swallowtail

this is something i finished several weeks ago...i don't know why i haven't bothered to blog it, since i am so darn impressed with myself for finishing it. you'd think i'd want to do a little showing off. never mind. here it is now!

i started this swallowtail shawl several months ago (like, almost a year ago. yeah, that long). it was to be my first big lace project, and i began the shawl with much enthusiasm. well, let's just say that enthusiasm didn't last. i used lifelines throughout, and though i was glad to have them, it was still discouraging to have to rip back a repeat (or at one fool-hardy point...four! i got a lot more serious about the lifelines after that). so though my mistakes were all easily fixed, each simple error was often enough for me to shelve the project for months at a time. i guess i don't deal will with adversity!

finally, finally, i decided it was time to just get it done already. when i picked it up for the last time, i was on the final repeat of the budding lace chart, just about to start the lily of the valley chart (with the infamous nupps!). well, it turns out that the nupps were way more my style. i loved making them! the last few charts went exceedingly fast, and i actually found myself binding off this sucker. my reward was my first true blocking-as-alchemy experience. sure, i've blocked sweaters and hats and color-work pieces and whatnot before, and it makes your stitches look even and the finished piece smell pretty, but wow! i had no idea. i had sort of mixed feelings about the shawl until i soaked it, pinned it out on my bed, and came back four hours later. it was perfect! i mean, it definitely wasn't perfect, but to my eyes, i was just so impressed that i had made something so intricate and beautiful. lace...it's really something crazy, isn't it?

pattern: swallowtail shawl, by evelyn clark
yarn: jamieson's ultra, 1.5 skeins, in clematis
needles: size 5
mods: none!

oh, bloggy!

my mom has mentioned several times that i haven't posted on my blog in a while, so i better post something!

i actually have quite a little stockpile of finished projects. here are two:


first up, the adorable saartje's booties (rav link), for my niece, greta. these were to match the apple hat and quilt that i made her a while back. they turned out so cute, and they fit her (at least for a while)!


i used the debbie bliss cshmerino i had leftover from the hat, and some cute little apple buttons that i had in my button stash. an easy and sweet project!

next...i did another weaving project. this was a scarf that i made for a ravelry friend in sweden. we decided to do a little swap, and i sent her this scarf, along with a few other odds and ends. it was supposed to be a log cabin weave, but i did something wrong...i have no idea what, but it isn't log cabin. any weavers out there have any idea where i went wrong? i like how it looks anyway, but it would be nice to figure the log cabin out at some point.

the yarn was "weaving yarn," whatever that means, that i bought from my favorite local yarn store--it's harrisville designs new england shetland. it's a very rustic yarn, and it came in beautiful colors, so i thought i'd give it a try. it felt ok while weaving, but when i took the scarf off the loom, i was pretty sure i had just woven the itchiest, scratchiest piece of fabric ever. it felt like a burlap sack! i panicked, and prayed it would soften up after blocking. thankfully, it softened considerably, and developed a pretty nice drape as well. it's still not the softest thing ever, but definitely wearable. i think i will stick with my nice sock yarns for weaving from now on though!

that's it for now. i'm turning 30 this weekend, and i have to go finish making the lillet marshmallows that i'm making for my birthday picnic!