Mystic Shawls by Anna Dalvi

Have you ever done a mystery knit along for a lace shawl? I have, twice, and it's a lot of fun. I actually managed to finish a couple not far behind the rest of the group.  Then there was Mystic Waters. I bought the pattern, made it through the first couple of clues, and completely lost my place. Things like that happen when you're knitting and raising small children at the same time. Espeecially if you don't keep really good notes for yourself.

I still want to knit that shawl, someday.



Mystic Shawls contains the patterns for fourteen of Anna Dalvi's mystery shawl KALs -- including Mystic Waters. I could see myself knitting most of the patterns in this book. (No, I don't know when I'd have time to do that much focused lace knitting, but that isn't the point. The point is that now that I've bought the book, I can do it when I want to.)

I love the patterns. The book itself is mostly charts -- pages and pages and pages of them -- and the pictures aren't on the glossy paper I'm used to in my knitting books. (I want to make the shawls. The whole eye-candy thing is extra.) All of the shawls are shown being worn and lying flat, which is nice.

There are all sorts of shapes here and some of the shawls come in multiple sizes.

If, like me, you can't collect enough lace shawl patterns, you'll want to get your hands on a copy of Mystic Shawls.

Pesky Discslosure -- I bought this one myself, from the Knitpicks 40% off book sale.

The Lonely Tree Shawl

Some people make dozens of quilt tops and fold them carefully into drawers. I make triangular shawls and tuck them safely away and forget to wear them. 

My latest finish is The Lonely Tree Shawl by Sylvia Bo Bilvia, and the pattern is a free download available at Ravelry. I used Knitpicks Telemark instead of the worsted weight yarn that the pattern calls for, so mine is a bit smaller than the designer intended.  In hindsight, I probably had enough yarn to do another repeat of the leaf lace, but I was afraid of running out. 

I've made leaf lace shawls before, but this is the first time I've done a  garter stitch edging with a picot bind-off. I really like the way it looks.

Remember all of the trouble I had remembering how to knit triangular lace shawls? I should have started with this pattern. It explains exactly how to follow the charts and when to knit what.

 This post is linked to I Gotta Try That, Sew Much Ado, Finish it Up Friday, Can I get a Whoop Whoop?, Get Crafting Friday, Pinworthy Projects, and Freedom Fridays, Wonderful at Home, and Inspired Friday.

Lace One-Skein Wonders

Teenage Daughter has a complete collection of the One-Skein Wonders books from Storey Publishing and we've both made projects from most of them. The books are a great way to use up some of those single skeins of yarn we've bought because it was a pretty color or on sale for a great price.

Lace One-Skein Wonders is the latest book in the series and one that I'm dying to add to our collection. I'm writing this review based on a digital review copy provided by the publisher, but as soon as the book is available in print, I'll be ordering a copy.  When  I saw the title, I assumed that all of the patterns would be for lace-weight yarn. I was wrong. There are patterns calling for lace weight yarn and worsted weight yarn and everything in between.

Unlike some of the earlier books in the series, the patterns and photographs are together on the same page and some projects have multiple pictures. They're divided into easy to browse sections, so if you want socks, or mitts, or scarves, they'll be easy to find. Some of the patterns have written instructions for the lace, some have charts, and some have both.

Some of the lace is definitely easy enough for beginners, while some looks more challenging. Here are the ones I'm dying to cast on myself:

Butterflies Are Free:

Symmetria Scarf:

Melifera Shawl:

Trellis Mitts:

 

Disclosure -- Storey Press provided me with a review copy of the book.

{Yarn Along} 198 Yards of Heaven

Remember that shapeless lump of red wool that I've been working on for the past few weeks? Look what it grew up into! Sometimes I'm really amazed at what you can accomplish with four bucks worth of wool and a free download.

 

 

Pattern: 198 Yards of Heaven

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes (Firecracker, 2 skeins)

Needles: vintage nylon circular 

 

 

 

I love the way the lace pattern from the body of the shawl flows seamlessly into the edging. I think it's the first time I've ever used stockinette lace for the shawl and garter stitch lace for the edging.

 

Can you make out the knitting needle in this picture? All of the stitches from both scalloped edges were scrunched onto that needle. It works, but it makes it tough to get pictures of the shawl in progress.

For more pretty knitting projects to drool over, check out On the Needles at Patchwork Times and Work in Progress Wednesdays at Tami's Amis. 

Rose Ribbons Shawl -- Finished!

My Rose Ribbons Shawl is proof that half forgotten stash isn't always a bad thing. I bought Knitting Lace Triangles by Evelyn A. Clark back in 2009 (the print version of the book is no longer available, but there's an electronic download available on Ravelry), planning to cast on for the Sand Dollar shawl as soon as we got home. It was the perfect project for some yarn I'd bought at the Brown Sheep outlet the previous summer. But then there were other things to knit, and quilts to piece...that's the way it usually goes.

After I finished Treads in January, I wanted another halfway challenging project. I pulled out the book, and some skeins of Cotton-Ease that I'd bought on sale a few years back, and cast on. That old stash does get used. Sometimes not for what I'd bought it for, but if I use it for a project I love, I'm happy.

 

Pattern: Rose Ribbons Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, Taupe, 2 1/2 skeins

Needles: vintage nylon circular, probably size 8 

 

Now I've got a fabulously warm shawl to snuggle up in -- and the temperature is in the nineties.

I'll be linking up to Finish it Up Friday, Can I get a Whoop Whoop?, Get Crafty Fridays, and Freedom Fridays.