Friday, September 01, 2006

Can it be Friday already?

It is Friday already, this week has gone. It has not been a busy week, I have been doing only all the routine things daily but yet I think my soul has reached only Wednesday... It is getting colder and darker and after a few weeks I'll be hauling firewood inside daily and one of the first tasks in the mornings will be lighting the fire. There is very little that I like more in a cold winter's morning than a smell of a fresh coffee and wood burning...

I have knit - some. The grey stockings are done but the sock model has been difficult to catch for under a lens. Hopefully this weekend.
I have watched the beautiful Moth Shawl spread all over - and because I have been holding my breath since the first stitches were cast on for the design by Anne I could not help but ask her kindly send the pattern to my mail box as well. Then begun the search through the stash for the right yarn - soft, airy and light! The stash was a big disappointment, there was none. The ones suitable I did not have enough and others I tried were not good. (I have some Kidsilk Haze but only four skeins and I don't think that is enough. Beth is knitting with Kidsilk Haze and I'm waiting for her project details whether or not four skeins is enough.) So I went through my wool stash thinking about spinning the wool for the shawl.

I had something else cooking at the wheel: moorit Shetland since last June when Cheryl had me trying spinning one hour a day for the month of June which I failed. I was not going to give up with the wool though - I think I had 300 grams to begin with and that had to be spun first, more than two thirds of it was done so far. I could not use this yarn for the Moth Shawl because I had cast on for a shawl with it already. Something I have not been blogging about because I haven't been sure if it would end up in the frog pond. Now I'm quite sure I will not frog it because there are more than 400 stitches on the needles for a row.

This is what Sharon Miller calls a candlelight pattern in her book "Heirloom Knitting". It is going to be a triangular shawl with maybe a brand iron edging from the same book. What I had in mind in the first place was a biggish shawl to wrap myself in to have the first cup of coffee outside early in the summer mornings... I regret one thing though, I should have made it a square. I guess it is not too late. I could start decreasing now I suppose...
Little part of the wool is left unplied because I have enough for this and I'm not sure how to ply the rest, with two or three singles.

Now that the Shetland is out of the way, I'm spinning some merino/silk.
As thin as I can. There is just this one problem: I'm not sure of the colour.

I guess it had been easier to buy some perfect yarn. But I could not make myself to do it. Because right now I'm waiting for some yarn for some mittens...

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous14:20

    All I can say is Wow. I am so impressed with all your knitting talents. So many things I haven't tried. But I do make pretty good socks! And I'm making my daughter a pair of fingerless gloves. I hope you still get some nice weather for sitting outside and knitting before winter comes.

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  2. Anonymous15:33

    All this is beautiful , what I admire most is the spun wool/silk. Beautiful...

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  3. The shawl looks beautiful. I love the merino/silk - your spinning is so nice and even.

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  4. Anonymous16:59

    Oh, to have a spinning wheel! I am working with my drop spindle and it is slow going. It is not easy to keep track of the thickness of the yarn, either.

    I have been thinking about a shawl as well but haven't gotten very far in my planning. I need to come up with something soon, because I will be traveling in a week!

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  5. The candle pattern is pretty. The idea of spinning my own yarn is not in my field of vision right now. But I did see a large spinning wheel in the window of a resale shop the other day. I cannot think about that -- we have absolutely no room for such an item!

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  6. The spun merino/silk reminds me of a fine, early autumn morning with muted scarlet & crimson leaves glistening in the sun and mist.

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  7. Perhaps you are still to close to the merino/silk to appreciate the color. I find that when I put something away and then come back to it, I see it with fresh eyes. More often than not, I wonder what I was concerned about.

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  8. Anonymous17:31

    You said mittens? I adore your mittens so far, and look forward with great interest for what you're up to next. The shawl is beautiful, I like the pattern.

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  9. The candlelight pattern is lovely. The merino silk is so beautiful, I can see it already becoming a beautiful shawl.

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  10. That canglelight pattern is wonderful, I'd love to see a shawl with that motif!

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  11. Four skeins will be plenty, don't worry! I am just about to attach the fourth skein, and I am almost at the edging. Just a few rows left!

    I am using a 4.25 mm needle, and I think my shawl is going to be quite large after blocking. You might want to consider going down a size or two from there (unless, of course, you want your shawl to be big and cozy.)

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  12. That's a great idea, spinning an hour a day. Maybe if I try that I'll finally manage laceweight...not quite there yet. The merino/silk is gorgeous, especially the colour IMHO, but I'm a sucker for red :)

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  13. I LOVE the merino/silk. That deep red/burgundy color has been drawing me (like a moth to flame?) so much lately. I hope you pick it for the Moth shawl!

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  14. Anonymous20:34

    Ah, I am waiting for some yarn from Jamiesons as well - isn't their shade card a treat in itself. Sometimes I just get it out to look at the colours. It is better than an aspirin for a headache.
    Jean from Cornwall

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  15. The shawl you are knitting in the candlelight pattern will be perfect for sitting with that first cup of coffee and the fire crackling in the stove. There is something wonderful about being the first up and enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning before all the demands of family and making a home come crowding onto our shoulders.
    Fall is in the air here, but we won't hopefully need any heat on until October. I always try to wait it out and sometimes in late September a shawl and long-sleeved sweater are needed!

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  16. Anonymous07:03

    oh boy! everything so tempting and beautiful! the merino silk is delectable. i an't wait to see what your moth shawl shall be made of!
    and i wish i could stop in some morning for the coffee and wood fire you spoke of—i would love to sit and knit with you for an hour there!

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  17. What a gorgeous color that merino silk is! Your spinning is so even and nice looking!

    I started a candle flame pattern shawl so long ago and now seeing your makes me want to pull mine out from the depths of the UFO closet and finish it!

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  18. Anonymous00:03

    The candlelight shawl is beautiful, I love the colour as it comes through, and the spinning is looking outstanding, good strong colours. I also wish I could be walking by some early morn and stopping in for coffee, the smell of woodsmoke, knitting and the sense of peacefullness, I'd have some homebaked wholegrain honey bread to share.
    Looking forward to seeing the mittens and the shawls.

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  19. Anonymous02:32

    you really seem to be leading a peaceful life. Coffee and the smell of wood burning... we're still getting more than 30 degrees each day, and I really wouldn't mind a bit of cold now!

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  20. Anonymous05:03

    Hi Lene,you should try this link http://www.mimknits.com/wordpress/ to Mims Blog,she makes the most wonderful shawl patterns,that you can buy of her web store.It is easy she sends them to you in a PDF file.She is so talented.
    Ann in Vancouver Canada
    oga@telus.net
    By the way I am danish!

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