AKA, I actually finished something.
Project Details:
Pattern: Alexandra, by Dee O’Keefe
Yarn: My own handspun. The fiber is merino/silk/firestar, Abby’s Batts. There was about 600 yards of it, I still have a bit left.
Needles: 3.25mm Chiaogoo Lace circulars
Started: January 5 this year
Finished: February 17 this year
For: Me!
What I Learned: My handspun isn’t bad to knit with! This was spun back in 2009, and I wasn’t a very experienced spinner. It is mostly fingering weight, and there were only a few places where I had to splice out a bit that was too weird to knit with. It blocked nicely.
I also learned that it needn’t take me 4 years to finish something. This is likely the only thing I’ll finish during the Olympics, but I still have hopes that one day I’ll finish Evenstar. Here’s what it looks like today. As usual, click on the photos to embiggen.
For those of you keeping track, I started this in 2010. It’s a huge circular shawl, with an attached knitted on border (knitted perpendicularly to the main shawl body). I have 34 repeats left. Each repeat is 20 rows and has 50 beads knitted in. The edging is dead simple, but of course I have to pay attention because of the beads.
In other news, I fell off that no-shopping sheep this past weekend. I sort of knew it would happen. There was a big fiber festival in town (Madrona). My friend Dorothy came to visit and we took a couple of classes, which were fabulous. We also shopped. I probably would have held out if it weren’t for the Toots LeBlanc booth. They had some of their lovely lace weight jacob/alpaca/mohair blend, which can be hard to find. And it was HALF OFF people. Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same. There might have been a few other things that fell off the shelf and landed in my shopping bag. Then I slipped and on the way to the floor, my credit card went through the card reader. It was totally an accident. I’m not taking photos of any of it to show you.
So now we’re back to square one. It’s now THREE days since I last bought yarn. I made it to 125 days last time. Let’s see how long I hold out this time.
Yeah, go ahead and blame me! If you had actually let me sleep in the room with the stash, I could have taken some of it off your hands and you wouldn’t feel so guilty about buying more! We did have a good time, though, didn’t we? Thanks again to you and John for making us feel so welcomed!
Wow! That whole shawl in a bit over a month!!! Woot! I skipped Madrona – too much stuff from last year on my shelf. Perhaps next year. The Rose City Yarn crawl is the new danger. I am getting 1 shawl pattern and its special RCYC colorway yarn. Must. knit. FASTER!
Wow! Alexandra is really beautiful! Your hand spun yarn was used to excellent effect. I am also doing a shawl with lots of crochet-hook placed beads, so I feel your pain. You just get the rhythm of knitting going along, and you have to stop for a bead.
Julie
Breathtakingly beautiful! I’m not so sure I have the perseverance to knit a large lace shawl – hopefully you’ll be my inspiration! My problem is the amount of quiet undisturbed knitting time I would need to concentrate on the charts. Evenstar looks equally beautiful – you’re amazing!
About the new yarn acquisition? Life is short…go for it! I could easily be your biggest enabler!
The Alexandra is beautiful…nice handspun. And looking at the colors of yarn at the Toots LeBlanc website, I totally get how you fell of the yarn wagon. I could almost do it just from the pictures alone. Good luck on you next stretch…it’s all in the pacing, right?
Beautiful! Alexandra is looks like a butterfly alight on a flower ready to take flight again. Bit square shawls are a huge commitment. It will be exceptional when done. You did the right thing in buying yarn. Holding off for as long as you did made the shopping all the more rewarding.
The shawl is so pretty – I love the color!
I think that going to a fiber festival gives you a possible “pass” – granted, you may not buy anything, and you don’t have to, but part of the fun of being there is being able to treat yourself without guilt. I say enjoy your new yarn!
Well, I actually laughed out loud when I read this post!
Beautiful!! I love the color. Dee is a very talented designer several of her shawls are on my to do list.
Alexandra is gorgeous! How long have you been spinning? that is a major accomplishment. your Evenstar will be your legacy I think. Beauty.
always hi to little Lewey.
I so would have bought that yarn! I’m in Fort Collins right now and will probably be going to The Loopy Ewe tomorrow. It will be tempting…
Your hand sound is beautiful! And the finished shawl is breathtaking!