fly in my soup - lace

Enter the Dragon, Part I

noreply@blogspirit.com (kt) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:38:53 -0400

i recieved the Heere Be Dragone Shawl (HBDS hereafter) pattern in the mail on Saturday. how fast was that??? (crazy fast is the correct answer) i ordered it on thursday! that's some stellar service, imho. and the shawl is just as cool on paper with all the nutso charts. looking at the charts, i felt something that i haven't felt in my knitting in a loooooong time--a tinge of fear! the dragon motif is made up of lots of different types of twisted stitches, many that i've never seen before. and, as of right now, it looks like it's going to be an interesting and slightly challenging knit. of course, check back as the project moves along, cause you know how that can change over night!
so, as i mentioned before, i got the HBDS pattern to make for a friend (Ms. HBD). after going through my lace weight stash (which is not as large as i would like) i found that i had 1760 yds of KnitPicks Bare that had been previously dyed a sort of washed out mix of purples, fuchsias, and periwinkle-y blues. it lacked a certain "umph", really. so, i thought "well, Ms. HBD likes (and looks good in) blues, why don't we try an overdye and see if we can get some depth and darkness into this washed out mess. that way, stash yarn is used and the project costs a measly $12"! so, i skiened up all 1760 yds, tied it off, mixed up a big ol' pot of blue/purple dye and set the fuckers on the stove to simmer. i ended up with something that looks sort of like this: now, i'm utterly in love with how it turned out. the picture simply doesn't do it justice (this is the best out of, oh 35, so...) it's soooo rich. i normally don't like my lace to be verigated at all, but this yarn makes me squeal a little bit. from far off, it's this deeply purple-y red, and as you move in closer, the separate colors begin to assert themselves and EEEEEE!!!! i just love it a lot. however, i've never seen Ms. HBD where anything even remotely similar to the shade, and i became worried. i inquired of a mutal friend (Ms. Skull Vest) "so, how does Ms. HBD feel about purple?" "She likes greens a lot.....(really long pause) I don't know about purple." yeah, that's exactly what i wanted to hear. so, after deliberation, i've decide that i'm going to place a Knit Picks order and pick up some of the Alpaca Cloud in Moss for the HBDS. it's green and alpaca, a good combonation as Ms. HBD has recently discovered how warm alpaca is and seems to be smitten with the fiber. and it green, which apparently she really likes. and, at $16 for the yarn and $12 for the pattern, it's still an affordable project.
i should have known when i found these yesterday morning taking xavier out, that it would all work out with the yarn. cause now, i get to make myself something out of the re-dyed Bare, which is awsome, cause i was getting sad about giving it away!

Garden Shawl--but wait, there's more!

noreply@blogspirit.com (kt) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 14:48:44 -0400

just for you, dear reader of my little slice o' blogland, a WIP pic of the Garden Shawl:
yeah, and i appologize for taking a picture of lace on my insanly stripey sheets, but you get the idea. and by the by, this thing is going to be huge. this is just the pattern through round 55 (i think) and it's already about 16" across. i think that it won't be so much a shawl on me as a really pretty blanket.

have you seen the new yarns at knitpicks? they've added 9 that are shown. they have also, however, added to their Dye-your-own line (now called "Bare"). they aren't easily found on the site though. so, i made up a little chart that lists them all (with links) the yardage, weight, and prices. and i thought that it might be nice to put it up here so others could buy buy buy with ease.

speaking of ease, a new Perdita for your viewing pleasure. i used silver beads this time, and i sure do like how they look. OH! and the .50 three packs of the Pearl Cotton are not, i repeat, ARE NOT a myth! if you have a Michael's near you, go and check it out. not all the 3 pks are that cheap, some are $1 and a couple are $2. but, wow! i'm going to have yarn for 2227 of these babies!

Danger! Danger!!!!

noreply@blogspirit.com (kt) — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 23:53:59 -0400

oh dear god. i have been initiated into the world of knitting with beads. for so long, i had held out against the siren call of beads, glittery, sparkledy bits of happiness that they were. sure, i picked up the odd bag of beads here in there, ya know, for making cutie stitch markers and the like, but it was all just innocent, i swear. cause i knew what would happen if i gave in. that brings me to the pattern that tempted me to the darkside--Perdita from the 06 summer Knitty. oh, foul temptress. i didn't succumb to any of the other beaded patterns i oohed over cause, well, they're all major investments of time and money. but these cuffs are just the opposite. cheap? yeah, less than $3--and that's if i bought new beads every time. quick? i've completed 2 since yesterday, and i'm on my third. and look what i picked up tonight: see all the Perle cotton? i found it on clearance, 3 for $1. and i've heard rumors that another big chain craft store has 'em for 50 cents.
i've chosen beads in a smokey color and silver ones. here are the two that i've finished so far: i felt like a fancy Wonder Woman when i had them both on. the steel colored one is the Blue bell pattern done in the called for thread/yarn, and it is now in the possesion of a dear friend. the purple one is made out of Knitpicks Shadow in Vineyard (left over from the Lily stole) and it's the Lilac pattern. it will also be going to a friend. i love this pattern. ah, lace--if you've ever read this blog, you know how i feel about lace.
oh, this is a slippery slope, i can tell. after i finished the first one, i chatted ceaselessly to the fellow for about 15 minutes about all the things i could do with beads in my knitting....save us all.