Strawberry Fields Forever Shawl Progress Update

Last week I blogged about starting a new crochet project. Well, I definitely made progress over the week. I'm loving the pattern and the yarn colors! In terms of hard progress, I'm up to either row 19 or row 20 and am going to be starting the repeat rows soon. I think this is going to end up being a large shawl - though I wish the pattern maker had given dimensions for the different sizes.

The pattern is just what I was looking for, simple enough for the most part, but enough variety to keep things interesting. And yes, the variegated yarn does add to that variety. I'm never sure what color yarn is going to be next.

Strawberry Fields Forever is a pattern where complacency is a killer. I've already found one error that I've had to correct on the fly. Fixing it properly would have meant ripping back about five rows. With this yarn, that's not something I want to do! So, I improvised.

I know I had some doubts about the yarn, but as I've gotten farther into the ball, it's been no problem at all. Other than snagging back on itself when I've had to unravel stitches to fix mistakes. But, that's been no worse than say the Pattons Lace yarn I used on the Goldberry Shawl a couple of years ago.

This pattern displays the colors of the yarn (Red Heart Unforgettable Stained Glass) gorgeously. I think this may well be the brightest shawl I've ever done - if not the brightest crochet item ever for myself. Yep! this one I'm planning to keep. I hope to keep up the pace though as the rows get longer. I know I've had issues in the past and stalled out for a while - more than a year to finish the Goldberry shawl I linked earlier, and I'm still working on the Elise shawl I started back in 2013/2014 - though that one is getting closer to finished.

As I said, I'm loving this pattern. It's got plenty of variety, even within the rows - double crochet, single crochet, chains, shells clusters and more! The overall motif is a pineapple stitch - which I've never done before. Lots of fun! But keep checking your stitches and the pattern. It's easy to make a mistake and not pick up on it right away!.

New crochet project: Strawberry Fields Forever Shawl

I've started a new crochet shawl project today - and no, I haven't finished any of my other projects yet. However, I do have some extenuating circumstances. With the usual camping trips coming this summer, I absolutely refuse to take a project in expensive (Madelinetosh), cream coloured yarn into the great outdoors - with risk of smudges from soot, grease etc. Ditto for the laceweight scarf project, which is also being done in Madelinetosh yarn.

Both sock projects are currently stalled out too because I'm having trouble figuring out what I'm supposed to be doing next. Which problem probably mostly stems from the fact that I'm teaching myself how to knit on these projects and I seem to have a ton of trouble every time I run into a new stitch.

So, I wanted a project I could do in a cheap yarn (or at least relatively cheap, anyway). A run through Ravelry's pattern database turned up this gem: Strawberry Fields Forever. And, I even like the look of the yarn it calls for. Acrylic, so washable if something happens during the making.

On the other hand, although the yarn feels nice and soft in my hands, it's horrible if it tangles. I fished out the center of the first ball, only to find a nasty frizzy knot in the yarn about three colour-changes in. So bad that I ended up pulling the yarn apart and spit joining it again after taking out the knot. I simply couldn't separate the yarn strands enough to loosen them.

The yarn is a singles-type - not something that usually bothers me - I loved the Bernat Mosaic line, which sadly has been discontinued. Had it not, I'd probably have gone with another of their shawls. However, this time, the yarn really doesn't seem to have a lot of twist. In places it spreads out to show the individual fiber strands and then frizzes.

Still, that's only my impressions after handling it for about fifteen to twenty minutes max. My opinions may change with more experience. I have to admit that I found that issue in only the one place. If I see it more often... we shall simply have to see. And, I really should get more than ten or so stitches into the project.

For now, I have to say that the pattern instructions seem to be clear and straightforward. It's all a written pattern, with no charts. In my mind, that can go either way. I started using written patterns only, but have since grown to quite like having charts as well (sometimes it's only the chart that I'll use, depending on the pattern).

Netflix and Crafting

Those blog posts you see about how Netflix is bad for your reading time? All true. All very, very true. We signed up for Netflix this past month - it was cheaper than buying the seasons of all the Star Trek shows - initially mostly for my husband. I did have hopes though that they might have Outlander - my current favorite T.V. show. No luck. That, among a number of other shows and movies I'd like to see are not a part of the Canadian version of Netflix currently. Didn't think I'd be using it that much... Most of the shows I watch I own on DVD or Blu-ray already.

Then I started to go looking. They had the David Attenborough shows, even the ones I hadn't bought yet - though not the one about the Great Barrier Reef - for which I've only seen the final episode unfortunately. Downton Abbey. I've wanted to watch that one. And then I discovered The Crown. Firmly down the rabbit hole now, and my "to watch" list is growing. Mostly historical drama series and animal shows.

Add to this that I've gotten back into crochet again after about a month of doing next to none. And the project of the day is the beaded shawl I've been working on for the last three or so years. The one I tend to refer to as "what the heck was I thinking" especially when I get to a beaded row.  I have to admit however, that I know exactly why I've picked up this project again. It's thanks to the Knitters Pride blocking mats I just bought. I want to have a project finished so I can try them out. I'm making some pretty good progress too - about four rows in the last week. I really do need to get some photographs taken to show it off.

Up until now I've been using some of the bigger foam mats bought at Canadian Tire. They've worked well enough, but they're no fun to store. I think that right now, a couple of them are behind the basement sofa, one is in the furnace room and the final is hiding in the closet under the stairs. All of them though, are collecting dust, and are highly awkward to stash away.

These new mats are smaller, and come in a neat carrying case - they're always going to be nice and clean and ready to use. No "where is the final mat hiding this time" issues to deal with any more. I do wonder though if the Knitters Pride mats will interlock with my older mats should I need to expand the area for a larger project. Any other knitters/crocheters have the answer?

My final snark of the day on crafting concerns crochet hooks - and I'm not referring to the tiniest ones that got bent trying to open up an old family filing cabinet that was missing its' key (attempt failed by the way). No, those are still on my "to replace" list and the attempt can be filed under "unusual ways of using crochet hooks" of which I have a few stories.

Instead I'm referring to the Addi Comfort Grips crochet hooks I'd been buying a few years ago. I've got something like four or five of them now, and over the last five years, all of the handles have cracked. I'll admit that I've not been overly careful with them - keeping them in traveling project bags for example, but I also don't think I've been all that rough with them either. Still, I most definitely expect better durability for the price I paid for each hook.

I don't think they're worth what I've paid for them, and I'm fully intending to go back to using the Boye metal crochet hooks - which have never had a problem - unless I've been using them for non-crochet purposes like picking a rock out of a truck wheel mechanism. No, my plan as I finish each of the projects that uses one of these hooks is to retire it and take up any new projects with the Boye hooks again. They're nearly as comfortable to use and far less expensive, which is good as I prefer to keep the correct hook with each project I'm working on - thus I can have four or five of the most commonly used sizes.

I'd love to know though what your favorite crochet hooks are - maybe I'll give them a try.

At any rate, all of the above has been quite bad for my reading time - especially since I've now joined my husband in watching two to three episodes of Deep Space Nine in a day - from part way through season 5 and I'm now hooked for the most part. It makes for a good time to do some crocheting. Reading time? What reading time?

I'm still claiming to be reading Drums of Autumn though, and am about a hundred pages farther in than I was last week.

Almost Two Months Of Spinning

I think I've set a new personal record with my spinning between March 8th and April 30th.
The dates were those for the most recent spin-along hosted on Ravelry by Mirkwood Spindles (my current favorite support spindles).

One of the neatest things about this spin-along for me: Two of the three spindles I was using were Middle-Earth themed, and most of the fiber was as well. The grey was from the previous spin-along and themed for Ungoliant, while the darker fiber is called I Am Death and was inspired by Smaug from The Hobbit.

Anyway, I ended up totalling 747 yards of chain-plied yarn that ranges between lace and sock weight.

My wrists are just happy that there's just over a week before the next spin-along starts! They need a break!

Big And Lofty Yarns

My latest spinning-related order arrived today from Interweave:

Big and Lofty Yarns
Maggie Casey
Interweave Press
Run Time: 71 Minutes
Copyright Date:2011

The amazon.com product description:

When you start spinning, it seems like all you can spin are fat, lumpy yarns-then you get the hang of it and figure out how to make fine, smooth, thin yarns, and you spend the rest of your spinning career trying to figure out how to make those smooth yarns big and lofty. In this video, Maggie Casey demystifies the process, explaining just how to make miles of the soft big yarns you want to knit, weave, and crochet with. With this workshop, you will: Prepare you wool on a drumcarder. Learn how to adjust your wheel's take-up. Use the perfect drafting technique for trapping air in your yarn and getting it on your bobbin as quickly as possible. Learn how to preserve the loftiness of the yarn through plying and finishing. Maggie Casey's soothing voice and gentle encouragement are surpassed only by her spinning knowledge gleaned through years of teaching at her spinning shop in Boulder, Colorado. Let her guide you on your spinning journey to a land of big, beautiful yarns-made by you!

I ordered with it 4 ounces of raspberry colored wool roving to practice with.

The irony though, is that I've just started a 200 gram project that's going to take me a while to complete on the wheel: the finest lace-weight that I've managed to date. So, while I can watch the dvd through any time, it's going to be a while before I can put things into practice. Still, I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques.

Goldberry Shawl - FINISHED!!

After well over a year now, I've finally gotten the Goldberry shawl finished. My first post on the subject was on September 26th, 2013, and I finished it today. I'm very probably the last person to finish the crochet-along as well. Better late than never though.

To be honest, I ended up leaving the last little bit off - ran out of yarn, so I couldn't do the two single-crochet rows across the base of the shawl.

I'm definitely looking forward to wearing this at some point in the spring.

Wool-craft, knitting, crochet and Outlander

This is a clip from the latest episode of Outlander, Rent. At least, it's the latest episode for me, as I'm in Canada and I think we're about two weeks behind the US for air dates.

I've been admiring the various bits of knitting in the costuming on Outlander, shown on Sunday evenings on ShowCase, and keeping a close eye out for any hints of the making of them. This is the first hint of wool-working in the show, and it absolutely made my day to see it:

Waulking wool, the final step in the weaving process as far as I'm aware.

So neat to see in this, though I can't remember if it's actually a scene in the book or not. If not, I admire the research the show crew did to add scenes like this to the show.

The only other time I've seen anything like this was on the second dvd of Norman Kennedy's From Wool To Waulking workshop.

I certainly hope to see more of these kinds of scenes in future episodes of Outlander. Also nice would be to see some more patterns for some of the knit-wear on the show. Some people have already created some patterns and uploaded them to Ravelry. Mostly for knitted items. I'd like to see some adapted for crochet.

Crochet and Spinning Update

I'm pretty proud of myself for this, but for the last two months or so, since the TDF on Ravelry, I've been managing to spin and/or crochet at least a little bit nearly every day. I think I ended up missing only one day so far. This is a track record I want to keep going indefinitely.

It hasn't reduced the number of projects I have on the go at all though. As usual, I'm better at starting a project than I am at finishing it, although I did finish one small project, and one of the longer-running projects I've mentioned here before is nearing completion. I'm hoping to get it done this month.

In terms of spinning, I've added one project, with a new spindle: the fibre is something of a mystery, but I have four ounces in three roving strips, all different colors, and I'm spinning it as finely as I can on my new(ish) Snyder Mini-Turk. In the photo the colors are showing as more blue than they actually are. In reality, one strip of roving is purple, one is turquoise, and the third is striped in black, blue and purple. I've torn the roving into small patches, and I'm spinning them in order: turquoise, purple and then the multi-color. Right now, it's on the multicolor and I guess it is fairly blueish in tone.

I'm trying a new technique as well: Ply-On-The-Fly, so all of the spun fiber on the spindle is finished. The process is to spin a length in one direction, wind it off on your hand and then chain ply that section before winding the finished length (now quite a bit shorter) onto the spindle. The other neat thing with a turkish spindle is the way the cop ends up being a work of art in and of itself - if you're careful.

The downside to this method, especially with my effort at keeping the cop neat, is just how slowly it progresses. Of course, I have to admit that part of that is because I'm not doing too much of it at any one time.

The other spinning projects I'm focused on are:
1. A merino-silk blend I have on my wheel in shades of blue. There's 200 grams of this fiber, and I'm about half-way through spinning it. Eventually, my plan is to chain-ply it as well.

2. Alpaca fiber on my supported Ghstworks spindle. This is a one ounce sample that I got from the Spin-Off kit. I'm maybe a third of the way through it. Again, it's slow going.

3. Multi-colored sprinkle-dyed merino fiber on a plain drop spindle. I'm finally seeing the end of this spinning project after three or four years now. Enough is enough, but it's my fault because I bought four or five 100gram bags of it. This one's being spun into singles on the spindle, but I have a bobbin on the go on my wheel that I'm using to chain-ply the singles.

Going over to crochet, the list of projects is about the same length, perhaps longer, and definitely longer if you include photos.

1. The Elise Shawl. This is a project that's gotten a lot larger than it was intended to be when I started it back in May. Back then, it was a one-skein shawlette, but I decided that it would be too small for my tastes, so I'm expanding it. Thankfully, I chose to use undyed Madtosh yarn, so matching colors and dye-lots wasn't a problem. I also decided to add beads to the shawl, using a second crochet hook. As I've said a few times since, "why did I think that would be a good idea?". I'll be glad when this project is done with, but I've got two more skeins of yarn to cake and add, so I'm not even half-way at the moment.

2.  The Goldberry Shawl. No photos for this one right now, but I'm about seven rows from finishing, so I'd like to get it done by the 22nd of the month - Frodo and Bilbo's birthday. The rows have gotten long though - one of the stumbling blocks of this shawl, I'm finding.

3. Another Bernat Mosaic Shawl in the Optimistic colorway. I like to have these to work on in the summer, though maybe I should have picked another color. It's a bit boring, because I just finished one of these a couple of months ago. Still, they work up pretty fast. The other advantage of these is the yarn isn't expensive, so I don't worry about taking one of these to the beach or camping.

4. The Triumph crocheted sock pattern. This one shouldn't really be on the list as I'm not working on it at all. I'd have to say that the socks triumphed over me. The one sock I mentioned last year fit perfectly, but I really screwed up on the second sock. It's way too small, so I now have to unpick the whole thing and start again. I haven't been able to gather the will-power together for it yet.

5. My first attempt at a carry-bag. It's from the same magazine as the basket I did earlier in the year. I'm not entirely sure what I think of the result though. The bag turned out to be a bit smaller than I though it would be for the medium size based on the picture in the magazine. Some of that might be the yarn I used being less stretchy than the yarn the pattern called for. On the other hand, I haven't actually tried filling the bag with anything as a test yet.

 I made one change of my own as well, adding a couple of extra rows to the handle to make it a bit wider. I was afraid the handle as it's written in the pattern would be narrow enough that it would cut into my hand or shoulder too easily.

6. The Bristleberry scarf pattern from the Crochet One Skein Wonders book. The most recent addition to my in-progress list. Not that I needed to start another project with all the ones I have on the go right now, but I couldn't resist buying a skein of  Madtosh Lace yarn when I saw it in the store.

This is going to take a while because the yarn is so fine that each row doesn't add very much to the project on it's own. Then, after a few rows, you look at it again, and all of a sudden you can see the difference.

I love the way it's working up. The pattern is simple enough that I'm not too likely to make any mistakes, at least if I'm careful, but just different enough to keep my attention. And the colors are absolutely spectacular!

From Wool To Waulking (DVD) - Norman Kennedy

From Wool To Waulking: Spinning Wool and Creating Cloth With Norman Kennedy
Norman Kennedy
Interweave Press
Copyright: November 2012
978-1596686830

The amazon.com product description:

The History! The Stories! The Techniques! Join Norman Kennedy in an enthralling workshop about spinning, weaving, and waulking wool. Following his passion for weaving and knitting around the British Isles and around the world, Norman Kennedy watched traditional artisans making textiles as they had for generations. By listening to their stories and learning their craft, Norman preserved skills that were on the verge of disappearing. Now you have the chance to experience these traditions, learn the stories, and gain valuable spinning techniques with this workshop! In this video workshop, he teaches a new generation of spinners these techniques: Oiling wool for carding Using hand cards to prepare rolls and batts Dressing and spinning with a distaff Creating Shetland-style lace yarn Successfully spinning wool with a variety of spindles, a treadle wheel, and a great wheel The workshop culminates in a waulking, a method for fulling cloth that brings people together to finish cloth by hand-led and accompanied by Norman's singing in a variety of languages. In a bonus segment, Norman demonstrates using a traditional indigo dye vat and discusses a variety of natural dye techniques. Norman Kennedy teaches using the rich past as his course.

I bought Waulking with Wool a couple of months ago now on the strength of this sample clip:

I have to say that the rest of the video more than equals that clip. I've watched the whole thing once and the first disc a second time, with the full intent of watching it several more times as I try and figure out the techniques that Norman Kennedy demonstrates.

I'd also like to try out a spindle like the one he's demonstrating on and see how well that works - or not - I'm pretty used to a drop spindle now after almost ten years of using one and I'm trying to figure out the supported spindle and it's techniques intermittently - planning a month long blitz on that one for May thanks to a couple of Ravelry challenges.

Norman Kennedy seems, in the video, to imply that drop spindles were/are less common historically than more supported style spindles, but I've seen quite a few depictions of drop spindles in the art of the ancient world and in medieval illuminated manuscripts. I'd love to be able to discuss that a bit more, if only to find out if I'm misinterpreting what he's saying.

You really get your money's worth on this one: two discs making a total of three hours of clear and detailed spinning instruction. But, even non-spinners find this interesting watching. It's all interspersed with anecdotes, personal history, history in general and even folk-lore - including some traditional songs involved in fibre-crafts (something I wouldn't mind hearing more about. I wonder if any of these are on his cd?). I started watching it with some other spinners for the second watch, and they were finding little bits of things to try as well, and these are people who have much more experience than I do, so there's stuff here for spinners at all levels.

At this point in time the section of the video I'm focused on is the beginning half of the first disc: the initial fibre-preparation descriptions and instructions: cleaning, processing, and carding. All the things you have to do with a raw fleece before you can spin it.

Next time I'm watching, I'll probably be paying a lot more attention to another section of the dvd. Perhaps it'll be where he's spinning on the flax-wheel and how he's controlling the twist going into the singles. I've watched that a couple of times and when I've tried it myself, it just feels really uncomfortable. I don't know if that's because I've been doing it the way I have for so long, or if it's because of how and where my wheel is set up - I'm right next to a wall, so I'm sitting a little off-center from my wheel, and the orifice is more in line with my left hand, while I'm right handed. Comfortable enough with the way I've been handling the roving, but for his method, it feels like I'm trying to work across my body.

Overall though, this is definitely the best spinning resource I've found to date - short of being able to spin live with someone more experienced who can demonstrate, correct and answer questions as I'm working. Still this is pretty close.

Latest Crochet Project Started and Finished

My latest crochet project, the Aruba Storage Basket from Crochet In A Snap:

Where the original pattern called for solid colored yarn, I happened to have a couple of skeins of the multicolored line, pictured to the right, which I used instead. Also, I omitted the colored stripes from the pattern - which possibly made the process somewhat more boring. Next time I think I want to try doing this pattern in something closer to the suggested yarns, although I really don't care for Red Heart Super Saver. I find it to be quite scratchy on my hands as I work. Still, for this kind of project it works well, and I will use it again.

One of the things I did like about this basket is just how quickly it worked up. I got it finished in about three days. It's also pretty sturdy, probably because of the way the stitches were all done with two strands of yarn - a first for me.

I found that the best way of dealing with the project was to use two skeins at the same time, rather than to try doing something like winding half of a skein into a new ball to work with. A rather good choice, as I have the feeling that to use one skein for this project, it would have to be a jumbo skein - I used up nearly all of both skeins.

Simple stitches, but some new techniques nonetheless. I like it, and I'll probably end up making more of these storage baskets.

And, a third photo. So cute, I just couldn't resist:

New DVD Arrival

A few weeks ago, I ordered myself a copy of From Wool to Waulking: Spinning Wool And Creating Cloth by Norman Kennedy, and it finally arrived today.

This is a short snippet of what's on the DVD (which I am looking forward to watching over the next few days.

I have to say that it was a really pleasant surprise too. I was expecting something that was maybe an hour in length. What I got instead is two DVD's which are an hour and a half each, so I now have three hours of information on spinning and wool.

My thoughts on this DVD after watching it though once.

Teaching myself to knit

I've decided, after several years now of crocheting that it's time to teach myself to knit. Mainly because I want to knit socks (Thanks Elizabeth Moon for constantly posting those progress reports on your blog, it's extremely inspiring). Not to mention the numerous other beautiful patterns I keep seeing. This is no slur against crochet. From the moment I first tried crocheting, it felt right, and I plan to keep it up.

Anyway, I've tried learning to knit at least twice before - once as a kid, and once again in the last ten years or so (after I started spinning). The last time I gave it a very brief try was last year - didn't even go a day before giving up.

This time though, I'm going with a different book. Last time it was the Dummies knitting book, but this time I'm going with one that a former co-worker recommended several years ago: the Stitch'n'Bitch Knitters Handbook. At the time, the store didn't have it in, but did have the Crochet book, so I went with that with quite a bit of success.

The recommendation was backed up today by the two workers at my local yarn store, so I decided to go for it. Enough talk about learning to knit, it's time to actually go through with teaching myself.

So, I'm working on trying to remember how to cast on. Which I seem to have succeeded at, although right now it's driving me a bit nuts (second try). First try ended up too tight, and I have the feeling that the second try is going to do the same thing. I'd go to a larger needle set, but I'm working from a miscellaneous collection gifted to me from a couple of different sources. As a result, I've got a lot of fine and medium (many of which have no size markings) and then it jumps to quite a bit larger. Guess I might end up doing some poking around at the Salvation Army Thrift Store next time I'm there.

Of course, that issue doesn't help with the bad habit of the loop I'm working with slipping off the needle every now and again - usually taking the next stitch with it too, which slows me down even further.

Still, I'm remembering how to cast on, which makes me happy as the only method at the beginning of the book is the one I've been told is the long-tail cast on: Debbie Stoller calls it the double cast on.

Goldberry CAL Day ??

I've completely lost track of how many days I've been participating in the Goldberry CAL over on Ravelry, and I'm one of the last ones (or so I get the feeling) still working on the project. Regardless, I'm still enjoying the project and I've just finished Row 40.

Given the way the project is structured, I could go straight to the finishing rows from here, but I'm going to keep going and complete the large version of the shawl. The next rows take me from the Barrow-Downs to the Prancing Pony Inn in Bree.

At this point in the project, I'm starting to recognize the rows which is helping to make the project go faster - I'm starting to only need to check the pattern charts for the beginnings, center points and ends of the rows.

With this yarn, the last row was a bit fun in places. It's a "back-loop-only" (BLO) row and the yarn was getting darker. Add to that the less than ideal lighting I had for part of the row, it got a bit challenging and exasperating.

Now it's on to another repeat of row nine.

Goldberry CAL Day 28 (I think)

I think it's day 28, anyway. To be honest, I'm slowing down a bit with the crocheting. Two reasons. The first is that I've been incredibly busy and trying to squeeze in both reading and crochet is a fun challenge. One or two pages here, ten stitches there. It took me several days to get through row 33, although only one day for row 34.

The second reason is that the rows themselves are getting longer. Row 34 is up to 245 stitches. By the end of the shawl, the number of stitches per row will be over 500.

I'm still liking the way the color changes are working out, although I kind of wish the intermediate grey runs were a bit longer to make the changes a bit more gradual. As the shawl rows get longer, the changes between the rows are more abrupt and noticeable.

The rows are a bit easier, despite being longer, simply because I'm into repeats so I'm starting to recognize that "oh this is the row that does 'that'" so I'm not having to check the pattern quite as much, although I'm definitely relying on the diagrams and charts almost more than the written pattern. Even so, there's the odd mistake/mis-count that I'm having to fudge around. So far, that has simply consisted of reducing skipped stitches by one, or slipping an extra stitch into the final stitches of the previous row.

My Jenny-cat definitely approves of this shawl though.

I turned my back for a couple of minutes while I was taking photographs and this was the result.

Goldberry CAL Day 19 & 20

This is yesterday's post and photo to be honest, where I'd gotten to the end of Row 26. As of today, I've made it to the Bonfire Glade (the end of row 28) and we're really into the repeating rows now. This is where the print-out of the pattern starts to get fun though.

Depending on where you're doing the crochet, the fun levels grow and decrease dramatically. Because of the repeats, I'm having to flip from one page to the next and yet again to a third. Page 10 has the actual row I'm on right now, but the row instructions are on a different page because of the repeats, and for one or two rows, the chart/visuals are on a third page entirely. When I'm at home, that doesn't matter at all. I can sit on the sofa and spread the pages out beside me. Sitting on the ferry or in a vehicle is a different story though. Either way, I'm making progress.

The thing that really amazes me with this CAL is the way so many of you are already finished the shawl, often the full, long version too and are onto the next version of the project. How do you manage that?

Maybe some of my slowness is due to the number of times I've frogged rows to do them again. These last couple of rows, I've managed to fudge through mistakes rather than redo two complete rows again.

I have to admit to being distracted by other things at times as well, such as reading a good book. I spent most of today finishing the newest novel by Mercedes Lackey, Bastion, the fifth book in the Collegium Chronicles series. Also, I'm still working on the mate to the one sock I've finished with the Triumph Crocheted Sock pattern, having now gotten into the lacy part of the foot. This is my current travel project, just because it's compact, and I don't have to refer to the pattern every single row. The project I'm focussing on of course though is the Goldberry Shawl, and I'm already dreaming about possibilities for a second one. Although, I'd like to try out an Entwife or Down The Garden Path (already have yarn picked out for this one. Anyone have any tips for doing this is a fairly fine yarn weight?)

Goldberry CAL Day 17 ?

Well, I think it's 17 days into the Goldberry Shawl CAL on Ravelry. I've lost track, to be honest. I also haven't had much progress to report over the last little while either. For a while it was going along very smoothly (up to row 20). Then, row 21, the "Samwise" row, started giving me trouble. At the same time, I got into the final week of preparing to move, plus the first week of unpacking. Bracketing that was about a week with no internet access (which facts explain the dead period on my blog as well).

Anyway, I got back into the shawl yesterday, I think and I ended up unravelling row 21 at least twice, once including row 20, during which the yarn snapped. I only hope my "join" holds the shawl as it's ended up just being the two pieces held together as I crocheted them in - a spit join that failed. On the up side, there's no ends to weave in there.

Tonight, I finally have progress to report: Row 21 is DONE! Samwise has stopped being stubborn and allowed the row to finish. I'm not counting the stitches either. I refuse to do that again, unless the pattern ends up with not enough or too many on a row - too many chances for me to miscount and drive myself crazy again. I half think that that was the problem here all along.

From now on, if the pattern seems to work, with the stitches lining up properly, I'm not counting.

The yarn is starting to change back to the lighter shades of grey on this row, and I like the way it's looking. Should be interesting to see how the colors space out as the shawl progresses too. So far, it's reminding me of the way the colors in the Bernat Mosaic yarn worked on the one shawl I did in that to date.

Hopefully the next rows will work out smoothly too. I really don't want to spend any more time unravelling. I'd been warned by some of the other participants that Patons' Lace yarn can be a challenge to unravel, and I see what they mean! I really don't want to have to undo more than a stitch or two at a time again!

Goldberry CAL Day 3

I'm still going strong on the Goldberry Shawl CAL (Crochet-A-Long) that I'm participating in over on Ravelry. Today took me to the end of Row 13.

The color changes are starting to show up, and I'm liking the way they're turning out.  We'll have to see how they continue to work though, as the rows get longer. I'm liking the Paton's Lace yarn works up in terms of texture, although I'm coming up with more questions about it, such as how well it blocks, being mostly acrylic.

One of the neat things with this shawl is the way the pattern is designed to tell the story of the Hobbits' journey to Rivendell, with each row or few rows representing part of the trip. For example, row 13, where I've left off for the night is the start of the section labeled "With Nine Black Riders At Your Tail". It just makes the pattern that much more fun, although I'm looking ahead, and wondering why there's a "Bilbo" row as part of the next section, titled "To Bucklebury Ferry Just In Time".

Learning to Sew - What Would You Recommend?

A couple of weeks ago, I realized how many things I have that need hemming, hem repair, new zipper or elastic replacement and how much that would cost to get done. More than a basic sewing machine would cost, and I remember my Mom teaching me a bit on her old Singer. So, I jumped in and bought myself an inexpensive sewing machine, deciding on the Singer 2259 Tradition, based on the reviews I saw on Amazon.com.

However, I didn't get that one right away. Looking around at Canadian Tire, I saw a slightly more basic model of Singer on the shelf, so I bought it. Through no fault of the sewing machine itself, I returned it untried. Obviously someone else before me had bought and returned it - minus some of the parts.

So, after returning it, I looked at my local Michaels craft store on a whim - their website said nothing about sewing machines. Guess what was on the shelf? The Singer 2259 I'd been looking at and trying to figure out how to order.

Got it home, and all the parts were there, the manual was clear and easy to read and I could get started with it right away. Following the instructions for how to thread both the bobbin and the machine itself was simple. In fact, it was almost as though Mom was standing at my shoulder pointing out what to do next - and it's been more than fifteen years I think since she showed me how to use her sewing machine.

However, it's not as easy as all that. I can run the machine, but I don't really know how to do things with it yet. Despite that, I managed to put a sort of a hem on one pair of pants.

So, the next challenge is to learn how to use the sewing machine properly. I found one neat looking book, and I'm finding more interesting looking things in it as I look at it properly; techniques for hand and machine sewing, 'workshops' for different projects etc. There are some downright useful ideas in the book too.

However, as excited as I am to see what I can do with my new acquisition, it's going to have to wait until I have more time. Maybe closer to the end of next month.

In the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions for learning to use a sewing machine?

I do know this, my list of "hey, I could do that" projects and ideas is getting longer, despite not having a clue how to start.

Goldberry Shawl CAL Day 2

I posted yesterday about starting a new shawl project, the Goldberry shawl by Michele DuNaier and I'm participating in the CAL she has going on for it right now over on Ravelry.

Today's progress was slim, I've only finished row 6 so far, and that's with having to unpick row four at one point today. I have discovered that the yarn I've picked for this is somewhat more difficult to rip out - partly because it's laceweight, but mostly because it's got some mohair content, which halos around the yarn a bit. That also makes the stitch definition a bit more fuzzy than I'm used to as well.

On the other hand, the yarn is working up into something that feels wonderfully soft in my hands, and surprisingly, isn't at all scratchy feeling - something I've been worrying about due to the mohair content.

The colours are also behaving quite nicely too. I hadn't done a test swatch at all - I'm sure some of you readers are shaking your heads at me for this - but I don't tend to swatch for shawls or anything where size isn't an absolute concern. I'm too impatient, and I just want to get to the project right away.

I can definitely say that I'm having fun with the project though, and I don't want to put it down.

Starting Another Crochet Project

I have to be insane. I'm still working on the mate to my completed Triumph Crochet Sock, to make a pair of socks, and I gave in to temptation and started working on a new crochet project, the brand new Goldberry shawl pattern from Ravelry.

Part of the reason I've started this shawl today is it's a CAL (Crochet-Along) project in the designer's group. I also couldn't resist because the whole shawl is Lord of the Rings themed, and it's that time of year.

The yarn I'm using is Paton's Lace in the patina colorway:

One ball's still in the factory-wound centre-pull ball in this photo while the other has already been wound into a cake. After the "fun" I had a few months ago with a center-pull ball that turned into a three day tangle, I've since vowed to always wind these balls again myself. Since this photo was taken earlier this evening, I've wound the second ball, and chained the first stitches for the shawl.

The pattern PDF is clear and easy to read and visualize - always a very good thing, and a good omen for me (I've bought several other patterns from this designer).

I have noted that the Paton's lace yarn is fuzzier than I'm used to these days. I'm not sure what that's going to do to the stitch definition and the pattern for the shawl. I only hope that the halo effect and softness don't make it difficult to see where to insert the hook for later stitches. I am using the "G" hook size, so the stitches shouldn't be too tight though.

The CAL officially starts tomorrow, but it seems like most people couldn't wait, so I decided not to as well.