again this evening to give project specs and talk a little about this shawl.

Finally Finished...And Yet...

I have finally finished knitting and blocking the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl! Yay! I will post pictures tomorrow. I was going to post some today, but someone...cough cough....my sister...cough cough...wasn't available to preview them on her normal computer screen (mine being abnormally dark and useless when you want to see what a photo really looks like).

To be fair, she did proof some of the blocking shawl this morning and she noticed that they didn't look exactly like the others that I posted before. Later, I realized that I had blocked the shawl purl side up! I had to flip it and take some more photos.

Heh heh. I called her back on her cell while she was getting her classroom ready for school to start next week. While she was pushing heavy furniture about I told her that she had a whole new slew of photos to review. Good thing she lives about five states away, heh heh. Nah! She's always been very patient with her baby sister, and of course she's a knitter herself so she understands.

Understands! Right Amy, my dearest, sweetest, beeg seester? You know how tortured I must be, sitting here not having any photos to post on my blog. I feel...I feel...so helpless! Like needles without yarn...an empty, felted vessel...a...a...

Why haven't you called me back!!! I'm gonna tell Mom!

"Um. Pass me the Kleenex, will ya?"

I Can't Feel My Arms

Last week, my social calendar was filled to the brim, so in the past few days I've been playing catch up on the Anniversary Shawl KAL. First there was the visit from DH's parents. Haven't seen them in a while so it was great to catch up for several days. When they went back home, our friends from Texas arrived. Between company, girls' coffee outings and singing on another local radio station, there wasn't much time for knitting the shawl. In fact, I had only a few rows of Clue 4 done when Clue 5 came out. But, I finished Clue 4 today! Yay!

Here's a close up.


When I started knitting Clue 4, I wondered if I had made a mistake in choosing Chart D because it really didn't look like anything at first. It took several rows before the pattern became apparent, and several more rows before the pattern became pretty. Then, after several more, it became gorgeous.


I think I do want to take the option to make the shawl larger before starting the Clue 5 edging. I am considering different charts and combinations of charts. I just want another six inches all the way around, adding a foot to the diameter. Over a thousand stitches per row is rather daunting, though. I'm thinking that one of the earlier charts that don't have as many stitches per chart row repeat might be easier to fool with. That way I wouldn't have to keep such a close watch on the chart as I knit those looooong rows.


I went ahead and stretched it out on a string to measure it and photograph it. I know it seems like it might be, but it really isn't such a tedious thing to do. I just stick the crochet cotton through the little tightening hole in my Knitpicks needles and knit the last row, which draws the string through the last row of stitches automatically. It takes less time to put the stitches back onto the needle, than it takes to knit a row, so it's not that bad, really. I think it's the only way to get an accurate idea of how big the shawl is if you are concerned about the size, which I was for this shawl.

Here is the picture I keep staring at, trying to decide which pattern to use next. I wish it was big enough to stop here!

Where's Keety?

There he is! After searching all over for PH this evening, we found him in a wire sliding shelf, in our closet. A cosy nest made of boxers!

New yarn! We went to Knoxville, yesterday, where I happily ended up at The Yarn Haven. It happened to be Sandy, the owner's, birthday and she gave everyone a birthday discount! She had a great party crown on that made her look a bit like the Statue of Liberty, and come to think of it, she was knitting an American flag! She, and Diane, who works there, were very nice. I got to hear a bit about the Yarn Marke at TNNA, and the trends in knitting fashion. They are also bringing in some new yarns. Louisa Harding and Mountain Colors are the two that stuck in my brain. I had a hard time making up my mind what to bring home with me, but I finally settled on just a few things. I bought another skein of Jojoland Harmony in a bright orange/yellow combination. Not for me (not my color), but to make something for a good friend here that loves bright colors. Then, since I have never knit with Malabrigo before, I decided on a single skein of their silk/wool blend in the color Azul Azul. Now, that is my color! There were some gorgeous blues at The Yarn Haven. Oh, shucks, I forgot to photograph a button that I bought. I had to have it. It made me chuckle. I put it up here tomorrow.

EEK! A Jojoland Jellyfish attacking a skein of yarn!

Well. I guess the bed is still more comfy than boxers. Look at those back feet. He always curls his toes!

Ready for Clue Two!

Here are the two different versions of Clue 1, Chart A, for the Anniversary Shawl. This is the one I am going with. This one is knit with size 4 needles.

This is the first one, which I frogged. It's knit with size 3 needles.

I believe that the frogged version is the way the designer actually meant it to be knit, but some folks, including me, are knitting it the other, more spirally, way. I think they are both pretty, but the spiral looks better in this ultra thin laceweight. I've seen some knit up in the orginal way using a slightly heavier laceweight and it looks really nice, like a chrysanthemum. Makes me want to knit them both! My spyrograph center reminds me of the sun. I can't wait to see what the Jojoland looks like when it starts to change colors. The colors just fade into each other. Very cool.

I forgot to mention that I did knit in public last Saturday. I took a sock to the Fireman's BBQ and knit after we sang. I have a GoKnit pouch in camoflauge for just such occasions as these! It even has a "don't shoot me orange" cord! Tomorrow, I'll be spinning and weaving in public. I'll be doing some demonstrations here in the Gap. Perhaps, I'd better get some sleep. ZZZzzz...

Into the Jojoland Mystery

I stayed up too late re-knitting Clue 1 of the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Oh, but I like it much better. At least, that is what I think tonight. I'll look at it by the morning's light and see if it actually looks as good as I think it does. I'll post pictures of both my first and second attempt tomorrow. I used the circular crochet cast on that you can see performed here. It worked great with the extremely thin Jojoland Harmony. G'night!

Can't We All Just Knit-A-Long?

As if I didn't have enough to knit, I've joined up with the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl KAL. The first clue came out on Friday and I've just knit it up today. I'm using the Jojoland Harmony that I posted about here. I think the ombre color changes will work well with the circular construction of the shawl. The unique thing about the Anniversary Shawl pattern is that you get to pick from several different charts as you knit, so all of the shawls won't look alike when they are completed. My camera batteries have died. Photos will have to wait until tomorrow.

This is a picture of PH when he was very young. I think he is almost one year in this photo. Oh, yes, he's always been devastatingly handsome...and orange.