More on Lace knitting : Evenstar shawl - 3

The thing about knitting lace is, that you don't really have a clue what it will look like, until you have knitted more than one repeat of the pattern.
The further thing is, that once you have knitted more than one repeat of the pattern, and you realize that you misinterpreted some part of it (the pattern) you need to unpick quite a lot.
The even further thing is, when knitting something where the pattern changes more or less constantly, you get a very beautiful result ... but it can be frustrating.
Exhibit A is the current 'end' of the Evenstar shawl

In a knit-purl sequence, why should I follow the pattern when it says 'knit through back link'? Does it matter at all or is it just a piece of designer idiocy, created to make me loose what little patience I have left with unpicking because I forgot (again)?
The answer is: It matters.
Doing a ribbed (k1, p1) part, with the knit-bits stitched through the back of the stitch means that the knit-stitches stand out more. Since the effect one wants on this particular bit of the pattern is, that of slender columns (think Rivendell in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings triology), you want them emphazised.
And therefore, I unpicked and re-did.
Again.
And no, I don't really mind. I want to do things right, but I am on a constant learning-curve here. Mostly re-learning things I used to know (or should know by now), but disregard ... and pay for in unpicking.

The good thing (yes, there is a good thing) is, that I can now knit this particular segment in my sleep, without loosing any 'knit through back' stitches :-) and I will pay better attention to ... well ... let's not be too unrealistic here ... for at least the next couple of rows :-D

Christmas-decorations

Well, Advent is just around the corner. Tomorrow, actually, so today we start unearthing the first of the Christmas-decorations.
... and I've been making a new one.

I have (sadly) not bookmarked the page where I found this pattern so I cannot give credit where credit is due. If you know from whence they originate, please tell me, and I'll refer to the site. It was a blog (I think), and the idea is too cute for words. SO, I knitted up a pair of tiny mittens, they are finished now (didn't take long), and are ready to go on the tree once we get one up :-)

Love'em.

And now to something completely different

OK. I'm taking a wee break from the Sunflowers (and so, dear reader, are you), because ...

TA-DAH ! I have quilts.

TeaRoses and Passacaglia are back from the long-armer, and are looking great :-)
Which means, that, the next couple of weeks, my stitching will not be Sunflowers, but binding on quilts. It is long-winded and tedious (to me), and almost feels like real work, but ... it has to be done, and I loooove when it is done.

And don't worry. There will be proper pictures and close-ups and such, once the binding is on.

Evenstar shawl - 2

The Evenstar shawl is progressing. Slowly but surely.
I have now reached the third stage of the process (chart 3), which is the last before the edge goes on ... and it is a huge chart. More than 60 rows, each with 560 (or more) stitches on it. But I am having fun ... in a masochistic sort of way.
Let me put it this way : I am learning a lot about knitting lace with the directions in a foreign language.
It is a challenge.
I am also (re-)-learning why I don't do a lot of knitting with pure silk : there is no give in it, and if you drop a stitch on lace-knitting like this, you might as well just pull the plug on the thing and unravel until you reach the closest life-line, because there is no 'hold' in the yarn either.
As before, this has not been blocked, and it will (hopefully) be the last picture you see of it until it is practically finished. Lifelines are a great thing, but picking up 560+ stitches, just to show you a picture ... IF on the other hand I mess up, and need to unpick at one or more stages of the next 60+ rows, I will remember to take a picture and show it you, if not ... you'll just have to wait as patiently as you know how :-)

Double the bits

Double the Sunflower, Double the joy. Well ... almost double the number of pieces 97 bits of fabric in this one, and that is without the background-fabric on. That will add another 4 bits to make 101 pieces of fabric in one 12" block.
I must be mad.
Sunflower # 18 for your perusal. Another fussy-printed centre, and - again - tried to match the colour of the pattern on the centre, and the inner-most triangles.

Still flowering

Sunflower # 17.

A growing patch of flowers

So now there are 16 Sunflowers.
And they are looking good, even if I say so myself :-)

The bright and the bold

More Sunflower. I like the light rays around the sun-face on this one. I liked the dark orangey ones too, but I think I like this one better.
The yellow fabric I've used for the middle bits are the - now almost extinct - remnants of one of the first F/4s of batik I bought. It cost an arm and a leg, but the colour was too lovely for me to resist. It still is. Love those saturated, unafraid, yellows