Remember how I cast on that lovely Icarus in the 2ply Touch yarn on the 1st? Well… I’ve had this niggling feeling about it, and seeing the photo of Bells’ beauty last night turned that niggle into a klaxon of warning alarms. I was (and please note the use of the word was) just about to start the 4th chart repeat, and it was looking a little small. Thankfully, Addi turbos have the needle size printed on the cable. I’d taken it out the packet that had said 3.25mm, and a quick glance at the cable had confirmed the sizing. Or so I thought. I was wrong. My 3.25mm addi lace needles (with the sharp tip that I am missing) are sitting in Melbourne with one of the Magpie’s long forgotten projects on it. I was using the 2.25mm needles I’d bought for sock knitting. Be proud of me. There was no screaming, no crying, no turning the air blue. Just a calm, clinical frogging of my lovely shawl at 11.30 last night. It’s going to need to be re-caked because the kinks have already set in, and I’m not even going to try re-knit it on 3.5mm needles. So, Icarus and I have some bad mojo going on there. We’re just going to look at each other from across the room for now. Until I get the right needles. Because it is a lovely pattern and that yarn will look gorgeous in it.
Right now, I’ve just set up the budding lace pattern on another Swallowtail. This time in Kid Seta (like Bells’). Missyfee’s ether-like version with the nupps has inspired me to try it with nupps this time. First time using a fluffy laceweight like the Seta, and using nupps… nothing like a challenge! Here’s hoping I don’t need to perform my customary frog-the-first-three-repeats-three-times on this shawl. Not with yarn that fluffy anyway.
On a Summer of Socks side of things though, I’m going fabulously well. One of the socks I’m knitting in sweet chilli Needle Food was finished and looks great. The first of another pair of socks in Filtura’s Maxime has been cast-on. It’s the first time I’m using a self-patterning sock yarn, and it is quite fun to knit with. A hat was finished quite quickly and has been adopted by another owner for Christmas, and a new version (knitted to precise specifications) one will be started on the weekend. I have 2 and a half socks, and one hat between me and the indulgence that is knitting guilt-free for myself. I can’t wait.
On another note, I turned another year older on Sunday. It’s the first time in many moons that I have been home with my family for my birthday. It was great. There was a gypsy fair in town, we went out to one of the berry farms and had frozen yoghurt. My brother stole away from his busy day at work for the afternoon, and mom and I went down to a wharf in the next little town for rum and raisin ice cream. Then my magpie cooked us a lovely Mushroom risotto and we finished it with strawberries and cream from the farm. Perfect. No yarn (yet, I’m assured). But a flying lesson (this Sunday), some beautiful earrings, a lovely ring and a gift voucher to get some nice threads. Poifect.
Anyway. I’d best get some more writing done. And get past the dreaded first few budding lace repeats. Here’s hoping the Seta will treat me kindly…
Filed under: Life, lace, writing up , lace, Life, LLS, photos, shawls, socks, spare me






