Heading to England

If you're a knitter in England, be on the lookout for a little bit of lace heading your way. I finished my scarf and will be dropping it in the post on Monday.

I used the Knotted Openwork Scarf pattern and 2-ply fingering weight alpaca. My pal gave me lots of room to play so I went with a yarn from a local farm that I wanted to try and a simple lace pattern to go with the handspun quality of the yarn. It turned out soft and light, but I think the alpaca will make it warm and cozy too.

I've included a few more details on my blog if you're interested.

I've got to get in the mailbox before I decide to keep it myself! I hope you like it, exchange pal.

On a roll!

I finally got rolling on this scarf... I have been imagining and planning in my head for a while, but finally got started last night and started flying through. I'm using three different colors of worsted Patons Merino (red, medium blue and dark purple), knitted in garter stitch sideways on a looooong Addi (I don't even KNOW how many stitches, I'm afraid that counting will make me cry). I'm only using two of the colors at a time and changing every 2 or 4 or 6 rows (semi-randomly), such that one of the colors from the previous pair is continued with the not-just-used third color.
I hope to finish it quickly and will decide how I'm going to pattern the mittens once the scarf is done. I hope my recipient will like it! I selected each color for a very particular reason that I'll explain when I send it. :)

Ene's done!

Do you live in the US of A? If you do, you may be the recipient of my Ene. Well, I guess she'd be YOUR Ene, not mine. It's kinda hard to part with her. She accompanied me through my trip to Malaysia and Singapore and every time I picked her up, I remembered my scarf pal, my blog, my knitting adventures - all new experiences since I moved to Sydney.

I hope you enjoy her, scarf pal. I am just waiting to find the right yarn to buy to include in the package. The yarn came in way under budget (oops), although I did use what felt like miles and miles of it!

Pictures on my blog.

Checkin' in....I'm knitting as fast as I can!

Just a quick note to say I'm knitting like a maniac! I finally settled on brown sheep in a peacock dark teal/green for my pal...hope she likes it. I love all the gorgeous scarves I'm seeing...great work everyone!!

To my scarf pal:

You're not getting the Handmaiden wool/silk scarf anymore. You're getting a Malabrigo one. The yarn is pricey (or pricier than I routinely spend) but so incredibly soft you won't believe it (unless you've touched Malabrigo before). I'm not sure what pattern to make now. I'm back to the beginning. I'm thinking Irish Hiking Scarf but I think that a simple (boring?) 2x2 or 3x2 rib would suit this yarn perfectly. It's so gorgeous and soft and has some colour variation that I don't want to distract from that with cables or a lot of texture.

I think I'll go fondle the skeins and then wind them into balls while I decide.

Finished Too

As of about half an hour ago my ISE scarf is complete! Including blocking!! Now to package up to take with me to the states to post.....

Its Misty Garden from Scarf Style, obviously not knitted in the specified yarn. It measures just over 2 metres and took me about three weeks of TV evenings to make. (Have I mentioned that I am neither insomniac nor a speedy knitter - so projects take a while) I knitted it from a two ply crossbred wool held double on 5mm needles and I added some Patons Ostrich at the ends for interest (and because I think my scarf pal will like it -fingers crossed!!) There's over 120 repeats of the four row lace pattern so that's over 480 rows. (lol - Just a few stats for you). It's only my second lace project and I'm enjoying lace a lot - I might even try something a little harder soon.


Photographing scarves is a tad difficult - I need a model!! Here's a close up so you can see the ostrich.

Finished

Yippeeeeee... I'm finished.. I will be mailing my scarf off tomarrow. I'm so excited..
But let me do some explaining first.
On a previous post, I was showing a different scarf. Well forget that one I pitched that and started a different one called the "Fanned Rib Scarf" from the book "Knit Ponchos, Wraps & Scarves" by Jane Davis. Such a fun pattern that I havent seen such a scarf before maybe my head has been buried under the yarn to long. Anyhow.. I found some nice Highland Wool in a brown with size 8 needles.. (which is a achievement for me since I normally knit with big needles) I had to knit this scarf in two halves when I came to the part of grafting them together.. which I have never done before.. Let me say I was a nervous wreck when it came time to do it..I was so afraid of messing it up and having to start all over all I got to say is (thank you auntie) she helped me out alot. Cant even see where I grafted them together.. it was awesome.

I hope she enjoys it, as much as I have had fun knitting it. It was fun as well as a learning experience. I'm glad to have been a part of this exchange.

Hope everyone is having a blast!

Plumpy

Hello all!!!

I have finished my scarf for my secret scarf pal. I'll be sending it out over the weekend and it should reach her soon!! It does have to go from west to east, so it may be next week sometime. But that's all I'm going to say....so it will be a surprize!!!

I used two yarns together. Rowan kidsilk haze mohair with Trendsetter Metal. I do crochet. So this is a combination of dc and filet stitches to give it a lacy effect.

It's very long...about 5 feet but narrow, so it drapes really well, soft and easy to wear with a coat or as an accessory scarf with a soft blouse or sweater.

I hope she likes it!!

I'm done!

I'm Done w/ my scarf! i'm going to send it off to my gal this week! I loved doing this scarf. it was so easy and it's so uber cute!!



Yarn used: Misti Alpaca Chunky
Color: Pretty in Pink

I did a matching hat, but i haven't taken pics of that yet. it's just a simple 2 x 2 rib hat w/ a pompom on top. haha. i love pompoms. :)

I'm sending it this week! i hope my pal likes it!

In the mail

Since Maxine got everyone's attention in Australia, I'll add to the suspense. If you don't get her scarf, you might be getting mine. It's going in the mail tomorrow.

Do you live in Australia?

If so, your scarf is on the way. Finally. Look for it to post to you in 4-7 days!!!

It's been sent!

Okay mine was mailed out today, but I did something a little stupid...i used ship n click and put her email address in the notifier! She was notified today that I sent it..... oh well, she will just get an early suprise right?
catherine

Last stitch made

I finished the knitting on my scarf late last night. Now all I have left is the finishing... many, many ends to weave in (the color repeats weren't constantly complete, so I ended up doing lots of cutting and joining so the color would continue to flow correctly). Silly me, I didn't even consider spit splicing until well after I'd done the majority of it, so I'm left with quite a bit in that regard. But, since I finished the knitting 4 days sooner than I expected to, at least I have plenty of time, and won't have to race frantically to finish it.

My Gorgeous Scarf Has Arrived

Hello All,

I found a wonderful package in the mailbox late last week. Rebecca, my secret pal, had sent me a beautiful, cozy, rose colored scarf. It's perfect, Rebecca!!! I love it. Thank you...

What fun it has been to see what everyone is doing and to anticipate which scarf will come in the mail. Rebecca was pretty sneaky, though. I had no clue who my secret pal was or what she was doing so it was a complete surprise when I opened the mailbox. :0)

The scarf I am giving to my secret pal was blocked tonight and will be ready to go in the mail this week. I won't give any details right now but I'm sure my pal will post a picture when she receives it.

Kellyn

I'm Well on My Way Now

With all of that holiday knitting finished I was finally able to start my scarf this month. I'm using the Midwest Moonlight pattern from Scarf Style with Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool in a lovely deep purple.

Paranoid that I wouldn't finish the scarf by the deadline, I made a row-by-row chart marking which row I needed to be on by which days. Thankfully I've been able to keep up and I'm nearly 2/3 done now.

Still Waiting



My recipient should have received her scarf by now so I'm just waiting to hear that she has. This was a fun swap! Thanks for organizing this!

Checking in!

Hi all!
I'm a little late on my monthly post...sorry about that. But fear not, I haven't forgotten! Here's some progress on my scarf! I hope my partner will like this! I should have the scarf done in the next couple of days, and then will crank out the hat. I'm still toying with how to incorporate cables like these into that...

Happy Knitting, everyone!

Starting on the hat

Well, my scarf is finished but for blocking (though I have woven in the ends), and I've started the hat. Frankly, the hat scares me a little---because fit actually counts with a hat---though I did swatch several times until I got gauge. But when I look at it, I keep thinking one moment that it looks too big and another that it looks too small. I'm knitting on a 16" circular needle, so I can't actually try it on, and I haven't knit far enough to try fitting already knit part.

I'm trying to get pictures up, but I'm a bit of a technophobe, so it might take me a couple of tries to figure it out.

I am pretty pleased with the scarf, though. It's an entrelac pattern (it's the Danica pattern from knitty) in shades of lavendar and purple, in Andean Silk from Knit Picks. Of course, I don't know how it will wear, but it's been lovely to knit with. If my stash weren't already threatening to take over my house, I would get some more for a project for me!

I'm trying to get the hat done in the next week, so that I can get everything blocked and sent before February. If that happens, it might be the first time I beat a deadline in....well, pretty much ever! (but I'm not counting my chickens ;-). I'll post again once I work out the camera thing.

Finally ready to mail

So this is the scarf I originally intended to send to my scarf pal. It's a lacy pattern I got at my local lys knit in Karabella's laceweight mohair which I just love. I'll definitely be buying more of that yarn! Anyway, I had it all finished and brought it in to my local SnB group last Wednesday night to show everyone. They ooed and ahhed and agreed it felt just like a cloud. One person came in late and when I passed it to her she thought it was a for her and became very excited and planned to wear it to an upcoming wedding. Her birthday had been a day or two before and she thought it was a gift for her. I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Thankfully it was a quick knit and I didn't mind just doing another. Unfortunately I couldn't find that same yarn anywhere locally. I'd bought it at a trunk show in Boston.
I re-checked my pal's colors and decided to go with a ball of grey Kid Silk Haze. I redesigned the scarf a bit since I had the opportunity to change what I wanted and here's the result. It's going into a box and hopefully out in the mail later today. This picture doesn't do it justice, it's really lovely with the light shining through it and looks much nicer in person. I hope my pal will enjoy it!

Julie

My monthly post...

Hello hello... Since my last post my scarf has reincarnated about 10.000 times.... looks like last night I finally found something I can live with. I'm soooo glad that I'm not the only one having "trouble" making a "simple" scarf LOL.

I hope I'll get it done before Feb. 1st... (self imposed deadline :))

Cheers Eva

Back from Vacation

Hello everyone. I am back from my 3-week vacation in Malaysia/Singapore. My apologies to anyone who has tried to contact me during the last few weeks. I have not been able to get to a computer.

Anyway, now that I am back, I have news! I have completed the Ene scarf for my pal. I don't have pictures yet. I am unfortunately battling computer problems and I don't have ready access to a computer at home. I promise to take some pictures before I post it.

I am starting to feel like I don't want to give it away. I guess I will just have to make me another one!

Getting there.

Finally I'm having some real time to work on my scarf and it's coming along really well. I love the haze the mohair is making, it makes the really simple offset rib pattern look a lot fancier than it really is but I'm really pleased with it. I made a similar one for myself last year and even though it's really light and airy it's so warm. Hopefully I can have it in the mail next week for my pal!

It's a lot longer than it looks in the picture, I folded it over for the photo.

Finally on a Roll!

Like many other posters who stretched themselves for this exchange, trying things they'd never done before, I also delved into new challenges. I'd never done lace before, and spent the past 2 months trying to get comfortable in doing lace.

It has been slow going, frustrating, exhilarating, thrilling, horrible, and yet--addictive. I made every possible mistake many times, frogged so many times with each ball of yarn that I had to start with new yarn, for all the fuzzies and splits from over-handling. I changed patterns and yarns at least a dozen times.

While I'm no where finished, I am now able to work at a comfortable pace, without the stress of worrying that the next row will not come out right in the count, and I'll have to frog it again.

I'm incredibly happy with the cashmere-merino-silk yarn I chose, and becoming comfortable with these tiny little #4 needles. I love the pattern as it's taking shape, and know that this has been a fabulous learning experience for me.

Will my scarf pal like the scarf when she receives it? Well, I hope so. But the truth is she's such an extraordinarily wonderful human being that even if she doesn't like it very much, she'll never let me know. Instead, she'll find terrific things to say about it and will appreciate the time and effort and love that went into its creation.

I haven't seen anyone else posting that they have made this scarf for the exchange, so I am hoping my scarf pal will not have made it already, either!

I got word from my secret scarf pal that she's nearly finished with the scarf she's making for me, and I can hardly wait to see it and wear it with a big smile of joy!

I will likely be working on my scarf up until the deadline, and I only wish I could finish it sooner. But for me, it's a lot of work and a whole lot of stitches! Sure am enjoying the process, though.

I'll put up a picture as soon as I can figure out how to do it here on the blog!

In the mail

Someone somewhere on the eastern side of the US should be keeping a look out for a parcel which is winging its way across the Atlantic. :-)

Yes, I've finished and posted my pal's scarf.

I chose to make the Irish Hiking Scarf in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK, colour burgundy.

I really hope my pal enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it. Must make one for me now I think!

Sue

Post!

I am a bit late for last months post, but busy is as busy does...
I have finally finished the spinning and dying and now have it on the needles AND 1/4 done.


As I said, my scarf is not an intricate pattern, simple garter and drop stitching, But I am hoping my pal loves te colors I dyed it and the sheer softness of the wool.

I am trying to make the yarn stand out int his one, thus the drop stitches. I am doing a somewhat random dropping, trying to capture certain colors as they come along.

I just hope she likes it as mine is nowhere near as lovely as all these beautiful posts. I shall be mailing it in about a week!

Finished!!

I got my scarf done last night!! Just thought I'd show it off before it goes in the mail tomorrow! I hope my pal likes it! Happy Knitting!!

Catching up

After numerous false starts, I've finally settled on the yarn and pattern for my scarf. I should finish it by the end of the week and then pack it up and send it on the its way. I kept starting different patterns with different yarns but had a hard time committing to a project for fear that the recipient might not like the choices I made. Finally, I realized I just have to stick to a choice or else the time will be up and my poor recipient will be empty-handed. Keeping my fingers crossed that the scarf will be received favorably. For all the other late starters out there....I'm rooting for you all!

Hm (Grrr!)

I'm a little disappointed with the scarf I just finished (finished except for the binding off, that is). I posted a day or two ago here about starting it. I used Handmaiden yarn (by Fleece Artist), Lady Godiva which is 50% each wool and silk. Gorgeous stuff!! And while the colours aren't me, the scarf isn't for me. Anyway, so why am I disappointed? Because it's barely four feet without blocking (I only had one skein of yarn) and I don't want to block vigorously because I want to preserve some of the cushiness. And also because of the way the colours ended up. In the picture I posted a day or so ago, you can see it being mainly the lighter shades but about halfway through the skein it starts changing and by the end it's mostly the darker blue - so the one end is almost as dark as the other end is light. I've never been a fan of variegated yarn and have only found a few colourways that I've truly liked.

So now I'm not sure what to do. Bind it off and block it to death (I don't want to gain any width though, only length)? Rip it out and make it one repeat narrower and then block it to death for length? Rip it out and find something else?? I'd have to buy/order some yarn since I don't have anything appropriate in my stash. Grrrr!! The one thing that makes me think I could start over fresh is that I cast on for this one on Friday around noon and would have been done today at noon if I hadn't dragged out the last few inches.

What would you do? I'm thinking the variegation issues will bother me regardless of the width/length.

I've finished!

My scarf is done, in fact I finished it about 2 weeks ago but I haven't sent it yet because I'm not sure I like it. I was wondering whether to start another one but I don't think I will have time. Here is a picture of it. What do you think?

Yes!! I am not the last one!!

So - I started a scarf right when Celia announced the next exchange. I was so excited about it - I'd run out and bought the yarn right after I read my person's questionaire...I had the best intentions! Then, I started thinking about some knit-picky (no pun intended ;) ) things that I know I'D want in my scarf and sent a few questions on to my person. Well, after reading the responses I started to rethink the yarn/color/everything. And by then it was finals in my first semester of law school - and I swear I didn't do anything but eat, sleep, and study. When finals were over I took a brief weekend trip to visit some friends, then spent a good 2-3 weeks visiting family. Suffice it to say I had no time for knitting, internet, anything! Now that I'm back at my apartment and settled (and done with all my reading for Tuesday when classes start) I am FINALLY going to cast on with the new yarn I picked up in a color I think my person will really enjoy. Luckily the pattern I picked, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, was turning out great in the other yarn (and I'll finish it and keep it :) ) so I'm just going to stick with the same pattern since I really liked how it looked. Its nothing complicated but it has a chunky texture I think is perfect for winter wear but the yarn would be good for spring too. Of course...I have yet to think about mittens (and yes, I'm in that group - eek!) but I know there is a pattern I enjoy in Last Minute Knitted Gifts and my LYS has PLENTY of stock, so I'm hoping to get the scarf done with my free time the next two weeks, pick up the mitten yarn and get those done quickly :). We'll see! What an adventure! I was REALLY trying to be extra prepared this exchange but life got in the way. Oops! The thrill of the deadline always spurs me on though.

And I'm happy to see I'm not the ONLY one re-starting/casting on today lol.

Rebecca

The Last!

I've seen some posts in which several of you are wondering if you are the last to start. Well, I'm not sure if I'm the last but, I'm sure I'm pretty close. I just started this evening and I'm half-way through my scarf. I'm making a scarf called the "Chunky Paca" Scarf and is designed by Fulay Little at Little Knits. The yarn that I'm using is Misti Baby Alpaca Chunky and the colorway is #1843 -- Pastel Pink. Since I don't want to give anymore away, you'll have to wait to see a picture of how it all turns out in the next week or so. If you haven't used this yarn before, it is scrumptious and I hoping that my ISE pal will love it as much as I do. So long for now. Will update when done and my gift has been received by my pal.

Obligatory post with nothing to say

Is there really only a month left?!? Oh my, I've got a lot to do in the next couple of weeks.
I would post pictures, but there isn't much to take pictures of. I've completed half a scarf... the boring half completely devoid of patterns or colour.But I will definitely be done on time (fingers crossed)
I've been trying to keep my SP up to date with emails, so she doesn't think I've forgotten about her.
I'm loving all of the scarfs everyone is making! I'm slowly accumulating a collection of "To Knit" patterns.
Keep up the beautiful knitting!

Checking in!

I have not been posting because I have been in the middle of a move. Right now I am semi settled and have been working on my scarf for my pal....I'm not sure I love it. I hate to start over so late in the game, but I want her to really like her scarf.

As soon as I unpack the camera, I'll take some shots and get your opinions!

Jenn

Waiting...

Well, I already sent off my scarf and it has been received.

Which leaves me to wait for my scarf and try to figure out which one it is - and I think I have. :) But I won't say just in case someone else thinks that it's theirs. ;)