Saturday, April 26, 2008
Every now and then I will work out some "GW" (Grown Woman) style in my life
....afterall I am over thirty right? ;o)
Adding some bling and lace in my knits help gets my GW on! :oD
I decided to do it 'casual chic', and instead of throwing on a blue jean jacket this morning to keep the cool air off my arms, I opted for my "Stacey Lacey Shawl"
~ Project Details ~
Pattern: This was an impulse knit.
A few months ago when my fav LYS sent an e-mail alert saying how they have all Noro 20%....I couldn't overlook that!! :o)
I searched and searched and couldn't figure out what I wanted do with which Noro and then...
I saw this shawl display and with this Noro I had been wanting to try for a long time and knew that was the project!
The shawl pattern is from the LYS that came with the yarn.
It is a simple 4 Row repeat and here it is:
R1 (WS): Purl
R2: K3 (YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K1) repeat from () to last stitch, end with K1
R3: Purl
R4: K2 (YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K1) repeat from () to last sts, end with K2
Written pattern called to CO for 67 sts, I casted on 58 sts
And it results in this look
Size: As long and as wide as you want it.
I wanted it really long for that "swoopin" effect, but knew I didn't want it as wide, as originally called for in the pattern. Plus, I was concerned I didn't have enough yarn.
Time: CO on for this project immediately and could not stop knitting on it! This was back in February! Haha! ;op
Inevitably my 'Knit Crush' soon evaporated and my 'Knitter's ADD' kicked in :oD
So I just knitted on it from time to time here and there.
I finally pushed to finish it up and bound off last Saturday.
Threw it in the washer (soak & spin only) then let it block overnight.
Was able to get the weather to cooperate and schedule my Nigel for my photoshoot today! Haha! ;op
Needles: Harmony US10, 24" cord (I rarely use this length so it was nice to have a reason to pull it out! Haha)
Yarn: I highlighted this yarn here and here. It is the Noro Aurora!
I have always had my eye on this particular Noro, and I didn't know what project I could/wanted to knit up so I never bought it!
Plus, there were only a couple of colors that attracted me in this line as well.
When I was buying this yarn for 20% off there were only 3 balls left in this color #1, but the pattern called for 4 balls, and I really wanted that length.
So I eventually purchased the 4th ball online...and it cost just as much (b/c of the shipping and no discount) the yarn I got on sale!! Ugh!
Interesting enough the 4th ball online was in the same dye lot "A",
however it did sneak in a new color on me that the other 3 balls did not have
Can you see it?
Yep Noro did not disappoint with its 'element of surprise' and slid in that light green! :o)
I actually like it...kinda of like my project's very own birthmark!
Believe it or not you can spit splice this yarn!
After a frantic call to Cristi about how in the world do I join my yarn when it's in lace, she said to give the good ole SS method a try and it worked like a charm!
Notions: I must not forget my neverending quest of a pin shawl, and really won't go into the many places I looked! Haha!
But if you noticed in the first couple of pics I had a black 'stick' in it. Yep that is a hair accessory! ;op Those $2 chopsticks work just fine!
However, during my field trip today (which you all will hear about very soon!) I was on a quest for a shawl pin.
And found one that was in the range I was willing to spend.
I really like it! And it doesn't overpower the glitz of the shawl.
Cost: Let me tell ya......my entire outfit cost less than the shawl I was wearing!! LOL
With the 3 discounted balls and the 1 ball that was mail ordered this project came in at around forty dollars.
My good ole chocolate T-shirt and blue jean capris outfit was all of $25 bucks! Haha!
What I learned: This was my very 1st lacey lace project!!!
I liked the alternating purl rows as I carried up my life line throughout the entire project. And Yep! I had to put it in use at least twice! ;op
Also, in the beginning I struggled with getting the right count on this thing! As I kept getting more stitches! So I would just "true it up" later! Haha!
In this particular case it did not mess up how the pattern came out (luckily!)
I finally figured out what I was doing wrong in the pattern and didn't have that issue anymore (remember reading is so fundamental! ;op).
Modifications: As already mentioned I shortened the width of this shawl. Did a little math to figure how many repeats within the row I needed to complete to narrow it.
Verdict: I really liked this as my 1st lace project as it was not with the really light weight lace yarn on tiny needles, and gave me a good taste of what is to come in this genre of knitting :o)
I already have my 2nd lace project pattern, yarn, and needles waiting on me!! And yep....it is more Noro!! ;op Haha!
So I had to throw in a "glamour bling bling" shot!!
**Mary J's 'Grown Woman' song playin' in the background**
Is that not GW enough?!?!! :o)
BEAUTIFUL. Great job, as always!
Beautiful yarn and love the simple, but pretty lace pattern that looks elegent but also shows off the yarn.
Great job on your first lace project!
I also love the last diva photo!