Bumbling along....

sorry about the tacky title of the post but I couldn't resist...


The Bee socks are finally complete *said with a sigh of relief* they have been a nightmare. I've never had as much trouble matching the pattern up on a pair of socks as I did with these, it's a miracle they match at all...

But when you see a photo like this:

you pull the yarn until you see the change of colour cast on and away you knit......

The clue really should have been I didn't seem to be getting big blocks of colour more stripes of colour interspersed with little narrow stripes.... very nice I quite like it and prefer it to the photo advertising it....

The problem is those stripes of colour in my photo aren't made up of a long colour run with a short colour run in-between, so what looks like 3 bands of honey coloured yarn actually is made up of 11 shorter runs of colour with an inch or two of contrast :o( and you've guessed it I actually started the sock somewhere in one of these colour runs rather than right at the beginning of the colour sequence.....

When it came to the 2nd sock I thought I'd got the right place to start, but I had cut the yarn off far too soon, so I had to pull it back and cut a bit more yarn off... it looks like it matches but the cuff is about 2 rows shorter on the 2nd sock than the 1st but the nature of the pattern doesn't make it too noticeable, I hope!

I got to the end of the leg and had made a note were to start the heel shaping at the end of the 2nd white stripe... yeh right! which bit of white is the end of the 2nd stripe.... well I guessed and got halfway through the heel and realised I'd knit the leg too far, so the stripes on the 2nd foot wouldn't have matched the 1st sock, so I pulled it back and re-did the heel... 2nd time lucky as they say.....

By the time I got to the toe shaping I was getting a bit better at this, that and I had resigned myself to the fact I would probably be pulling it back to make it match the 1st sock.... but sigh of relief I did it first time....

So a note to anyone out there who is about to knit this pattern and would like matching socks; pull the yarn off to the start of either the honey, white, milk chocolate or dark chocolate long sequences (ignore the little runs of colour in between those colour sequences) before casting on, it will make your life a lot easier.

I thought messing with the Hundertwasser sock was a problem because of the mis-printed yarn, but it had nothing on this.... what will the next pair of socks bring I wonder???

Halfway there...

I will appologise now for the lack of photos in this post, so I'll keep it short & sweet.

I rounded the 2nd corner the other night on the VLT shawl so I can officially say I am over halfway :) I have a feeling I am going to be a little bit short of yarn, but I checked a few months ago and the supplier still had some of this dyelot available.... I may however, pull my swatch back yet if it's that close!

On the sock front I have nearly finished the 2nd Opal Rainforest 2 'Bee' sock and I have started on the Regia Kaffe Fassett Landscape 'Caribbean' sock which is looking nice; I much prefer the landscape to the mirage pattern just more interesting.....

I have started another lace project for a friend's birthday two weeks today.... so no pictures I'm afraid as I know she reads my blog, so tough Anita ;oP and no it's not another Swallowtail....

Turning a corner....

I finally rounded the first corner last night on the VLT stole!!!!!!!!!!! I did fudge the corner a little but I am pleasantly surprised how well it turned out. This is only my 2nd time of knitting a border onto a shawl on the 1st one had more instructions than the VLT book provides for these sort of things......

For future reference Fleegle has just posted an article on a easy method of grafting the edges of a knitted on border together, which if I hadn't started on the border already I would have been trying out....

Also completed yesterday was the Regia Kaffe Fassett 'Mirage' Storm socks...... I am pleased with the fabric and the colours are pleasant and 'safe' for a man you've never given socks to before; well I really couldn't give a Coats rep Opal, Trekking or Lana Grossa could I????

I wouldn't want to knit another 'Mirage' pattern they're a bit bland to knit I prefer something with a bit of a pattern going on even stripes, but just as well we're not all the same or life would be dull...

Eadaoine asked on previous post how many yards the Swallowtail had taken - approx 460 yds

Swallowtail finds its Wings

Here as promised are the photos of my larger Swallowtail.....

Details & Alterations:
Swallowtail by Evelyn A Clark -

Fall 2006 Interweave Knits

48g of Patons 100% wool 2 ply Baby Yarn (in process of being discontinued) kettle dyed by myself with Kemtex Easidye Acid dyes

3.75mm Addi Lace circular

An extra 5 repeats of the budding lace pattern

An extra 2 rows at the start of the Peaked Lace Edging (Rows 1 & 2 repeated)

Finished size: 61" by 29"

Christmas present for my Godmother (I couldn't get it finished for her birthday)

I have to say I'm very pleased with this shawl yet again, it never ceases to make me smile when I stand back from the blocking mats, just as well as this is the 3rd time I've knit it but the first I've deviated from the pattern.

I've read on various other blogs that people have made bigger Swallowtails by increasing the budding lace then 'fudged' the stitches when going into the Lily of the lace pattern.... I'm not one for fudging in advance if you follow....

I sat down with paper, pen & caluclator and worked out for that the Lily of the Valley border to fit onto the budding lace without fudging you need to do 5 extra repeats of the buddign lace. The pattern has 14, I did 19 and if you want it even bigger then you'd do 24, 29, 34 repeats etc.... I was chuft with myself!!!! what is it they say pride comes before a fall..... well it was more of a trip really!

I got all the way to the peaked lace edging, worked rows 1 & 2, got halfway along row 3 and I'm 2 stitces short, I checked my work over and over and over again, no I hadn't made a mistake... I put it to one side in disgust....

Monday morning I sat down checked again no I was right no knitting errors, so out came the pen, paper and caluclator and low and behold I calculated I was 2 stitches short for the first half so a total of 4 stitches would be needed to make the pattern 'fit' on row 3, Hmmmmmm....... after a bit of thought, do I rip back rows 1&2 and start the lace straight on top of the lily of the valley edging or do I add a further 4 stitches to row 1 (makes 8 increases on that first row) I finally decided that I would just repeat rows 1 & 2 to get the desired number of stitches... I think that worked well in the end, I've got a little broader transition band but I don't think it detracts at all....

Anyway would I do this pattern again... still definitely yes, perhaps not just immediately as this is my 3rd since May, however I may do a smaller one (9 budding lace repeats) as a neckscarf for mum for her Birthday....

Anyway here's a table of stitches if anyone wants to use my method of making a bigger or smaller Swallowtail.... Don't shout please if the maths are wrong...


Number of Budding Lace Repeats: 9 14 19 24 29 34
Number of stitches after Budding Lace: 135 195 255 315 375 435
Number of Stitches after Lily Border #1: 159 219 279 339 399 459
Number of Stitches after Lily Border #2: 179 239 299 359 419 479
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 twice in Peaked Lace Edging: Yes No Yes No Yes No
Number of Stitches before starting Row 3 of Peaked Lace pattern: 187 183 307 303 427 423
Number of stitches after Peaked Lace Edging: 203 259 323 379 443 499
Number of stitches to Cast Off: 253 323 403 473 553 623

As promised....

for Soo who wnated to know how the KF "Mirage" series comes out... this is the "Storm" colourway...

It's OK and will be suitable for the recipient however, I wouldn't like to knit another pair, they're a bit non-discript if that's the right description.

And below is what I have left out of 48g of Patons 2ply Baby Wool (100% wool) that I hand-dyed myself (there should have been 50g but by the time I'd hanked it, dyed it, re-hanked it etc etc.... I'd 48g left) so no chance of getting anymore.

I was so relieved when I finally cast off the 403 stitches and had this left at least I know for future reference what it takes to knit a larger Swallowtail. Anyway more tomorrow when hopefully I will have finished photos for you. I tried last night to get DH to help me block it but he wasn't for playing!!!!

Phew...

what a relief.... I've just finished the Swallowtail and I've about 5m of yarn to spare out of 48g!!!

I've been weighing in between pattern repeats and trying to guage if I had enough yarn, putting lifelines in at strategic points just in case I hadn't enough yarn and needed to rip back and making plans how I could finish the Swallowtail if I ran out of yarn on the cast off edge....

Anyway more details to follow with hopefully some photos of the completed larger Swallowtail by Wednesday....

A Quick update...

I thought seeing since it was over a week since I blogged I'd just give you a quick update....

Both socks in the previous post are now complete and the cuffs completed on their respective partners... I've had a hell of a job matching the second sock for the bee sock, not quite as straight forward as it looks and an error of judgement on Wednesday evening saw me cursing on Thursday morning, but more when I finish the socks......

The 2nd KF Mirage storm will hopefully progress up to the heel today. I have to say I'm not overly impressed with the 'mirage' series I much prefer the look of the 'landscape' series..... I'm not bored knitting them as usually I've got other people round me talking & chattering but I wouldn't like to do a 2nd pair..... I like the colours not the pattern....

On the Lace knitting front I am over halfway down the 1st long edge of the VLT shawl and doing 5 repeats a day which equates to about an hour is manageable and I have more or less memorised the 12 row pattern now. I'm sure as I get closer to the finish line I will do more repeats a day!!!!

The Swallowtail is now into the 2nd Lily of the Valley border so just another 8 rows before reaching the edging..... I calculated that the first 12 row border used 4/5g of yarn leaving me with 18g to complete the shawl. I know the shawl is still increasing but even if the 2nd border uses 6/7g of yarn I still have 11g left to do the edging (which doesn't increase on the last 6 rows) and the cast off, I'm sure I have enough yarn, don't I?

At least I know my maths caluculations were right that if you want the maths to fit with this pattern you need to -/+ 5 repeats of the budding lace pattern to make the stitches work without fudging for the following border patterns... I might even do a smaller Swallowtail (9 budding lace repeats) at some point so it's like a triangular neck scarf.... might be quite useful for using up the odd 20g of yarn leftover from other projects....

Progress...

of sorts...... as you've seen both pairs of socks are complete and I've started another two pairs.... one is the Kaffee Fassett Mirage in "Storm" and the other pair is Rainforest 2 "Bee"

I know they're not as exciting as other peoples socks with fancy patterns and yarns, but at the end of the day there's something elegant about a smoothly knitted sock and when I haven't felt like picking up my knitting recently my trusty socks have always been there so I haven't felt completely useless....

The one thing that I love about my socks is I can just grab the bag and run out the door at a moments notice, everything is in my little Go Knit pouch to provide me with entertainment should I need it.... Whilst exchanging emails with n of the The Yarn Yard this morning I realised just how travelled my socks are..... the Bee pair so far this week went to the hairdressers on Monday, MIL's on Wednesday, tomorrow they will go to the Hospital and on Sunday they will be going to Harrogate and back!!!!

If you read n's blog you will see she is talking about October being Breast Cancer Awareness month and that she's asking all her friends if they've checked their breasts and she asked who would we be asking, so I'm going to publically ask you all...

Have you checked your breasts today?

Back on the Lace knitting front here as promised is a photo of the current Swallowtail which if I stick to the pattern is at the end of the budding lace chart, but as I've not yet used a full 25g ball I'm going to risk doing 5 more pattern repeats to make a bigger shawl, that and I won't get it finished for tomorrow so it can be my Godmother's christmas present.... that's the only nice thing about people who have birthdays near Christmas, you can 'shuffle' their presents around should they not be finished in time for the first ocassion ;o) !!!!!

Just to prove I've actually started on the border of the VLT shawl, I will be happier when I've got a few more repeats done, then it might not feel so flimsy and awkward to work with.... I haven't managed to do 5 repeats a day as you can see, but I will try to stick to it in the future....