Here comes the sun....

We had a brief moment of sunshine this evening, and I took advantage to show off my scarf!

For those who missed the earlier entries, this is my first actual, factual lace project. This assessment is based on my own set of qualifiers, and includes fancy borders, clever construction, and fine weight yarn. Now that I've had a taste, there's no going back! I've been using all of my willpower to resist stashing more lace weight yarn (I'm trying to abstain until Rhinebeck), and it's been so hard. I feel like that kid who dips their toe into the water, but once they're all wet, you can't get them out.



This isn't the most flattering picture of myself, but I wanted to show the scarf in actual use. To recap:
pattern: Scarf with the Striped Border from Weldon's, Volume 5, 1890, from Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby (pssst... the link leads to KnitPicks, where the book is 40% off!)
yarn: Handmaiden Seasilk
needles: US7 Addis (not the lace ones, though now I see the allure)

I love Victorian Lace Today! The book is beautiful, and the patterns are just incredible. I want to make almost everything in there. The best part about this book is that I feel, even as a novice, that I can make any pattern in there. There are instructions in the back for some lace techniques, and the instructions are so clear, I didn't even need to check another source for a clearer picture. For instance, I had to do a crochet cast on for this project, which I've never done before, and the succinct diagram and instructions had me casting on after my first glance. I definitely plan to make a shawl soon. And I've gone on about the yarn already, but seriously, it's fantastic. If you ever get a chance, snap some up. One hank is more than enough for a scarf!

In less enthusiastic news, war work continues with the Socks That Rocks.
Dear Blue Moon Fiber Arts People,
Please, please, please put your superior dying prowess to use on a true solid yarn.
Best Regards,
Knitter Who Wants the Pattern to Speak the Loudest




The issue here is clearly that, despite my intense denial and wishes to the contrary, both yarns are variegated (even though the word "solid" appears in the Navy description). Since both yarns are changing colors , the effect is less fair isle, and more Jackson Pollack. To make matters worse, there's still the issue of what basically amounts to pooling (both yarns hit the same color sections at the same time).



I thought maybe I could live with it, I even did two repeats of the fair isle instead of just one to make sure it wouldn't grow on me, but I just don't like how these are coming out. So, fine. I'll make lemonade, and make a nice, jaunty scarf using both yarns. My brother says the following whenever I start to lose my cool over an inanimate object, "You gotta be smarter than the [whatever I'm mad at]." Surely I'm smarter than yarn. Right?