FO: Crocus Echo Flower Shawl

Drumroll please... My Echo Flower Shawl has been blocked and ready to go!



I used 0.85 skein of Wollmeise Twin in colourway Ballerina which I got from a "We're Different grab bag" earlier this year. I was a bit puzzled by the name of the colourway as Ballerina always makes me think of baby pink. To me, the purples make me think of the crocus I saw in spring.



No matter what, it's a very pretty and sophisticated colourway. Look at the subtle gradual colour changes. Isn't it lovely?



At first I thought I got plenty of yardage. After all a skein of Twin has at least 150g and 500 yards, it's a lot compared with other fingering yarn. So I planned to make a larger shawl by doing nine Echo Flower Repeats instead of seven specified by the pattern. To my surprise, this pattern is a real yarn eater -- bet it's the "3 into 9" increases taking up loads of yarn. After checking some project notes written by other ravellers, I realized I might run out of yarn if I did the 8th repeat, especially I was using larger needles (size 7, 4.5mm) than many others. I only did 7 repeats finally. Though the size turns out alright, it turns out I still have 23g leftover after binding off. Should have enough to do the 8th repeat.



It's a shame that I don't have time to take some better photos of it before letting it go. Tomorrow will be the last posting date for Christmas. I have to get it wrapped and packed tonight. Hope my MIL will like it.

Am feeling a bit fed up with shawls. Guess I should go back to my Lopi Sweater...

FO: Ivory Kidsilk Haze Ishbel

Just a few after-blocking pics of my third Ishbel.



Before gifting it to my friend, I shamelessly dressed up and posed for some FO pics. Yes. It's me! I took these photos with a manual-focused camera and a tripod.



I made a small Ishbel last year which was way too small. This time I knit a large stockinette with a small-sized lace. The size turns out to be just right for petite women like me and my friend (We're only about 5'3").

Despite its good size, the shawl is feather-light -- it's only 37 grams in weight. Only one and a half skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze has been used.



Kidsilk Haze isn't the best yarn to knit with. No doubt. Honestly have you heard of anyone saying that they enjoyed knitting it or it's a dream to work with? No. I haven't..

It's so so so fuzzy and hairy. Very unforgiving. Next to impossible to frog - you have to be 100% sure it's really the pattern you want to do and you can do. I wasted half skein in an Estonian knitted lace shawl a while ago. Frog? Nah. It just tangled beyond imagination. Sob sob.



But who can deny Kidsilk Haze a dream to wear? It looks very very pretty. Elegant and luxurious. I bet these are the right adjectives. Every time when I wear something knit in Kidsilk Haze, I can hear Debussy -- usually Arabesque No.1, sometimes Reverie. I can almost imagine I was in Claude Monet's paintings.

The shawl has been gifted to my good friend Wings this afternoon. It's now on its way to Hong Kong. I hope Hong Kong is still warm enough that she can wear it in the two weddings she'll attend in the next two weeks.



Still got 1.5 skeins of Kidsilk Haze left in my stash. I seriously think I need to knit myself another one.

Holiday Knitting Challenge

This post is inspired by JD Knitter. I even shamelessly copy her title.. though my goal is nothing compared with hers.

Anyway, here's my first-ever Holiday Knitting Challenge:

(1) Two Scarves

(2)  Three Shawls/Shawlettes

(3) A pair of gloves (For DH. So I don't need to meet postal deadline)

(4) A Sweater (this one is for myself. And I plan to use Unspun Lopi held double or triple. Should be easy and fast I guess? So it's the last of the list. I can start it after mid December)

I still have about seven weeks left. It means,  have to finish one item every week, on average.

I'll start with something super easy. How easy? You'll see when I post my next FO pic. :)

But the most challenging part is...

I'LL KNIT THEM ALL FROM OF MY STASH.

YEAH. U HEAR ME. NO NEW YARN PURCHASE.

Time to dig out some old Cascade Ecological Wool...