Oh what a tangled web we...
err...knit.
Lace knitting is amazing. A series of cleverly placed holes and suddenly you have leaves! Or feathers or waves or even elaborate lilies of the valley.
I’ve always loved lace. My first-ever knitting project, after all, was the ubiquitous Knitty Branching Out scarf (albeit I used dk weight yarn). Since then though, I have been rather overwhelmed with the sheer number of available lace patterns. For someone who dawdles endlessly over decisions and second-guesses herself every five seconds, settling on just one pattern for that first lace-weight knitting attempt seemed an impossible task. So, aside from some stash enhancing with a few skeins of lace weight yarns, my lace knitting stood at a stand still. That is, until I saw the preview of the summer Interweave Knits.
Apparently my gut just got tired of listening to my brain ceaselessly debate itself. In short order, I bought the magazine, I bought some lace weight Misti alpaca in sea foam, I cast-on, and I knit.
And knit.
Now that I'm almost done with the second repeat of the first chart, the pattern has finally clicked in my head and the knitting no longer requires squinting at tiny boxes on a page. Working with the thin fiber and slippery metal needles has become easier as well. Though the interesting feathery details for which Icarus is named don’t appear until the end charts, I am rather enjoying the soothing rhythm of knitting the stockinette with a few yarn-overs thrown in. That enjoyment is a good thing since there are still four more repeats of the same chart to go. Here is a view of the progress so far.
Yup...stockinette and yarn-overs.
Lace knitting is amazing. A series of cleverly placed holes and suddenly you have leaves! Or feathers or waves or even elaborate lilies of the valley.
I’ve always loved lace. My first-ever knitting project, after all, was the ubiquitous Knitty Branching Out scarf (albeit I used dk weight yarn). Since then though, I have been rather overwhelmed with the sheer number of available lace patterns. For someone who dawdles endlessly over decisions and second-guesses herself every five seconds, settling on just one pattern for that first lace-weight knitting attempt seemed an impossible task. So, aside from some stash enhancing with a few skeins of lace weight yarns, my lace knitting stood at a stand still. That is, until I saw the preview of the summer Interweave Knits.
Apparently my gut just got tired of listening to my brain ceaselessly debate itself. In short order, I bought the magazine, I bought some lace weight Misti alpaca in sea foam, I cast-on, and I knit.
And knit.
Now that I'm almost done with the second repeat of the first chart, the pattern has finally clicked in my head and the knitting no longer requires squinting at tiny boxes on a page. Working with the thin fiber and slippery metal needles has become easier as well. Though the interesting feathery details for which Icarus is named don’t appear until the end charts, I am rather enjoying the soothing rhythm of knitting the stockinette with a few yarn-overs thrown in. That enjoyment is a good thing since there are still four more repeats of the same chart to go. Here is a view of the progress so far.
Yup...stockinette and yarn-overs.
posted by Marie at 3:15 AM
5 Comments:
I love the edging of this shawl! I am knitting one too at the moment, although it is on hold this week due to school holidays (children and lace knitting don't go well together!) Like you I am fascinated by the pattern slowly revealing itself after a few rows of apparently meaningless yo's, ssk, etc... The really exciting bit will come when you get to this lovely edge!!!
This is such a pretty shawl! I am going to love watching you knit it.
Stockinette and yarn overs create magic shapes though, as you've pointed out. There is something alchemical about lace (to mix my contexts not a little).
I've been doing exactly the same thing dithering over my first 'real' lace (after Branching Out, too) and I loved the idea of your gut getting tired of hearing your brain run circles! I'll wait and see when mine kicks in, and in the meantime I'll watch the progress of your shawl with glee.
ooh, I have been wanting to see an in progress of this one... I look forward to watching you knit it. Still working on last issues trellis scarf myself.
The shawl is looking beautiful! It's such a good feeling to get into the rhythm of a pattern... :)
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