Lace Weight Yarn

I've been putting off working with lace weight yarn as frankly, I was a bit afraid of it.  It is so fine and thread-like, that I could see myself breaking it or getting into knots.  I don't think there was any real substance to this fear, just something in the back of my mind telling me that this would be beyond my skill level.

So, I bit the bullet and found a shawl pattern with an easy repetitive design so I could concentrate on working the yarn rather than the stitches themselves. After I did a few repeats, I had to laugh at myself for having anxiety about working with lace weight yarn, as there really is no difference at all!

Was it FDR that said there is nothing to fear, but fear itself? He was right in this particular case.
I can't believe that I put this off for so long!

So, here is my very first shawl knit with wool/silk blend lace weight yarn.
It is light as a feather and drapes so very beautifully.



This is the first of many more to come, I am sure.  Now, the problem is choosing the pattern....

Have you worked with lace weight yarns?  Please leave a comment to talk about your experiences.

Anna ~ My First Shawl Design

With all the shawls I've been knitting lately, I decided to design a pattern of my own and I am very happy with the end result.

I had a vision of the basic design and set out to start knitting in fingering weight yarn and added some bead work on the edging. What took place was pretty much a mess, but I figured out better bead placement from the first try. So I frogged that one and cast on again. The second try was better, but not really what I had in mind, so again, it was ripped out.

I put it aside for a few days, but the pattern was still in my head. So I picked up some heavy worsted yarn and started knitting along. Once I got going, it just started taking shape and turned out perfect!

The pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy.  I would consider it a medium level project is it includes both cables and lace, but once the repeated pattern is knit a couple times, it is very easy to catch on and get the rhythym of the design. 

I named this desgin Anna, after my mother who taught me to knit many, many years ago....

February Knit Along on Ravelry

The February Advanced choice for the Dozen Shawls in 20Dozen was this gorgeous Cotton Bam Boo Kudzu Shawlette.   I chose to knit this one in 50% cotton/50% wool blend in a beautiful deep teal color, which makes a perfect wrap for spring/summer.

The design is fabulous and the slight modifications to some stitches really make the pattern pop out!

I really enjoyed knitting this one and will probably knit it again soon.