The sun has slowly started to appear since I took that one, but clearly, fall has arrived. There’s a nice chill in the air, getting down into the 40’s at night, fine sleeping weather. It makes me want to break out all that fine wool and start knitting sweaters.
I was able to get a better picture of the completed Forest Canopy shawl yesterday. One benefit of the ridiculous amount of money we spent fixing our wood rot problems is that I have a great glass deck wall to model shawls. You have no idea how much better that makes me feel about the whole project.
And as promised, I started a new one, from the same pattern.
Those of you paying attention might note that the yarn is not Knitpicks Alpaca in Vineyard that I posted about last time. I had this Zephyr left over from another project, and there is a little more than 2 oz. of it, probably 700 yards or so. I thought the color suited the name of the shawl, so there you have it. I’ll use the alpaca for something else. (A third one, perhaps?)
I started this on the Knitpicks Options needles, but had a heck of a time with the wool silk blend slipsliding away from me, so switched to my favorite needles of all time, Holz & Stein ebonies (3.25 mm, for future reference). I bought some of these previously via a friend who lives in Germany, but the shop that used to carry them doesn’t anymore. Fortunately I found the motherlode of Holz & Stein, and after several emails back and forth with a lovely woman named Ursula, this arrived yesterday.
These are simply the most decadent needles I’ve ever used. Here is their website, though it acts a bit squirrelly if you use Firefox as your browser. Email Ursula, and these could belong to you, too. They are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but just perfect. The tips aren’t as sharp as the Options, but the join is lovely, and the ebony divine. Any of you spouses out there that are looking for a gift that will make your knitter-spouse swoon, this might be it.
I especially love that Ursula put this in the package:
It’s a cute little ebony pencil with Holz & Stein stamped on it, and a tape measure wrapped up to look like a sweet. How sweet!
The grandkids are here this weekend, so who knows how much actual knitting will get done. I’ll show you two last pictures of the day. First is Willie, as you don’t get to see many pictures of him here. Now that the weather is cooler, he’s hanging out in the house more. Yesterday was a fine day for a cat to enjoy a patch of sunshine.
And here’s John explaining the finer points of opening a bottle of wine to one of his grandsons:
Don’t worry, he didn’t get to drink any of it with his cinnamon grahams. Have a good weekend!
Wow! A glass fence? I’d HAVE to have a shawl draped over it simply to keep me from walking into it. (Super Clutz) Looks really nice. Another shawl too? I’m just too slow…I’ve decided on the Knit Picks Shadow. Every small child should know how to properly open a bottle of wine, they know how to open everything else 😉 Enjoy your day!
Ahhh Have I said I just want to come and hang out on that porch of yours and knit.. ahh.. so nice!
I just got the pattern for that shawl, and I want to try it soon.
Those needles are beautiful.
Yes, I’d say that perfect lace-displaying wall/railing is well worth the remodeling!! (See? That deck needed replacing for a reason!)
Your sky looks like ours except we have snow, too! Lace is a great idea. Think I’ll go sit in a warm corner and get warm.
The shawl looks lovely draped on the deck. I may just have to remember that next time I need a lace picture. You had Holz & Stein needles and you didn’t show them to me while I was there??? Probably a wise choice – you may have found some missing when I left. Please don’t tell me they were in with your stash and I was only sleeping inches away!!!
The glass wall shot is lovely! Those needles sound and look lovely… and I’m probably better off never finding out how wonderful they are!
Aaahhh Lorette – I couldn’t be more envious! The shawl, the needles, the deck, the view – so glorious.
A perfect backdrop for a perfect shawl. Exquisite!
I love the way the shawl looks in the zephyr and your view is just amazing! Not even gonna look at those Holtz & Stein needles, nope not gonna do it 🙂
Your shawl is gorgeous and I love the needles. I have always been quite fond of those.
Nice relaxing fall-like post! Wow, another shawl from the same pattern. Your awesome…where do you find the time? Thanks for the fall band comment…it is in the air even though our air is still in the high 70’s!
You live in paradise–balcony railing for shawl display, good wine, cute grandkids!! And shawls to knit on the needles and in the mind. What more could you want in life….
That last pictures is priceless!
GREAT! First you get me addicted to the Tortoise straights and NOW you are enabling me with direct links to Holtz & Stein…I’m off to find an english/german dictionary…
Your shawl came out great! A glass deck is a pretty awesome thing to have to model shawls. I can see why you wouldn’t want to block that view! It’s wonderful!
Have you seen the Lantern Moon circulars? I wonder how they compare to the ones you mention. I’m betting they are in a similar price range.
The shawl is gorgeous–I really must look for that pattern!
That does make the deck incredibly handy. Scary that we measure so many things by how they relate to our knitting, isn’t it?
Thank you, thank you, for the Holz & Stein website!!!! I have been collecting these needles for years and have found it nearly impossible to find them in the U.S.
For the person wondering how they compare to Lantern Moon – LM, while nice, have a varnished finish which wears out over time leaving a scratchy surface. The H&S are of the FINEST wood imaginable. They have no lacquer and come somewhat matte, but over time with use, they develop a lovely buffed patina that is incredibly smooth to work with. Also, the ebony is solid through (unfortunately I know this because a child snapped one of mine in half-they’re normally very durable)whereas the LM ebony appears to be some lesser wood with just a dark finish. If it is actual ebony, it is not the same quality as the H&S source.