Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Audrey ~ Handknit Red Lace Shawl

My lastest shawl is named Audrey, after Audrey Hepburn. 


There are many different shades of red and last fall, I went searching for just the right shade of red yarn for a shawl project.  I finally found this amazing hand-dyed yarn with a bit of sparkle from The Periwinkle Sheep.  I absoultely fell in love with this yarn that she had named Audrey Hepburn. I didn't know that Audrey's favorite color was red, but I am glad that it was!

 I didn't have a pattern in mind, I just new that I wanted to knit a red shawl.

Everyday since October, I had glanced at my cherished yarn, knowing that one day it would become a shawl and last week, I finally cast on and knitted a shawl that I feel keeps the classic simplicity of Audrey in mind.  

I chose a simple, yet classic design to allow the beauty of the yarn to be the main attraction.






Simple, but gorgeous, as was Audrey.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Classic Cable Unisex Wool Scarf in Forest Green

I've been knitting up a storm here lately and have had so much fun knitting holiday gifts and shawls.  But I thought I would take a moment to knit something simple that didn't require alot of thinking or counting.



So I resorted to my favorite original pattern with classic cable design and pulled out my forest green tweed wool stash.  This scarf is just a classic and perfect for all types of outings.  It is knit with 2 strands of yarn for the chunky look, but is very soft and has a very nice drape. 

This scarf is available in my etsy shop as well as the pattern for those of you who like to make their own.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Finished Shawl

I finally had time to finish up the shawl I started in October and it came out so nice!

This is Anna Dalvi's pattern Tital Waves from her book "Shaping Shawls".   I was lucky enough to meet her in person at the Rhienbeck Fiber Festival this year and I can't wait to try another of her patterns. I did modify her design a bit by using smaller yarn with more pattern repeats and adding a crocheted scalloped edging around the bottom.   But what really makes this project special is that I used hand dyed yarn from The Periwinkle Sheep's Wink collection.  This yarn is hand dyed merino/nylon which has a bit of sparkle through out the yarn. 

It is hard to tell from the photos, but it is sparkly and oh so nice!






This shawl is available on etsy for a one of a kind treasure!

Happy Knitting ~  Val

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Happy New Year 2012

I have seriously neglected my blog during December 2011 as I was busy with my holiday preparations.  I basically had a knitting project going in every spare moment for gifts to all my loved ones.  I gave away 2 afghans, 6 pairs of socks, a hat and scarf set and several knit book marks. 

I love the way this chunky afghan turned out that I gave to my daughter Sara.  It is very soft, thick and warm.  I loved working the cables and although there are a couple mistakes in it, they are very hard to find and not noticable at all.


Daughter Erin received this one, which is just as soft:


For Daryl, I found a pattern for Soldier Socks from WWI, distributed by the Red Cross.  I thought these would be interesting as Daryl loves watching the old war clips on TV.  They knit up quickly and brought me back in time.  All the while I was knitting them, I was thinking about the soldiers off to war nearly 100 years ago. 

For Alehk (daughter Erin's boyfriend)  I was most proud of this pair of socks.  Even though I used a self striping yarn, I was thrilled that I actually got them to come out to match perfectly:

Erin's socks didn't match stripes as well, but still a fun pair of socks anyway:

Daughters Katie and Sara and son-in-law Kris  went with the plain jane styles:





Now that my holiday knitting is over, I am looking forward to a productive 2012.  I've joined a knit along on Raveley for a Dozen Shawls in 20Dozen..  That is a shawl a month and I hope I can keep up with it.  I plan to cast on January's shawl this weekend and knit it up in a couple weeks.

I hope you all have a great 2012 and keep on knitting!