Oh, how I love t0 get fun packages in the mail, recently I got a yarn winder from Knit Picks and a super cool swift from a custom woodworker on an Etsy website, Hornshaw. This swift is really beautiful just by itself, that it actually has a function and performs that function well is a bonus.
I have 3 projects on the needles at the moment.
Swallowtail shawl
Still working on the shawl, I'm having a really hard time with the final pattern of peaked edging. I keep messing up the stitch count and every row is more than 200 stitches long now, so tinking back is excruciating. I have to start putting in stitch markers for the pattern repeats and lifelines every other row.
Kazak Star Bag
the next project is really an exercise in learning continental style knitting (where you hold the working yarn in your left hand). A while ago I purchased a kit, Kazak Star, from the local yarn store for making a small, felted bag. The wool has a good thickness and feel, the overall bag will be felted so variations in tension will be erased in the felting process and finally there is a small amount of fair isle pattern in this bag, which calls for 2 colors of yarn. The fair isle part will be good for practicing holding one color in the right hand and the other color in the left hand (this looks like the best method if I can actually manage it). So far I'm only working on the back of the bag which is just stockinette for 62 rows. Good for practice.
Branching Out Scarf
and finally my friend, M, encouraged me to do a knit along (KAL) lace project with her, so we are making the Branching Out pattern scarf, which has most of the common lace stitches and is still pretty good for relative beginners. I must say 25 stitch rows really are much easier to follow, fix and "see" the pattern than that darn swallowtail. I'm having fun with this project and I simply love, love, love this yarn, it's a deep, rich ruby colored silk with integrated beads. The picture doesn't do it justice as the color is richer than shown and it's got that beautiful silk sheen to it..
