Schlagwort: purple

The Purple Lace

Veröffentlicht am von Carina7 Kommentare

My sister is 50 today. She’ll celebrate with a party at her house, and then on Thursday she and her family—my brother-in-law, my three nephews, and two nieces—will all drive up to Berlin to stay with us for a long weekend and continue the celebrations here.

The house is slowly getting ready. I am currently in full logistics mode, counting couches, bedsteads, mattresses… and trying to make sure everyone actually has somewhere to sleep. We are getting ready too, in a slightly more chaotic but excited way.

And yes—I actually finished the lace in time! Despite the occasional quarrelling with the pattern, some unraveling, and a fair amount of whining along the way 🙂 Once I got halfway through, something shifted and I really started to love it. The color turned out gorgeous, the texture is exactly what I had imagined, and the pattern is just beautiful.

It’s funny how that happens sometimes—what starts as a struggle turns into something you don’t want to put down.

So yes, I’m pretty pleased with myself, and as a result I’m posting more pictures than usual. It deserves it.

Over the years, seome of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

 

Lace & me

Veröffentlicht am von Carina

It’s getting there. Slowly, but steadily. About 50 cm (19.2 inches) of lace knitting so far.

And yet… it’s been quite a journey already.

Knitting… then unraveling. Knitting again… unraveling again. And then knitting once more. Why? Honestly, I don’t really know. The pattern itself isn’t complicated. Not at all. But somehow I keep adding stitches where there shouldn’t be any, or dropping one without noticing, only to discover the mistake several rows later. It’s a bit like the lace scarf has a life of its own—and not always a cooperative one. Exhausting, really, at times. Especially when I remind myself why I’m doing this in the first place: my sister.

Luckily, Caityrosey had already kind of foreshadowed (in a very gentle, between-the-lines kind of way) that lace knitting might take a while to fall in love with. And AnastasiaMW reminded me that blocking can magically even out a lot of unevenness. I am so grateful for those comments and the encouragement. I really needed it. And to be honest—I still do.

The yarn hasn’t helped either. Part of this beautiful purple skein was already a bit twisted and ragged, so I had to introduce new strands twice already. That means I now have way more ends than I ever planned for. Not just two neat little tails to hide, but several. A whole little collection of them.

So now I’m also thinking ahead: how do I actually finish a lace scarf like this in a way that makes all those ends disappear as if they never existed? What’s the best way to weave them in so they stay invisible, secure, and not lumpy in such a delicate fabric? Any tips or tricks would be hugely appreciated.

And for now, I’ll just keep going—slowly, carefully, stitch by stitch.

Over the years, some of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

 

Lace Debut

Veröffentlicht am von Carina2 Kommentare

I never really thought much about lace scarves. Honestly, I never thought about lace at all. It just wasn’t on my radar.

That changed earlier this year when All She Wants To Do Is Knit started blogging about lace, “laziness,” and her wedding shawl. While she was trying to pick a pattern, she linked to several finds on Ravelry – and that was basically the moment lace quietly sneaked into my life.

So suddenly there I was, scrolling through the most beautiful shawls I had ever seen, already thinking of my older sister who turns 50 in May. And just like that, things got serious. On Tuesday I finally went into the yarn store to get lace yarn.

I chose a bright purple, 100% merino wool. It’s for her scarf. And somehow this project feels different from everything I’ve done before. More intentional. More thoughtful. Almost… grown-up. Does that make sense?

Over the years, some of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

The very kind gentleman in the store helped me pick a pattern, and I could barely wait to start last night. It’s a simple one – basically a beginner kit. The lace isn’t too fine (I’m using size 3.5 needles / US 4), the repeat is every four rows, and the rows themselves are manageable. Very friendly for a first lace adventure.

I actually found the pattern by chance. And to be honest, it wasn’t love at first sight. Not at all. That changed when I saw what Avelinux had done with it. If my sister’s favorite color were bright green, I probably would have copied that version without a second thought.

The shop owner (more of a quiet expert than a salesman) also steered me away from my grand lace fantasies – feathers, flowers, spider webs, all the dramatic things I had in mind. According to him, those are not exactly “beginner-friendly.” So I listened. Reluctantly at first.

Now I’m knitting the “Little Leaf Lace Scarf,” and I absolutely love it. So far, I’ve managed about an inch… but it’s a very promising inch 🙂

By the way, did I mention my sister’s birthday is in early May ? So yes – posting might be a bit quiet for a while. I need to KNIT.