The Duckling becomes a Swan.

Well I have caught up and passed the finish line. I finished knitting the MS3 monday night and up until the last stitch I really didn't like it. I had decided to do the wing as I wanted to follow the mystery to the end, also I knew if I had to knit the same again I would be shoving it in a drawer. I knew I had learnt alot. When I started it I could manage ten rows in a room by myself,in perfect silence. Then it got easy enough that I could do it in company. I had enjoyed the experience it is wonderful to check in with several thousand people every day and all be doing the same thing.
I have done lace patterns before but, I haven't done lace. So last night was my first blocking adventure it was a bit of a nightmare as I couldn't find my pins and I was blocking onto a towel. It still isn't perfect, I might have to get the iron out later. I have to say it was worth it because by the time the stole was stretched out flat on my floor I was in love. The pattern is unusual and probably not what I would have chosed but, it is so delicate I can't wait for an occasion to wear it.

Clue three

Anyone who knows me well, will tell you I am not a morning person. The hours between midnight and 7 am are not my friends. If like, when the twins were babies I had to get up I did it with my eyes shut and kept it like that until I could go back to bed. But a funny thing has happened - I have woken up at 5am fours days this week (without benefit of yelling baby or alarm clock)and jumped out of bed in order to get a few more rows done on my Stole. I finished clue 3 at 6.30 this morning and am feeling quite chuffed with my newfound morning personality. The cats too are happy with this arrangement as it means they get breakfast early. The feline in the picture is my nineteen year old baby Tigger, he was purring wildly whilst I took the photo and is now sat on my shoulders purring even louder whilst I type.

Clue two

There are have been lots of rumours circulating about what this stole might look like at the end. Some good, some bad and upsetting. The idea of swans appeals to me I hadn't seen it before I took this photo but I really can see little birds flying in formation and I am sure there is a Irish folk lore about swans. I guess I won't know for sure until the end. One thing I do know though, is that I have always done my yarn overs the wrong way. Much of my knitting abilities are self taught and this has never been a problem in the past but, then again I have never done anything lacey that was trying to create a picture rather than a pattern before. I was really struggling at the begining of clue two as the eyelet kept moving to the wrong side of the pattern. Anyway thanks to the internet I looked it up and resolved the problem.


The other quick project saffron looks like this. Unfortunately the damask that I bought online is not a good colour with the handknit cotton so I am going to have to try and choose another colour I am tempted to go for the cream coloured one just for ease. What I wouldn't give for a decent wool shop in the area. The lava colour damask that I bought is going to be turned into a peony also from rowan 41 for the mother in law ( good aren't I). I am hoping I might get the wool to make me one for my birthday.

whooo hooo clue 1 is done!

Ok it has to be said everyone else starts clue 4 tomorrow but I knew that it would take me quite a while. Not to mention the complete do over at row 58 it had been going really well Ihad the right number of stitches and every thing but for some reason my yarn overs kept disapearing on the edge of the border. I though I would just pull back a few rows and that would be that but I ended up in a real tangle so the only thing to do was snap a chunk off and start again at row 1. This may be because I have threaded all of my beads even though we were told not to. It isn't really because I am a rebel just that I couldnt find my tiny crochet hook and I figured by the time I found it I would be in such a bad mood that knitting anything thing as delicate as this would be a complete no no!
I am still a little unsure about the colour it really isn't very exciting however it does look quite good against the carpet so may be it will grow on me.
I just finished the first clue today I would have complete yesterday but the door bell went at row 87 and that was so exciting, I couldn't do anymore.

Yippee the postman came!

Well thursday morning arrived and so did my lovely yarn, JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool Silk in Pewter. It feels lovely, I was a little unsure of the colour when it arrived it really is very subtle but, I have decided it is the colour of cobwebs so just the colour for a spider! Although it arrived on Thursday I couldn't start until the following day as I had to finish this.


It is filled with lavender so smells fantastic. A birthday pressie for a friend. Happy Birthday J.
The MS3 is now under way I am at row 37, it is slow progress but it seems as soon as there is even a hint of a lace chart being looked at and everyone wants to talk to you. On friday evening I got it out and Husband wanted to show me stuff in the paper, kids wanted to tell me stories from school. So I put it away and started knitting some more of Saffron, I sat in silence for the rest of the evening typical!!

Bad,Bad,Wicked,Wicked!

I am supposed to be being good. But Yesterday when I was wandering around blogland I stubbled onto the Yarn Harlots blog and she had just written about Mystery Stole three and how she had been bamboozled into joining. I thought well it can't possibly harm to have a look. Anyway the upshot is I joined, bought more yarn from woolly workshop( I will show you this when it arrives) and bamboozled someone else into joining with me. It wouldn't be so bad but the Kal I started last August the butterfly is still at the frill stage. I also bought a shawl to make when I went to Harrogate in the autumn and I haven't even wound that into balls, so the chances of me blazing ahead with this and not starting other stuff is probably not great.It is in the form of 7 clues the second of which comes out today. If you want to join in this is the last day to sign up I hate working charts but clue one looks fairly straight forward so hopefully I will be good and get on with it.