Seraphim Knit Along

Finished my Seraphim!

2008-01-08T18:48:00.000+01:00

I finished my Seraphim and blocked it this weekend. Turned out really great!

Knitted on US 7 (4.5 mm?) Addi Turbos, using Knit Picks Sock Garden in Colorway Zinnia - took most of 5 skeins (and I have just a little bit left over)

No mods, except for some fudging I might have done when my stitch count might have been off. I admit nothing.

I didn't take finished measurements, but it's pretty long on me - I'm 5'4 inches and it reaches from my back neck to just above the backs of my knees, and the wingspan is wider than my arms spread out.

This was a great knit, I quite enjoyed it and found it easy to work, despite my initial misgivings about working lace and reading charts. I've improved in both areas now, and am more adept at 'reading my knitting' too. I don't know if I'll knit it again; I'm not much on knitting the same thing over and over, but I'll definitely be looking at more MimKnits patterns for projects in the future.

Thanks for a great knit, Miriam! :)

Seraphim Shawl

2007-12-31T16:40:00.000+01:00

This blog will be a place for the knitters of the Seraphim shawl to hang around and to get help.

This shawl was designed by Miriam L. Felton, who has several other lace designs to call her own. You can buy a copy of the pattern here.

A detail picture of the point

The designer showing of Seraphim in all it's splendor.

If you want to sign up for this KAL, please e-mail me at sweetpea at sweet-p dot net. Put Seraphim KAL in the subject line as I will have a special folder set up for signups and have the e-mails go automatically to that folder.

In your e-mail please share your name (or online ID) and blog address if you have one. I will not, under any circumstances, share anyone's e-mail address without their strict permission first.

I will update this introductory post with more information as and when needed.

Cheers Eva
PS: if you want to participate you will have to buy your own copy of the pattern. The pattern is not free and will not be shared for free or any other way by the participants. Requests for copies of the pattern will not be honored. The link to buy the pattern is available above or in the sidebar.

All Done!

2007-06-14T21:15:00.000+02:00

Well, after 10 months of on again and off again knitting, here is my seraphim shawl. This has been my first shawl, first lace and first attempt at reading big charts. See if you can spot the new design element in the second photo. I learned one important thing: IT IS OKAY TO MOVE THE MARKERS!!!

Overall, this has been an interesting knit. I look forward to knitting another one ( I already have the yarn. ) I also have the yarn for the Icarus Shawl. Okay, I admit it. I am hooked on lace.

Seraphim: soon-to-be started

2007-04-10T22:44:00.000+02:00

I have happily purchased yarn for a Seraphim that is destined to be a retirement gift for an extremely kind co-worker of mine. Luckily enough I don't have to have the shawl knitted for a good year or so, which gives me the opportunity to finish working on the Icarus that I currently have underway and is due as a Mother's Day gift!

For my first Seraphim I chose some hand-dyed laceweight yarn done by Handpaintedyarn.com in their Orca Island colourway.....and while I wasn't particularly thrilled with the way that the yarn looked when it was simply skeined, once it was twirled into a yarn cake I totally fell in love with the melding blues and greens and purples...

For the needles I am going to use my super-pointy KnitPicks Options set in the recommended size 5 and see how it goes. I have two full skeins of the Orca Island (each one being about, oh, 850 yds?) so I certainly have tons and tons of yarn - - making this shawl too big isn't a worry of mine, as I want something that my co-worker can ultimately use to wrap around her shoulders and arms to keep her warm as she sits and reads!

I'm just barely in the Icarus now, so it will probably be a good month or so before I start on the Seraphim, but I was so excited by everything arriving in the mail over the past few weeks that I wanted to post about it nonetheless!

remove me please

2006-12-20T21:59:00.000+01:00

Hi! Could you remove me from this blog? Thanks so much!

Bonnie

Finally done!

2006-10-02T06:11:00.000+02:00

It took months, and I made a lot of mistakes, and had to get some help from the designer (thanks Miriam!), but it is done. It was a real pleasure to knit and I learned a lot from the project.

Reading folks' posts about this project really helped me when I was starting out, so I wanted to share a picture of the finished product! :)

Changing Course

2006-09-13T16:15:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone. My work on the Seraphim Shawl has stalled, for a few reasons. For one thing, I don't think my yarn is right for this project. I don't really like knitting with a double strand of laceweight--there are too many times where I catch only one strand, don't see it until later, and have to stop and fix it. I love the yarn, though (handpaintedyarn.com) and have been wanting to frog this shawl and use the yarn for a lace scarf/stole that's taking shape in my mind.

I also have a hard time getting motivated to do all the stockinette stitch in this shawl. I think it might be more pleasant if I use a single strand of fingering weight yarn. I got some Knit Picks dye-your-own merino in a swap recently. I'm thinking I'll dye that and use it for Seraphim. But that probably won't happen for a few months, as I would rather put my knitting energies into other things this fall.

So, I'm bowing out, temporarily, but plan to return to Seraphim later on. It's been great seeing all the beautiful completed Seraphims and I hope to be posting my own sometime!

Blogger's acting up once again...

2006-09-03T09:56:00.000+02:00

Hello,

I've been trying to make a couple of changes to the links (Mim's got now an online shop where her patterns are available), but blogger doesn't want me to make those changes. I'm signed in alright, but as soon as I want to save the changes I made to the template it tells me I'm not allowed to do so :)

Ah well, the new link is hiding behind the word shop above. I'll try again as soon as blogger's done with it's pms-ing.

Stick a fork in me...

2006-09-01T00:45:00.000+02:00

I'm done!

I finished blocking my shawl last night, and I am so, so pleased with how it turned out. I knit mine in Knit Picks Gloss (70% merino wool, 30% silk); I used less than four 220 yd. hanks. The shawl was started August 13 and finished August 30, and it was knit on US 5 Addi Turbo circs. All the details can be found on my blog, if you're interested.

New Shawl Knitter

2006-08-25T21:36:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone,

Here is my work-in-progress on the Seraphim shawl. I am just starting chart #1. I have never knitted a lace shawl before, so I am very nervous about the charts and everything. Before I start the chart I am going to run a life-line. Just in case! The yarn I am using is GB Wolle Cosy Socks. I have never used it before but it seems to knitting up just fine. The color is black.

I am very happy to be a part of this KAL. And I will look forward to seeing all the finished shawls.

Till later.

Newbie Here!

2006-08-18T00:26:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! I'm one of the new KALers. I started my Seraphim Shawl this past Sunday, after finishing up another one of Miriam's fabulous designs, Adamas.

At the moment I have two more increase rows (rows 5 and 6) to do before I begin the lace charts. Here's a progress shot:

I'm using one of the new Knit Picks yarns, Gloss, for my shawl. It's a merino/silk blend, and it has a lovely sheen to it. I forget the name of the colorway, but the color in this picture is pretty much true to life.

I've been enjoying seeing everyone's versions of the shawl -- it's so interesting to see it done in so many different colors!

Welcome to the batch of new members...

2006-08-17T18:07:00.000+02:00

I feel a bit like a schoolteacher welcoming the kiddies to class :) I hope you'll enjoy knitting the shawl and feel free to ask any questions :)

Cheers Eva

Hi everyone! Glad to be along!

2006-08-13T15:41:00.000+02:00

Hi! My name is Regina. I've been working on Seraphim as a 'to go' project (as I'm only in the increasing portion of the pattern) for a couple of months now ( I cast on for it on a road trip in June, I think). I'm really enjoying my colorway, which is Gardenia in Knitpicks Sock Garden 100% merino - it's a blending colorway from red to yellow to orange and back. I love it. I don't know what the colors are going to do in the lacework, but the color repeats of the yarn are so short and the rows are so long that I think it's going to be all right. I chose these colors because seraphim are flaming angels in the bible (angels on fire), and I think it's fitting to have a shawl that looks like fire to represent them. I mean, could anything be better than flying around while on fire shouting "Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his Glory!"? That could just be me though. In any case, here's a progress pic from about a week ago:

Please pay no attention to my abysmally messy desk. :)
Glad to be along and excited to see others' interpretations and yarn choices for this beautiful pattern! :)

-Miss Knotty

Where She's At

2006-07-29T15:25:00.000+02:00

Here's my Seraphim Shawl in progress. She's the cinnamon-colored one. The others are the Kimono Shawl, Mon Petit Chou, and a pink scarf for the Think Pink Challenge.

Minor Math Mistake

2006-07-28T17:53:00.000+02:00

I wanted to make my Seraphim a bit smaller, since I'm afraid I may run out of yarn. So I did the math (I thought correctly) and calculated I needed to start Chart #1 when I had 103 stitches on each side (not counting the edge stitches and the center stitch). Wrong! I started Chart #1 this morning and discovered I had only 6 stitches remaining when I approached the center, rather than 12.

So I re-did my math and realized I need to begin Chart #1 when I have 109 stitches on each side, not 103. I'll need to tink back and keep doing the stockinette portion for a few more rows. Not a tragedy, just a minor seback!

I'm very close to finishing Cheryl Oberle's Kimono Shawl, and since it's a birthday gift, I'm focused on that. I'm looking forward to going full steam ahead on Seraphim very soon.

It's quiet in here

2006-07-23T11:27:00.000+02:00

Thought I'd post a small update. Besides my second Seraphim, I'm working on Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy shawl and my second moebius bag. I find that if I work on any one project too long, my right wrist gets really sore. I'm limiting myself to no more than 4 or 5 rows at a time, then I switch to one of the others. I'm trying to remember to work on the moebius between lace, so I'm alternating between small needles and fine yarn and big needles and bulky yarn. It really seems to help.

Sarafina, Seraphim, Fini

2006-07-11T22:34:00.000+02:00

Hello all,
I've been lurking silently and meant to post, but I started Seraphim on June 16th and finished it on July 5th. Not too much time for posts or anything else. Anyhow, here's the finished pic:

Project specs: Yarn: Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool in a variegated color, forget the name and can't find the ball band anymore, sportweight, 400 yds ea (2 hanks)
Needle size: US 7 (4.5 mm) Addi Turbos 40"

Modifications: None! I followed the pattern to a "T" and loved it. Margene had the right idea buying 3 skeins of this yarn for Seraphim. Although you could have gotten away with 2 skeins, just need to cut back on a few rows of the increases to take out a repeat. Although I was a bit bummed that I didn't get to finish the entire chart, I can always make another one at a later date, with more yarn. The shawl is simply gorgeous, at least, imo and I adore it. I've been using it almost everyday at work since I finished it early last week. And with the rainy weather we had last weekend, it was the perfect wet weather accessory as I draped it over my shoulders when I ran out in the drizzling rain and covered my head when it was raining harder. All in all, I learned a lot about lace knitting in my first charted lace project and enjoyed the heck out of knitting it. Brava Mim! Great pattern.

More info on my blog about this project.

Thanks and I enjoyed my time here, even though I lurked. I got lots of great tips.

One is not enough

2006-07-09T22:05:00.000+02:00

While waiting for some Zephyr to arrive for the Mystery Stole 2 KAL, I've started a second Seraphim in a lovely turquoise, pink & white hand-dyed merino. This really was the ideal shawl to start learning lace. The chart was so very easy to follow. Of course, not content to do just one thing at a time, I've also started a new moebius bag in a super-soft denim blue merino. (I'm starting to see a pattern here. Merino, merino, silk & merino? Hmm.)

Done!

2006-07-04T20:52:00.000+02:00

Well, Seraphim is done. I wimped out and skipped the last 4 rows. I have enough yarn left that I might have been able to do 2 more rows, but that’s it. Now, I just have to block it. Unblocked, it measures 76” point-to-point and 34” deep. If it relaxes like the swatch did, it should add a couple of inches in each direction. I’ll have to stop and pick up some Woolite when I leave the office tomorrow. I won’t have time to block it, but maybe Thursday.

Nail Biting Time

2006-07-04T01:48:00.000+02:00

Down to the nail biting time. I have 7 rows plus the bind off and precious little yarn left. I started with 8 ounces (840 yards) and eliminated one 12-row repeat when it looked like it would be too big for my stumpy frame. I can see daylight through the sides of remnants of the ball. And no swatch to fall back on. It was small to start with, but it accidentally went into the wash with some other yarn swatches I was testing. It felted beautifully.

Cross fingers, toes and whatever else you have available that I make it. I may have to work fewer edge rows.

Cherry Seraphim

2006-07-02T05:57:00.000+02:00

Cherry Seraphim
Originally uploaded by Inky Knits.

I love this pattern so much, and the yarn I used for the "cat-hair friendly" version, that I picked up 5 more skeins of the Frog Tree brushed suri to make another Seraphim.

Aside from socks, I usually never knit the same thing twice, let alone from the same exact yarn :) I love this pattern, and I think it will be beautiful in this cherry red yarn.

How's everyone coming along on theirs?

Finally!

2006-06-28T04:15:00.000+02:00

What do you think of them fancy stitch-markers, huh? ;) I think it's several dollars well-saved, personally. Someone suggested using loops of waste yarn for stitch markers. Very clever!

I'm excited to have gotten this far, even though it took me a long time, and excited to be doing my first lace project, and working from a chart for the first time! Reading other people's posts has really helped me prepare. I've only done the first two rows of chart 1, but it was still a confidence-builder!

I like frogs, but the green ones!

2006-06-27T05:41:00.000+02:00

I was about two-thirds of the way through the second chart when I noticed that the pattern was off kilter on one side. Somewhere along the line, at the last pattern change, I didn't do one of the yarnover increases. Fortunately, I added a lifeline about 6 rows back. Yep. I ripped back to the lifeline. I switched from my Denise needle to one of the new Knit Picks today, and I think it made it easier to pick up the 300+ stitches. Maybe if I had been using it last night I wouldn't have goofed. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?) The needles are extra sharp and the cable is the thinnest I've ever seen.

This is what it looked like when I started picking up stitches.

Gauge Question

2006-06-26T02:04:00.000+02:00

If any of you who have finished the shawl kept a record of your stitches per inch before blocking, could you post that information? I'm trying to decide how much to shorten mine, as I'm pretty sure I don't have quite enough yarn to finish the pattern as written.

If I knew your stitches per inch before blocking, plus your final dimensions of the shawl, that would be a great help. I'm getting 5 stitches to the inch in stockinette, using a US5 needle. I definitely don't want it to be 90 inches wide (and don't have that much yarn, either).

Thank you, fellow Seraphim knitters.

sorry, i forgot...

2006-06-25T23:53:00.000+02:00

a few things. I used 3,5mm needles and the yarn is called Kauni. It is a fingering weight wool and you can find it at www.wollsucht.de/catalog/ (sorry, the link tag didn't work!). I dyed it with Kool-Aid and I used nearly all of the 260g I bought. The shop says it has about 400m/100g so I used approx. 1000m. I strictly followed the pattern, no additional repeats and it is the weight the pattern calls for. So I can`t really explain why it got so huge! Oh, it is 90 inches wide at the top and 41 inches from the neck line to the point. I did'nt use blocking wires. Actually I only used 10 pins for the neckline because I tried to block the lace section only to avoid increasing the width! I just stretched it out at the top.

Here it is...

2006-06-25T19:37:00.000+02:00

the long finished Seraphim Shawl! It took its time to get this post ready because my computer crashed last week and I had to get it fixed first. But now everything works again and I can share a few pics with you!
unblocked:

blocking (you see, it's huge!):

me, trying to model it, with the help of a colleague:

and finally, a detail of the lace:

i really enjoyed knitting it and I think I'll do it again some time with a lace weight yarn. Thanks for your support!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2006-06-23T16:54:00.000+02:00

The Luxembourg Knitting Studio (LKS) is proud to present to you
Their newest creation featuring

Ladyslipper Zephyr and Dianthus Zephyr
together with
Mim's Pattern

Miss Seraphim

In the above picture she's lightly windswept due to a thunderstorm coming in

Here she rests in presence of her knitter's foot to give an idea of her size
(foot is 10 inches long)

A close(r) up of her point. The LKS would like to point out
that at this moment in time Miss Seraphim
has not been bathed or blocked.
This picture also shows the touch of ruffly cast off edge Miss Seraphim
sports. This is a typical LKS touch

And another picture of Miss Seraphim. The lighting isn't very flattering...
aforementioned thunderstorm being the culprit.

Admission of Stupidity

2006-06-21T03:25:00.000+02:00

Tonight I outfoxed myself. I learned about lifelines when I was looking for a shawl pattern. I figured that the easiest way to add lines was to just attach them to the hole in the Denise needle and drag it through as I knitted. Worked great the first time when I had only 2 plastic snap-apart stitch marker rings to worry about. When I went up to 22 stitch markers, I switched to tiny rubber bands. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!

Carried the new lifeline through, then started back on the next row. Oops! Lesson learned. Remove the line. Now I'm threading it through with a darning needle. And avoiding the rubber band markers.

I feel better getting that off my chest. But, I still feel stupid.

Confession...

2006-06-20T21:17:00.000+02:00

All that is left is 16 grams of each color of yarn... so (after multiple conversions) that is 176 yards or yarn (or 160 meters).

But what does this mean???? The fact that I know exactely how many yards of yarn I have left over???

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SERAPHIM'S FINISHED!!!!!!!

I need to block her of course, but I'm just going to block the border part. I'm not going to make her bigger. I think she's 70-something inches across already. This is the first shawl that I made that is actually big enough for me hahaha.

I always have problems to bind off, so what I did is take a crochet hook (6.50 mm... don't know what letter that is), put it through the first stitch, drew the yarn through and made a chain stitch, I repeated this over and over again. This makes that the edge is a bit frilly, but just a tad!!! And it looks even better I think...

I will make pictures once the temps have cooled off a bit and that the thunderstorms have stopped. It's been thundering for the past 36 hours and everything's wet. I need to make a pic of her outside cos my apartment's too small :)

Cheers Eva

Seraphim Blocking!!

2006-06-15T05:29:00.000+02:00

Seraphim Blocked
Originally uploaded by Inky Knits.

Here she is finally blocking. I loved working on this shawl, my very first charted lace shawl. Mim's patterns are so well written, and her support of knitters is fantastic!!

Seraphim Blocked
Originally uploaded by Inky Knits.

My Seraphim is Frog Tree Brushed Fingering Weight Suri Alpaca. I bought 5 skeins (about 200 yds each) and used 4. I should have made it at least one repeat bigger for myself but wasn't sure. It blocked to about 73 inches by 37 inches. I chose the brushed suri because we have a white cat and this is to be a shawl for use around the house so it was already "cat hair" friendly. Although Seraphim turned out so beautiful I bet she gets to go outside too!!

I want to make another one, slightly bigger and in a smoother yarn. But first to finish Icarus :)

One Week In

2006-06-14T17:41:00.000+02:00

One week in, and I can't wait until I can start the charts. I'm using undyed merino with size 6 US Denise. Started with a short cable, but have moved up to a 40". I have some red dental floss that I plan to use for lifelines. I tested it, and I can attached it to the Denise through the locking holes. Tried some very fine crochet thread, but it was too heavy. The dental floss seems to be just the right weight.

Serephim Update and questions

2006-06-13T18:47:00.000+02:00

This is what the Serephim does at my house when there is still a ways to go in Stockinette before the lace begins. Anyway, here is my delima in reading ahead through the charts. I am assuming that the gray area is a "No Stitch" zone, so does that mean that I knit/purt the white squares until I reach the part in the red square and then repeat that part until the number of stitches remain to continue in the white knit/purl squares? Because the chart shows a kind of triangle thing happening. Also, do I read the chart from the bottom up and from Right to Left. Okay, I'm done freaking out. Any answers would ease my worried mind. . . thanks ladies.
~Peace, DAWN

computer crash

2006-06-13T08:32:00.000+02:00

hi all,

my computer crashed yesterday so i'm afraid i'll have to fix it befor i can post pictures of seraphim ( the software for my camera is on this %/&()!X machine!) and i need it to write my thesis on it :-(( ... bad timing. so i'll be back as soon as the computer is working again!
hope everyone is doing fine!
bye,
nadine

Fear... UPDATE

2006-06-11T19:18:00.000+02:00

I'm on the 6th row of chart #3 and am starting to worry about the quantity of yarn still left... I have 1.2 oz left of each color so about 350 yards... I sure hope that will be enough to finish the shawl. The rest of the shawl has taken up 2.8 oz... please wave your needles hoping I'll have enough yarn to finish Seraphim...

Okay, we're several hours later and I've done some math... please keep in mind that

I'm math challenged
it is Sunday evening and after 11 pm
I hope that I figured all of this out right LOL

Anyways, I made one of my excel progress sheets to see how much I had done of the shawl. Right now I've done 70%. I used about 882 yards of yarn (based on the assumption that I had 4 oz of Zephyr in each color and that each color has about 1260 yards). So far I've done a total of 34044 stitches total (oops that wrong... I used a 3 stitch border DUH...). Corrected math: I've done 34412 stitches so far... so 74% of the shawl. I divided those 34412 stitches by the 882 yards which gives me 39 stitches per yard. Next, according to my math, my shawl will have a grand total of 46442 stitches. This divided by 39 stitches gives me 1190-something yards of yarn usage. Of course I forgot to count the bind off, but I should have enough with 70 yards don't y'all thinks?????????????

If there's something wrong you think with the logic behind this thinking please let me know...

Cheers Eva

Finally finished

2006-06-10T21:44:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone!
It is done! I finished Seraphim an hour ago and I love it! I have to block it before I can take pictures but let me tell you one thing: it is HUGE. And it will be ...even BIGGER after blocking. I won't freeze next winter, that's for sure ;-) So, pictures to come in the next days!
bye,
Nadine

About affordable addi's...

2006-06-09T18:52:00.000+02:00

If you want affordable Addi's you can buy them from Europe. Most cost between 4.50 and 7-something EUR (between 6 and 10 USD) per circular needle. The shop I get mine from has very reasonable shipping prices for the US.
She also sells the popular european sock yarns for a fraction of the cost in the US. I know she can ship 9 skeins of 100 grams for something like 10 EUR. You can find a link on my blog. Just click the picture beneath my green hit counter :) Martina speaks english and you can get the site in english too :)

Just spreadin' the fibery love LOL.

Seraphim in Sweet Peas

2006-06-09T14:05:00.000+02:00

This is my Seraphim. She is being worked in KnitPicks Gossamer (100% lace wool) in the color Sweet Peas. I'm holding two strands together and using #5 Addi Turbo circs (32"). This is my first time using Addi needles and the lady at my local yarn store said, "you'll be back for more." You know what? I certainly will. It is like knitting with lightening! I love them. I thought I was a wood purest, but now I will have to add this brand to my wooden collection. I hope you all are coming along nicely with your shawls as well. I'll be in touch. . .

Peace~DAWN

New Old Knitter

2006-06-07T16:27:00.000+02:00

Just a note to introduce myself. I recently picked up my needles after a 20 year hiatus, and am learning all over again. Last week I finished a sideways knit cardigan. It's finally blocked and I just need to attach the sleeves. Before that I did one of Cat Bordhi's felted moebius bags. I have mixed emotions about that one.

I've wanted to do a shawl, but have felt intimidated by some of the lace patterns — I've never done lace. Finally found the Seraphim pattern a couple of days ago and knew it was the pattern for me. I'm using an undyed lace-weight merino and size 6 Denise needles. I only have about 5.5 inches done, but I've become more at ease with the yarnovers and stitch markers. I'm sure I'll need some hand-holding when I get into the charts. I've used intarsia charts many times, but lace is a whole different thing!

Thanks for letting me join the group. Any tips and tricks from the experienced lace knitters will be very much appreciated.

Phyllis

Progress

2006-06-06T19:08:00.000+02:00

That's my shawl; I am in the beginning of chart #2

Closer?

Circé

I'm here!

2006-06-06T14:43:00.000+02:00

I haven't posted before because I was waiting on my needles to arrive. I had the yarn, but without the right tools, it's just yarn. I started the shawl late last night (because I just couldn't wait for the light of day). I am about 20 rows into it and so far so good--it is only St stitch, but hey, with size 5 needles and doubled up lace weight yarn, anything could happen. I am a bit scared about the lace section (I haven't had to follow a chart before). I'm sure it will fall into place. I will get my act together later today and post a PICTURE of the said shawl and the color of yarn I have chosen.
~DAWN

Yoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-06-05T21:37:00.000+02:00

Where is everyone??? How are your shawls coming along???

I managed to get a lot done on it this week. I'm halfway through chart number 2. Isn't it funny??? I think these rows with the lace in it go faster than the stockinette rows before LOL.

I'm hoping that I'll have enough yarn for finishing my shawl though. I should have, but I am starting to get worried :)

Cheers Eva

Here she is...

2006-05-29T18:51:00.000+02:00

Here she is reclining... during the 2.03 minutes of sun we've had in over a week :) In the background you can see the 2 other participants of The Amazing Lace. The Ladyslipper color (the light pink) looks pretty close in the pictures. The Dianthus is a bit less pink in reality... actually I should say a bit less red. I don't know how to fiddle around with pictures so you will have to make do with what ya get :)

This is what it looks like if you use a strand of Zephyr in Lady slipper and a strand in Dianthus. Isn't it gorgeous???

I love the fabric that you get so much that I'm planning to make a sweater out of Admiral Zephyr (a navy blue) and stripes of another color (mixing one strand of the blue with one strand of something else). If I make the sweater, I'll use needles in size 3 mm or 3.5 mm so that you get a nice fabric too. A sweater (probably more a vest... something sleeveless) doesn't need to be holey like lace.

Cheers Eva

PS: welcome to the new members we've had over the last few days.

waves

2006-05-27T19:14:00.000+02:00

Hello! Have finally finished winding my shawl yarn (fingering weight wool by Lisa Souza, you can see it here), have printed the pattern, taken the needles out, and am basically ready to go. The trouble is that I am not only new to lace, but new to shawls, new to charts, and (seems like) new to just about everything but knitting stockinette in the round. ;) I am having trouble understanding just how the pattern will turn the yarn into the finished shawl I see in the picture and had really started to panic, but after reading through your posts and seeing the early-stages photographs, I feel more confident. This is truly what a knitalong is about. :) With luck, I can post a progress photo of my own in a few days!

I'm joining the Kal

2006-05-26T19:09:00.000+02:00

Hi!

I just casted on
I'm using laceweight yarn from HPY (like Bonnie who gave me the idea - thank you!)

Circé

Nightmare

2006-05-26T13:20:00.000+02:00

Hi!
i thought by now i would be able to proudly announce: it is done. But: nope. it is not. last night i started the second lace chart and right in the middle i recognized i made a big mistake, at the left side the lace pattern was shifted a few stitches. So now i have to rip it back and i didn't use a lifeline. i'm afraid that i'll loose several stitches if i just rip it back but if i undo stitch after stitch it will take hours and hours.... any cool tips?
oh and here's a picture of the shawl before the desaster. at least you can see the colour.

Finished Seraphim!!

2006-05-26T06:57:00.000+02:00

I'm so excited - Seraphim is fresh off the needles, and even unblocked it's lovely. I won't be blocking it til next week so pics will come then. I was just so happy I had to share.

Thanks to Mim for a beautiful pattern worthy of knitting again (but not right away - Icarus awaits!), and especially thanks to Mim for so much help via email when I got stuck. This was my first charted shawl and I had a few stumbling moments, but learned a great deal and I'm not so put off by charts now!

I will say, I am a big girl (3X) and unblocked my version (Frog Tree Brushed Suri Fingering Weight on size 5 needles) just barely fits around me. I'd have to use a shawl pin to hold it closed. I'm hoping the blocking will help, or I may gift it to my Mother (who was recently in an accident and might enjoy a warm shawl in the evenings). So if you're wanting a wider/longer shawl I would definitely suggest following the instructions for making it bigger.

Happy Knitting!!

A Beginning

2006-05-20T14:17:00.000+02:00

I scanned the very beginning of my Seraphim Shawl to show the lovely color. It's the Cinnabar laceweight wool from handpaintedyarns.com. The two skeins are not exactly the same--one is somewhat darker and more orange, the other lighter and less bright. Held together the two strands create a very pleasing fabric. I am glad the color variations are subtle, as I would't want loud stripes in this shawl. It's a very soft yarn, even more so after blocking.

I hope that using an earthy color rather than blue doesn't conflict with the Seraphim theme! I'm hoping that in this color the lace pattern will have the look of autumn leaves.

Eva, I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures!

This is it!!!!

2006-05-20T08:59:00.000+02:00

I'm in love :) :) :) :) :)

Last night I got my cakes of Zephyr out and I started using 1 strand of Ladyslipper and 1 strand of Mulberry, but I didn't like that combination. So next I used the Ladyslipper and the Dianthus and this is a match made in heaven LOL. I grabbed 3.75 mm needles, but I think I'll have to go up a bit and use a 4 mm or 4.25 mm needle. I tried with a 4.5 mm needle, but didn't like the fabric I got. What I have now is a bit on the heavy side. So I'll play a bit with different sizes of needles.

The fabric I'm getting right now would be great for a cardi though :) I love the look of the 2 colors together. I've been looking at my color card and have found some other matches that would look great together :) Guess I'll be mixing Zephyr more often hahaha.

I will make pictures this weekend. Right now it is very very grey outside. I hope that this afternoon the weather will be better and that I'll get some decent pics :)

Cheers y'all, Eva

Seraphim Update 5-18-06

2006-05-19T18:47:00.000+02:00

Seraphim 5-18-06
Originally uploaded by Inky Knits.

Hi All! Seraphim is coming along swimmingly and I am ready to begin the final edge chart sometime today. It's only 10 rows so I hope to have this done by the end of next week (famous last words!).

Right now it's basically a big grey blob of Frog Tree 100% brushed suri fingering weight. I swear it's lovely in person :)

I do wish I had made it bigger, but I was unsure of how much yarn I'd need and played it safe. Turns out I will probably have an entire ball left over - hopefully my LYS will take it back if she still has the same dyelot in stock, which she should since I just purchased this yarn in April '06.

I do love this pattern and plan to make it again in a silk/wool yarn like Zephyr or something along those lines. Perhaps in that Dianthus that Eva mentioned in her last post! Happy Knitting!!

I...

2006-05-19T17:57:00.000+02:00

changed my mind again :)

Yes, you read that right... I wasn't happy with the fabric I got using the Zephyr laceweight yarn. Then I was reading several of the lace knitting related yahoo groups I'm on and someone said that if you use 2 strands of Zephyr laceweight yarn you get fingering weight yarn. So I've been thinking about this... and now I have several options... 2 strands of Ladyslipper (pink), 1 strand of Ladyslipper with 1 strand of Ice Blue (light blue) or 1 strand of Ladyslipper and 1 strand of Dianthus (a fuscia color)... hmmm... and then before we even settle on this... should I wind the 2 strands together into a ball, or just use them pulling them each from their own ball...

decisions decisions... as you may have noticed, I'm not good in dealing with decisions hahahaha

Cheers Eva

Swatching

2006-05-18T04:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone. I've just joined and am looking forward to making this beautiful shawl. This is my first time making a triangular shawl. I'm using laceweight wool from handpaintedyarn.com, a lovely cinnamon color, and I'm holding two strands together. That makes it slightly thicker than fingering weight, I'd say. I knit up a swatch this evening using first US4 and then US5 needles and then blocked it. The US5 are producing the right gauge. With the 4s I am getting 6 1/2 rows to the inch, which would make the shawl too small.

But my only long US5 is very slippery metal--I don't like it for lace. So my next step is to buy a bamboo circ.

I don't expect to finish this soon--it will probably be a long while, as I am also making the Kimono Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls, Knitty's Mon Petit Chou, socks, washcloths and felted items to sell at a fair, and a Branching Out (which is almost done). I guess you could say I'm a little overextended! But I do enjoy having a variety of projects going at once.

I love lace knitting!

My first update...

2006-05-10T17:31:00.000+02:00

Hello Ladies,

I started a few days ago and I'm ready to rip rip rip (written in green to symbolise Zee Frog)!!!

I'm using Zephyr in Ladyslipper (which is very pink for someone who doesn't really like pink, but hey, a girl's got the right to be inconsistent in her behaviour isn't she?) and 4mm/US6 needles. Jennifer (I don't think she introduced herself yet) e-mailed me asking how I liked the lace weight yarn so far. I told her that I'd just decided that it is way toooooooooooooooo open right now and that I'm going to rip. I already had 150-something stitches on the needles (am planning to go up to 300-something to compensate for the lace weight), but the stockinette is not looking very nice like this. I will use 3.5mm needles or maybe even change the yarn hahaha. No, I still want to do it in pinkpinkpink :)

I'm not going to share a pic of what I have as I'm going to rip it. Oh, and I'm going to make one change and that is making a 3- or 4-stitch garter border. I like that more than the 2 stitch I have now.

How's everyone else's coming along?

And then, just because a girl can not have too many projects on the needles, I've decided that I'll make Icarus next. I have some Zephyr in a buttery yellow color (I checked and the official name is Daffodil) which could symbolise the wax of which the wings were made. I think that would make a gorgeous Icarus.
I also just realised that I'd mixed up Mim's Mountain Peaks (which I had not seen until 5 minutes ago and immediately bought) with a stole called Mountain Stream. So I was moaning about this pattern on the knittyboard and when Mim replied and told me that her pattern didn't start the way I said I realised my mistake :)) (= big big big sheepish grin). Anyways, as I have the yarn used in that pattern, it will also get on the needles as soon as I finish either The Sheep Shawl, Knit-your-own-pi mystery or Seraphim (oh... darn I forgot the shawl I started last night... civil war shawl... but that one is ginormous so will take about a year to finish).

Okay, I'm done blabbering... hope to hear from y'all

Eva

Hi, My name is Inky

2006-05-09T17:18:00.000+02:00

Seraphim 4-22-06
Originally uploaded by Inky Knits.

Howdie all!! I started Seraphim in April '06 and this photo is the status as of 4-22-06. I needed something to knit that wouldn't tax my brain while trying to knit in public and the first part of Seraphim did the trick. I'm now at the beginning of chart three so there's been no public knitting on her for a while :)

This is my first lace shawl and my second attempt at chart reading. I've also got about half a Kiri on the needles but I'm doing that from written instructions. Now that I'm getting used to charts I can see the value of them quite clearly! Mim's pattern is beautifully written and she offers terrifc support when a confused knitter writes to her.

The yarn I am using is Frog Tree fingering weight brushed suri. I chose this heathered, fuzzy yarn as this will be a casual house shawl and therefore subject to the fur of two white cats. So far so good, I can't tell cat hair from the yarn :)

I look forward to seeing the other Serpahim's as they come to life!! Oh, and be sure to check out Mim's new Icarus Shaawl in the Summer IK - I'm pondering yarns for her next!!

2006-05-07T15:09:00.000+02:00

2006-05-07T15:05:00.000+02:00

I am really glad to be here.
I have decided that everyone is getting shawls this Christmas! Am I crazy or what!? This is a beautiful shawl and I can not wait to start knitting.
I am going to use some Silk/Wool I had for another shawl that I just don't want to make. I think this will be a better pattern for the sky blue yarn.
Thanks for letting me join.
Leah ;0)

Introduction....

2006-05-06T17:04:00.000+02:00

Hello,

I thought I'd get my introduction up so that people can get to know me :) My name is Eva (pronounce Avah) and I'm 35. I started knitting when I was a child, but never really took to it. I blame this on the "belgian" way of knitting... one long needle stuck under your armpit. It was hard to do. I was such a tight knitter that I had the hardest time getting the stitches off my needle. I would make any kind of yarn squeek. It also gave me the worst cases of tendonitis imaginable.

Then one day, one of my mom's polish friends was staying with us and she was knitting away and I was amazed. She used circular needles, and was only moving her hands and it was going fast fast fast. As language was a barrier, I just managed to learn how she purled, by copying her movements. Then for a year or 2 whenever I knitted a bit, I would knit in the "belgian" way (where you throw your yarn) and purl the "polish" way (picking). My stitches twisted were twisted and my gauge was horrible. The knit stitches were still so tight that the yarn screamed for mercy and my purls were sooooooooooooooo loose that I could nearly fit a finger through them LOL. So after a while I made my knit stitches by doing the exact opposite of what did when I purled.

I didn't do much knitting after that. Last year in January/February, I was very sick (and getting over my mom's sudden death). I was sooo sick that I couldn't do what I normally did: cross stitching. It was too much to count, to switch colors every so often and so on. I had some needles and some acrylic lying around and I started to fiddle around and loved the "instant gratification" of knitting.

In June I joined the first Mystery Shawl along (a yahoo group) and I've been in love with lace ever since. I have 5 or 6 shawls on the needles as we speak and plans for many more.

I am planning to use either some of my KnitPicks Shadow (maybe Lost Lake, Campfire or Sunset) or one of the many colors of handpaintedyarn.com stuff I have. As soon as I know I'll let you know :)

Cheers Eva