World Wide Knit In Public Day

For the record, I did make it to the capitol on Saturday for World Wide Knit In Public Day. However, I got there late and things were winding down when I got there.

I did do some work on Kiri. The above picture is where I was when I left. The picture below is what I had when I arrived.

Basically, I frogged to my lifeline, knit two rows and realized there was still a mistake.

I did get to see Lynn in her roped shell. She substituted linen for silk, making it a good pick for summer.

I also had a refreshing snowcone made with margarita mix.

Once I determined I still had a mistake in Kiri, I decided it was time to head to the Gauge for the after party.

At Gauge I got one of the cool new shirts and had some of the matching cupcakes. (Laura is modeling both.)

Lynn helped me with Kiri, where we determined that that mistake occurred somewhere before the lifeline.

Since she has more lace experience than I do, I asked Lynn what she would do (WWLD) and she said she would use more stitch markers.

Considering I didn't have a time machine, we decided it was time to frog. Lynn helped me take another one of those 15 second videos.

In case you can't tell, the yarn breaks at the very beginning of the video. You can't see my face, but it's almost as if you can see the depair in my hands.

I decided Kiri needed to go into time out. That's when I started the Emergency Back Up Scarf.

When I got home, I decided I needed something easy, quick and knit with yummy yarn.

I used my Noro Silk Garden Chunky that I got at Wildfiber and cast on a chunky Noro Striped Scarf.

I haven't given up on Kiri, but I'm giving it some time to sit and think before I take it out of time out.

Closed for Blogcation

I packed my suitcase.

I packed my knitting bag with two projects for the trip, one emergency back up scarf, a copy of TSA's rules for flying with knitting projects, a padded envelope and postage just in case they give me trouble and all my notions.

I cast on a pair of Wickerware Socks.

I also finally cast on Kiri. Although the final vote was for the alpaca/acrylic stuff on size 4 (at least it was as I write this), I couldn't resist the lace weight. Look how nice it looks all wound up:

Of course, this is serious lace weight. But I think I'm up for it. And I've packed material for life lines.

I'm not actually leaving until early Friday morning. However, I'll be rushing around tomorrow night and going to parents to drop off Bunny Foo-Foo. I'm planning to spend the night so I can get a ride to the airport. So this will be my last post until I return, with pictures of me and Jules and the local yarn shops in LA. I may be back late Monday night, but chances are you won't hear form me until Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Which Swatch?

I haven't been doing much for Swatching Sunday recently, but I have been doing a steady stream of swatching in the last couple of weeks.

Last Wednesday I swatched for the Kiri shawl. I need your help deciding what needle size to use.

Keep in mind, I swatched two different parts of the shawl (not smart, I know. I'm not sure what I was thinking.) But it's close enough to get a sense of how the yarn knits up.

Here are the swatches pinned for blocking (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):



Here are the swatches after they have been unpinned and thrown around a little. The edges are curling some, but the blocking seems to hold up OK. (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):

The yarn I'm using here is Mystic Alpaca from Peru4less. I got the yarn on eBay ages ago, and the vendor seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. There is some debate about the yarn's fiber content. After talking it over with the other knitters at Bluebonnet, we think it is a blend of alpaca and acrylic.

I think the Peru4less would be appropriate for a shawl, but I do have another option:
This is the Skacel Merino Lace that I bought at the Yarn Barn in San Antonio. I could scrap the Peru4less altogether and start fresh with this. It's true laceweight, and I'm sure of the fiber content.

I'm looking for opinions, so please vote. And vote soon. I want to cast this on to knit on my trip to California.

Swatching Sick Day: Kiri Shawl

Cross posted at Sally Comes Unraveled and Year Long Gift-A-Long.

One of my February gift-a-long goals was to swatch for my grandmother's shawl. I have more work to do, but this is what I have so far.

This is from the Kiri Shawl. I'm a little worried because it doesn't look like the pictures. I know lace never does until it's blocked, but still, shouldn't I at least be able to pick out the pattern?

I think maybe I needed a bigger swatch, but this should be enough to test the needles and yarn. Of course, I won't know for sure until I wash and block it.

This was knit on US size 4 (I think) addi turbos. The yarn is Mystic Alpaca from Peru4less that I bought on eBay ages ago. There is some talk on Ravelry that is is not really made from alpaca. Burn test anyone?