Designing new projects is always a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work and I enjoy knitting other people's designs from time to time, especially in the summer when it's nice to slow down a bit and enjoy the season. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test knit a new pattern for my blogging friend Diana.
You may remember the fabulous job Diana did on my Sothia shawl test knit recently,
and I love being able to knit her new design, shown on her Ravelry project page as Green Tulips.
I started later than most of the other testers so my shawl is not very large yet but I'm trying to make up some ground and hope to finish a lot of it this weekend.
Further delay was caused because I originally began this project with a vastly different lace yarn in pure alpaca. The original yarn, which (because I intend to only publish positive reviews on this blog) shall remain nameless, caused me so much aggravation that I spent hours on just a few inches before I ripped it from the needles and started over again this week with something pulled from my stash.
The new yarn is an unknown wool/ angora/ nylon purchased at a wool festival last autumn from a vendor who imports closeouts from Russia.
This yarn is terrific with great texture that is not overly soft or fuzzy, and it has wonderful stitch definition .
The vendor only had one color available, a shade of aqua that reminds me of the sea glass I collect from trips to the beach.
I am really enjoying knitting this beautiful shawl, thank you Diana! The pattern is easy to follow and clear, and the charts are excellent. The stitch pattern is very large and slightly asymmetric so it took a few rows to get the rhythm, but now I am zooming right along and loving every minute.
A 'favorite thing' I have been using for this project and that I must share with you is one of my favorite tools for chart knitting - highlighter tape.
Found at some LYS, office supply stores, or in the school supply section of large stores, this semi-transparent tape comes in many colors, and can be adhered, lifted and moved over and over again as you progress through the chart, allowing you to easily see which row you are knitting and at the same time, where you have been and what is coming next.
I usually put my paper pattern into a plastic sleeve then position the tape so that it covers the rows yet to be knitted and my current row is uncovered, just below the tape. Then I move the tape up as I progress.
I hope this tape tip makes your knitting just a little simpler and more fun. And don't forget about my blogiversary free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway contest going on until July 21st, 2011, detailed in this post.
Look for Diana's new pattern to be released within a few weeks, I know you will love it!
Look for Diana's new pattern to be released within a few weeks, I know you will love it!
