Vineyard Wrap

I finally did it, I cast-off the Vineyard Wrap that was begun in January 2011. Yes, I said 2011.

I have told you before about my boredom issues with knitting anything that resembles a scarf...but I have also told you about my tenacity when it comes to seeing a project though. So it's really not that shocking that a few weeks ago I decided enough was enough and just finished the damn thing.

And it's lovely. Scratchy, but lovely.

It's scratchy because I used Black Water Abbey 100% wool (Autumn colorway). Lemme tell ya, that is some serious wool. Sure it's scratchy and rough...but boy does it show a lace pattern like nobody's business. The ease with which this shawl blocked up was awesome. And the colorways at Black Water Abbey are stunning. Seriously, whoever does their color palette is a genius. So you can be sure that I will be lotioning up my hands and knitting with this wool again in the future.

This pattern was fine. Albeit monotonous...but I don't blame the designer for this. If you want a big shawl with an all-over pattern on it, well you get what you get. A whole lot of repeats of the same 12 rows.

The finished object is pretty and useful. I actually plan on keeping it on my desk at work for when it gets randomly chilly. (I say randomly because at my office you can be sweating and then 10 minutes later it's somehow cold.) I'm also thinking of adding a big button on one end so I can just secure it on and not have to fuss with it falling off my shoulders. But I'm in no rush, I will find just the right big button when I find it.

–Cassandra

The NeverEnding Story

Like Brenda Dayne says on Cast-On....I need to talk about my knitting right now. Sigh.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I had picked up some old projects during a bout of spring fever. Anxious to have a sense of completion and clearing the way for new ideas. (I'm not really good at having too many unfinished objects, they sort of weigh me down creatively.)


One of those WIPS that I've been trying to "power through" is the Vineyard Wrap I started...gasp...in January 2011. This is a project I have actually picked up and put down many times. In between holiday sweaters, embroidery projects, or anything else that can be worked on from the couch, you will usually see this wrap in my hands.

This is long-haul knitting.

For most projects on size 10 needles, a little bit here...and a little bit there...knitting will usually add up enough that eventually you are surprised that the project in finished. Yeah, not so much with this one. Since putting down my last major project a few weeks ago I have knit like a fiend on this sucker. And it is still not done. Right now it is about 60 inches which means according to the pattern, I have 10 inches left to go. Unfortunately, I think I might want it a little longer than the recommended 70 inch wrap length though. That means more knitting.

But hey, don't misunderstand me, I think it is turning out beautifully and I can't wait to wear my finished wrap. I am actually pretty excited to see what the lace pattern looks like after blocking. It's just the monotony of this type of project. This situation is much like Alex's "NeverEnding Shawl". That project nearly killed her with its mixture of miles of stockinette and random yarnovers, but it turned out stunning. I have no idea why I never see her wearing it.

I truly do love the look of the lace pattern repeat.

This is all reminding me why I don't knit scarves. Sure, they were great when I was learning to knit (and I love wearing a hand-knit scarf). But the process is a killer for me. The same pattern, over and over for a couple yards is too much for this Mighty Distractible gal.


–Cassandra

Practical, yet alluring.

Hi again everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday this year. My post-holiday has been spent decompressing and thinking about what I'd like to do next (craft-wise).

After the insanity that was Christmas morning at my house, the realization hit me that I had nothing on the needles. That is one weird sensation. You see, I am not one of those knitters who has 8 projects going at one time. I am more inclined to take one project from beginning to end, then begin again. So when I finish a project, I get a bit stressy until I cast-on for the next. I'd kind of like to use some yarn that I have in my stash for the next project. The front-runner is 1100 yards of Black Water Abbey 2Ply Worsted in the colorway Autumn. The color is so me,  love it. I had purchased it to make a vest that is not going to happen... so I'd love to find a good use for it. I have a few ideas and I will let you know which is the winner soon!

Black Water Abbey Worsted in Autumn.

Christmas night, relaxing on the couch after the boys went to bed, I cleaned out my knitting bag. Extra yarns from the holiday sweaters, needles, patterns, etc. Everything needed to be cleared out in anticipation of the next project. During my organizing, I took a good look at my accessory case. It's felted wool and was kinda cute at one time. I had purchased it a few years ago from a yarn show vendor. Today it looks a bit tattered and frankly isn't really my style.

Not really my style, but functional.

So my next project was obvious. I was going to design my own knitting accessory case. I set pencil to paper and began my design. I knew I wanted all the same functionality of the case I already had, but with a bit more panache.

From my sketches, you can see that I am don't improvise much!

I knew I wanted to use the linen-looking cotton by French General in my fabric stash for the body of the case. I dug that out and started thinking. The fabric is beautiful, but plain. It really called for some embroidery embellishment in the design. After much sketching, I decided that I wanted to do a robin and a robin's nest. In my searching for images of robins on the internet, I ran across a link to Martha Stewart's site that had a robin embroidery template all ready for download. How lucky was I? No need to draw it out myself. I downloaded and got cracking:

Robin embroidery template courtesy of Martha.

About halfway through the embroidery, I was a little disappointed. It's more traditional than I thought initially. It's the pose of the bird more than anything. But, I might be over-thinking this. I will press on. I will finish up the embroideries, and then break out the sewing machine and sew up the interior pockets and edging. Once I get to the sewing, I am assuming that the project will fly... famous last words! My next post will (hopefully) have a finished product for you to see!

Take care,

–Cassandra