Tag: lace shawl

June Artyarns KAL

This month I decided to participate in the Artyarns group KAL on Ravelry.  KAL stands for Knit Along.  I think it has been at least six months or more since I did a KAL and decided that the Stepping Stones Shawl pattern was a great summer knitting project.

part 1 of Stepping Stones Shawl pattern for Artyarns KAL

The yarn used in this knitting project is called Merino Cloud from Artyarns.  I bought mine from Fabulous Yarns.  I actually bought 3 colors – the shawl takes one skein.  The color I am using for the shawl in the photos is called Antique Ivories.  I thought it was a good neutral and would go with a lot of things.  The yarn is super soft and a joy to knit with.

Artyarns Stepping Stone Shawl part 2

Above is my progress so far on part 2.  There are 3 parts to the pattern and when you complete one Iris, the designer of the pattern and the yarn, emails you the next part.  I will say that the pattern is fairly simple if you are familiar with knitting lace and are an intermediate knitter.  There is optional short row shaping, which I am doing, and that does require knowing how to wrap and turn.  The short row shaping was one part I kind of messed up on my first try so I had to start over again this past Sunday.   Now that I am doing that part correctly I am pleased with the shawl so far.

If you are interested in joining the KAL check out the Artyarns group on Ravelry.  There are lots of people knitting this shawl and it is fun to see the different colors of the yarn being used and everyone’s progress in the group.  Also, for me the KAL keeps me motivated to get the project done in a timely manner.

I have also recently completed a few other projects, crochet and knitting, but haven’t found time to post about them yet.  Hopefully I will get around to that in the next couple of weeks.  The kids are out of school for the summer and days are filled with summer activities and having friends over.  Also, one of my son’s had his wisdom teeth out this past week so we have been dealing with that and dental appointments.  Thankfully his recovery has gone well, much better than mine did when I had it done over 25 years ago.

What crochet or knitting projects are you currently working on?  Let me know in the comments.

Also, before I sign off I want to mention that Craftsy is having a big summer sale this weekend only, June 19-21. 2015.  Note – this is an affiliate link and I get a small commission from Craftsy if you go through the link below.  Now is the time to stock up on supplies or try a class while they are on sale!

Craftsy

Have a great weekend!

-Kimberlee

Garter Lace Knit Shawl

7 Comments

I have finally finished my Noro Garter Lace Shawl.  I started this project last summer and had set it aside.  I got it out a couple of months ago and decided I needed to finish it since I was already a fourth of the way done.  The shawl is very pretty and I love how it turned out.

Lace Knit Shawl

 

Back of Noro Shawl

The shawl pattern was from the summer 2013 issue of Noro Knitting magazine.  The pattern is available on Ravelry for $5.00.  It was a fairly simple pattern to follow but in my magazine there was an error on the one row of the lace pattern.  I had figured this out on my own around the third repeat row of the lace pattern and I now notice that there is a errata statement on the Ravelry page – I guess I should have looked there sooner.   So, if you decide to knit this look at the end of the pattern page and the row correction is there – save yourself a headache.

Noro Knitting Magazine Summer 2013

 

The yarn I used for this was not the yarn the pattern recommended.  I used Noro Sekku yarn because I had 3 skeins of it and knew it would be enough to make this shawl.  The Sekku yarn is a blend of mainly cotton, wool, nylon and silk.  The yarn was okay to work with – not one of my favorites in the Noro yarns.  It is a really fine yarn that was like knitting with floss.   I really like the colors of the yarn though and how they look with the lace pattern.  The colorway I used was number 8 – and it only took 2 of my 3 skeins so now I will have to figure out something to make with that leftover skein.

The reason I think this shawl took me forever to finish was that it is knit on very small size 4 needles.  That needle size combined with the thin yarn I just felt like I was not getting much done.  The end part of the shawl took forever to complete a row too because you had over 300+ stitches on the needles.  I think it was taking me about 10 or 15 minutes to complete a row.

Noro Lace Triangle Shawl

This shawl is a great summer project though as the yarn is thin and mostly cotton so it is not hot or too heavy to work with when it is hot outside.  I do not like to work with heavy wool type of yarns in the summer time.

Overall I am pleased with the way this shawl turned out and look forward to being able to wear it.  It will be a great shawl to keep with me for those chilly air conditioned places.  There are also a lot of great colors in this shawl that will go with many things in my wardrobe.

What projects have you recently finished?  Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!Lace Triangle Shawl

Kimberlee

WIP for June

4 Comments

WIP stands for work in progress and I have quite a few of those for this month.  I typically have at least one crochet and one or two knitting projects going at all times but I got involved in a few extra this month and wanted to show what I have been working on lately.

I continue to work on my Noro garter and lace shawl that I started last summer and put aside.  I really like this yarn and the project but it is like knitting with toothpicks on these tiny size 4 needles.  I have a goal to get it done this summer though.  I am a little more than halfway through with it now.

knitting project noro shawl

 

Below is a close up of the lace and garter rows.  I now have over 250 stitches on my circular needles so it takes me at least 10 minutes to complete one row.  I believe I will end up with over 375 stitches by the time it is finished.

Noro Lace Shawl

 

 

My friend Karen and I decided to knit this advanced lace shawl called My Cat Stole My Heart.  It is a pattern from Knit Picks.  We usually meet and knit together at Starbucks twice a month and decided to do a KAL – Knit Along – together.  She was planning to knit this for a friend and give it to her by September but the pattern is so long and very complex that she has changed her mind and will be knitting something a little easier for her friend.

Lace Shawl work in progress

The yarn I choose to knit this Cat Stole My Heart shawl is from Knit Picks – called Chroma fingering weight yarn.  The color is called prism and I love it!  The pattern called for lace weight yarn but I just couldn’t find one I really liked and decided to try it with this fingering weight.  So far I am pleased with how it looks – this is my progress after about 10 days.  I do not work on this every day because it is the type of knitting project that you have to really focus on and pay attention so you can not be talking to anyone or watching TV.  I usually sit outside in the morning on my patio with my coffee after my workout and knit a few rows.

The below photo is a close up of the shawl – it is altering rows of a cat paw print and a lace heart design – the hearts go one way the paw print the other.

Lace Shawl work in progress

 

Around the same time I started the cat shawl I began a baby blanket for a gift for my neighbor who I just found out was pregnant and due any day.  They are new neighbors and I had not seen them much the past few months and didn’t know she was having a baby.  This is their first child and a little girl so of course I had to go through my stash and find a pretty pink yarn to knit a baby blanket.  I never get to make pink things – other than for myself – since I have three sons.  I am about halfway done with this little blanket.  I am just using a simple diagonal knitting pattern (like for the dishcloths) that has a little openwork edge.

Pink Knit Baby Blanket in progress

 

The dishcloths are a new obsession of mine lately since I participated in the May KAL with my facebook knitting group.  I started another star pattern dishcloth in this red, white and blue stripe cotton yarn that I found at Joann last week.  I like working on this for something simple that I can do while watching TV or talking to someone.  Also, these dishcloths are very portable projects and easy to work on anywhere.

Red White Blue Cotton Dishcloth

 

One of the other things I have started in the past few weeks is a crochet project using the Patons Glam stripe yarn I got on sale at Michaels back in May.  I really like this yarn and I am designing a wrap and a shrug pattern with it.  I have already knit a scarf with the yarn and I like how it looks and it is a nice yarn to work with.

 

Crochet work in progress Kimberlees Korner

I have also continued to watch some of my craftsy knitting class Lace Knitting Basics and Beyond with Eunny Jang.  I am already familiar with knitting lace but I wanted to take this class to learn more about knitting lace patterns and reading charts.  So far I am really pleased with the class and I like the instructor.  She is easy to listen to and understand.  You can click on the highlighted link to learn more about the class or click on the craftsy link in the right sidebar to learn more about their other knitting classes.  

I would love to hear about your WIP – (work in progress) or any finished projects as well.  Click on Leave a Reply to tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

 

Artyarns KAL Silk Halo Shawl

5 Comments

I recently finished another shawl that was part of a KAL (Knit Along) with the Artyarns group on Ravelry.  This is the first time I have ever participated in an Artyarns KAL or used one of their yarns.

Artyarns Silk Halo Shawl  knitted by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

 

The yarn used to make this shawl was called Silk Halo.  It is very soft and I enjoyed knitting with it.  The yarn is 60% super kid mohair and 40% silk.  The color I bought was called winter bouquet.  It is a very pale blue and it has a little bit of cream or almost a tan color in it.

back of silk halo shawl from Kimberlees Korner

 

This shawl looked like a very complicated pattern but it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.  The pattern was a three part pattern where you knit part one, took a photo and posted it on Ravelry and then Iris, the designer of the pattern, sent you part 2.  When you completed that part you took another photo and then you received part 3.  It was a lot of fun.  I think doing the KAL this way motivates you to complete the project so you can get the rest of the instructions.  I think it took me about two weeks to knit this shawl and I also worked on a couple of other crochet and knitting projects in between knitting this one.

Silk Halo Shawl from Artyarns KAL  Kimberlees Korner

The shawl I knit was the shorter version.  There is also a longer version so it would make it much wider but for that version you need two skeins and I only bought one.  I think I will order more yarn in the future though and try out the longer version.

I am really pleased with the way this turned out and have already wore it a couple of times.  I have a lot of things it will go with and the size and weight of it is perfect for our Texas spring and summer weather.

Currently I am knitting a couple of other projects that I will share in the future on my blog and crocheting a new shrug.  I also have some sewing projects that I am working on as well.  I have lots of things to keep me busy – if I get bored with one thing I work on something else.  What projects are you currently working on? – click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great week!

Kimberlee

Garter and Lace Knit Wrap

4 Comments

Recently I finished another knitting project.  I started this knit wrap earlier in the spring.  The wrap combines rows of knit stitches and then rows of lace using a solid color and a variegated color yarn.  I am really pleased with how it turned out.

Garter and Lace Knit Wrap  Kimberlees Korner

I was also able to get some photos of it when my roses in the back yard were in full bloom – I thought the colors of the wrap looked pretty against the roses.

This wrap is a rectangle shape – it measures approximately 70 inches long and 16 inches wide.  I like the versatility of this accessory as it can be worn a variety of ways as a wrap and you can also wear it doubled around and ends tucked in for a scarf.

Garter and Lace Wrap or Scarf  Kimberlees Korner

The yarn I used for this knitting project was Caron Simply Soft for the solid color turquoise and the multi colored yarn was from Hobby Lobby – I Love This Yarn in a color called Kaleidoscope.  I love the vibrant colors in the Kaleidoscope yarn.  Both yarns are easy to work with and very soft worsted weight yarns.   I love working Caron Simply Soft and have made many projects with that yarn – it is also washable.

I have plans to design other projects using the same idea of combining the garter and lace rows. I currently have plans to knit a sweater next.  I also think it is fun to combine a solid color yarn with a variegated coordinating yarn.   The pattern for the wrap above is now available in my etsy shop or on craftsy if you are interested in knitting this fun wrap.

Currently I am working on a lace wrap that had become a UFO – Unfinished Object.  I started this wrap last July or August as I wrote down summer of 2013 on the pattern.  It is a pattern from Noro Knitting Magazine from spring-summer 2013.  I really like the wrap but it is knit on size 4 needles and the yarn is like working with dmc floss – it is very fine.  The yarn is Noro Sekku and is a blend of cotton, wool, nylon and silk.  I think I bought it a couple of years ago on sale at my local yarn shop.  Below is a photo of my progress – I have knit about two or three inches since this past Sunday night.  I am determined to complete this by the end of this summer.

Knitting Noro Lace Wrap with Sekku yarn  Kimberlees Korner

 

What are you currently working on?  I am also going to be starting another shawl with a pattern I recently bought from Knit Picks.  It is called My Cat Stole My Heart – it is a beautiful lacy shawl.  My friend Karen and I are going to do our own KAL – Knit Along – using this pattern.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee