Shawls

Hello,
well we are slipping gently back into the school and work routine. Uniforms, lunches and out the door. Blogging time is again at a premium. But I cant let a year go by without mentioning the Exchange! For those of you who don't know one of the highlights of my year is the RowanTree Exchange. This year the theme was "Fit for a queen" My exchange gifts for the RowanTree exchange have arrived in the sunny Netherlands. So I thought I would share.
This was a mystery shawl from Through the loops, I really struggled with this one as it really didn't want to behave on the blocking. I think this might of been because it should of been lace weight and I bought to dye for 4ply in Bloody Valentine ( what a great name hey? I bought it on the strength of that alone). Anyway I invested in some wires and was ruthless and that seemed to work. I also made this.

Nessie a shawl that my exchangee specifically asked for. It was pretty perfect for the bus rows, upon rows of garter stitch. It was a little bit mind numbing but I actually really liked it when it was finished the way the ends twirl is very flattering.
Then I realised that there are quite a few shawls from the past few months that haven't been shown.
Many of them were done on the bus last term. I have a little shawl addiction going on all because of BooKnits her shawls are lovely!! This was my first, Cloud Illusions
the perfect medium for a lovely skein dream in colour starry that I was gifted as part of the RownTree Exchange last year.
I keep buying her little booklets and seeing more and more that I want to own. This one is called Sweet Dreams ( they all have lovely names)

The yarn is madelainetosh light and I was lucky enough to get in on a ravelry destash from none other than Booknits herself.
I am still knitting the mystery shawl as I think I mentioned last post, it is called out of the darkness. It is a bit of an experiment I am dyeing my yarn every six rows or so, covering the whole shawl with the dye and then when I am ready to dye again filling the bottle back up to the top with water so the colour dilutes. To me it looks like summer skies I love it. Just need a few more hours to finish.
Speaking of dyeing, I have finished Lillian!!! Watch this space for a grand reveal.

Till next time
Arianwen

Wonderful Wollmeise

In the summer I was really lucky to take part in the Rowan Knitting Exchange. This is organised every year by some wonderful Rowan members. I don't know if you remember but I made Ishbel in Rowan Damask for a lovely canadian lady called Nance. In turn my parcel was from a lady in England called Marie France sent me the most wonderful pair of Malabrigo socks (really too nice to put on my cloven hooves)a very cute poncho which I have had a ton of compliments for and a skein of Wollmeise.
Now I seem to have a bit of a rep as a wool snob and I do have to admit I do like nice yarn but I have never been passionate about anyone supplier until now. The first thing that strikes you about the wollmeise yarn is the colour it has wonderful depth, there is variation of colour without it being glaringly obvious. The second thing is the smell, and let me tell you it is a smell to die for. Imagine a field of rose bushes just coming into bloom combined with a soft summer rain. That it is the smell of wollmeise. I have since found out she washes her yarn in perwol. So if you are in Germany, rush to the shop and buy some you won't be disappointed!
I was busy looking for the most perfect project for this wonderful,squidgy, yummy yarn, When my friend Monica bought me a copy of Aestlight. Perfect! A match made in heaven the most wonderful yarn in the whole universe coupled with a very attractive shawl that was interesting to knit and very easy and enjoyable to wear.

Hint four - ok I am totally lost on the clues!

There was mutterings by one lady that the result might be Elizabeth but, I can't really see how the stole would tie up into that so I shall just have to wait and see. It really is pretty - it just shows it doesn't need to be complicated to be very effective.
Half term went by in a bit of a blur. I was childminding over the holidays which made it very busy. The pumpkin carving was hilarious. If you can imagine 6 children all armed with a spoon. I have only just managed to rid the dining room of all the seeds that mysteriously flew into the air.




There was tonnes of pumpkin flesh so I christened the bag of maple sugar my cousin brought last year and made pumpkin pie. The rest ofpumpkin is in the freezer ready to make another which I will do as it was delicious.



The ghosts were fun to make - I got the idea from a friend and even the little ones could manage it. The ones in the picture are just the few that Oriana and Inigo made so quite popular.I think we will make angels at christmas.


And finally Inigo became a beaver. This is a big thing for him as it is the first activity he has done separately from Oriana. The second week he had to go and make friends with "strangers" which he found very stressful we forced him to carry on going and I think he is going to settle in well. She has been settled in Rainbows for a while but initially was dragged screaming there every week.

Hint two -Lady!

Wel I have completed hint two and I have to say it is quite pretty though not very stretching as a knitting project( hence the reason it is finished so quickly). The crosses in the pattern remind me of space invaders and the lines of holes as firing weapons neither of which I am sure the designer envisaged when she thought the stole up judging by the clues. I am looking forward to Hint three so roll on Friday!Not that I don't have anything to do - I am just about to shape the arm holes for the knitty jumper so I definately feel I might finish it for my enforced schedule.
The turquoise thing is done! It actually has been for quite a while and I have worn it lots but,it has just been difficult getting someone organised to take a photo. Elenya took this she did take a better one but I managed to delete it. Sorry Elenya! The pattern was from Elann. Very easy though if I was doing it again I would do it on a longer needle as the 24" that was stated turned out to be a bit of a struggle!

Hint one -Aristocracy

Well at least I think that is the answer to the first hint of The Secret of the Stole. It has been a very straight forward pattern so far, I am not sure if that is because the MS3 was like a baptism of fire in the chart reading department or because the Nautical knitter has kindly added a stitch count to each row where there are more than 10st before a change in pattern. A very good idea as you don't have to stop and count. I am putting my beads on with a crochet hook for the is one as well although it is a little fiddly I do think in the long run it is easier as again you don't have to stop and move beads along. If you are wondering why it isn't straight on the needle that is because of the cellotape holding the needle together from when Oriana stood on it. I did toy with the idea of sending off for another pair but with yet another postal strike underway, they may not arrive until the stole is finished.

A Pink Post.

First things first. I won!! KnitYoga had a competion on her blog and I won this really cute little pin. I thought the little figures were metal when I first looked but they are really stiffened felt embellished with beads and sequins. Very sweet I can't wait to wear it.
Carolyns shawl was finished last night as you can see it has at least one admirer ( just as well she likes cats!) The picture with Tigger is a truer version of the colour.



Ok, it is official I think I have a lace addiction. MS3 is drawing to a close and I really have enjoyed doing it. Knitlesstolife told me about this Secret of the Stole if you are interested it starts October 5th
so I have signed up for that and I have also joined The victorian lace today group
which brings me neatly to my next bit of news. My mum gave me money for my birthday as this is all the lovely loot that I got.



I love the Britanny needles and am trying to collect a whole set though they seem quite fragile next to metal ones infact, Oriana stepped on my knitting bag just after I finished my stole and the 3.5 now have a crack in them. The heere be dragone shawl was mentioned whilst I was doing the MS3 and as we all like dragons in this house I decided I just had to have the pattern. I am now looking around for a bright red suitable for a dragon. The Victorian lace today has such beautiful patterns I am just drooling over them all. Elenya asked me how many shawls I need. The answer of course is none but who can resist?

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.

What the postlady brought!

I had a a great surprise yesterday morning.Two parcels in one morning one from my friend Carolyn in Canada has decided that she is never going to be a full time knitter so sent me her stash! The pale pink is for a pi shawl for carolyn and the rest is for my stash. Some is in acrylic and some in pure wool but the colours are all lovely. The other was from the BlueAdt a wonderful ladybird sock yarn and a little packet of needles ( the pressure to be orgainised is great!) I hope I can live up to the challenge!