Hammerin' Hank models lace

Amazing Lace #6 - Creatures of the Reef in Laceweight Linen

Hammerin' Hank is my horse-shoeing hubby.

Here, he models his lace as he prepares for work.












Horseshoer buns stylin' in lace.















Hank is willing to share his lace. Here baby Lulu shows Hank how stylin' is REALLY done!











(Please note that baby Lulu and Mom Aster are real customers. You can see them on their homepage at www.goodnessridge.com)

Hank has "wrapped up" for the day.

Diagonal Triangle Tank

Front is done. Started the back last night. This is in a really gorgeous hand-painted silk that I got at Md Sheep & Wool.

It's a pretty easy knit. A little boring (garter stitch), but the short rows are kind of fun, and after the shawl a little boring is okay! LOL

I think it will be really pretty! It's for my sis in Montana.

At Long Last!!! CotR is finished!!!

Creatures of the Reef Shawl is completed! Whoo Hoo! What a project that was.

I don't remember when I cast on. Late May? Maybe June.

This is in laceweight linen (Euroflax Milan) in lichen on #4 needles. It's a very beautiful subtle sage-y green. Took one 100 gram cone (625 yds) plus a little bit of the second cone. Now I have to figure out what to do with about 600 yards of laceweight linen!

Here it is on the blocking board. The board is 36x48.

Here it is draped over the balcony. It's amazing!!!

And here it is on the bed, so that you can see some of the patterns better. From the bottom, sea shell border, then a row of eyelet "bubbles", then some crabs and sea horses, more bubbles, some starfish, some bubbles, some fishies swimming left and some fishies swimming right and finally some frothy sea foam.

I did NOT feel the love starting out with this pattern. Made a mistake early on and had to tink back stitch by stitch over 800 stitches! Argh! But it gets easier as you get into the swing of it and each row gets shorter by 4 stitches, so the end actually gets very exciting! LOL

Anyway. DONE!

Sunshine, the Palomino Filly

Here she is! Just 60 days under saddle. What a cutie pie!

Where's Waldo?

Fruit n' Lace. CotR fresh picked from the garden.

Just a quick update.

Plugging along on CotR. Am now on the fish motif, row 105 or thereabouts. I am sure there are a few mistakes scattered about. I keep winding up either short a stitch or with an extra on the motifs, but hey - if you can spot it, more power to ya! LOL

Tank is languishing.

Baby blankie went with me on a short road trip yesterday and I got another inch or so done. It's so nice to have a "take-along" project. CotR - NO WAY. Tank would be okay, but I am at the yoke and will need a little more focus than I can offer on a car ride!

Rode Shadow in a REALLY good lesson Saturday, taught on him yesterday. Rode today and he was a dog. I am going to have to rethink using him as a lesson horse. OTOH, it is so freakin' hot that I wasn't very high energy myself. We didn't do much, but I did want to get him out. Pones are tucked away in the barn with their fans blowing. I always debate out or in, but I think it's less buggy in and at least they are assured a breeze with the fans on.

Then I put on my plantkiller hat and went out and applied round-up to the extensive weeds in the riding ring. I have tried the more natural method of pulling them up and I just can't keep up. So I apologized to the weeds and then squirted them.

Now to shower and off to work!

Yahoo!

The camera is back in action!

This is the koigu baby blankie - wrong side on top, but I think both sides are pretty!






This is the Vittadini tank - I know it's hard to see - need better pics - but all I need to do is finish up the yoke.
And here's the Creatures of the Reef Shawl. Again hard to see, but you can at least see nice progress.

Onward and upward.

Saturday Update

Okay - so I ordered new batteries and a new charger for my camera. I am suffering too much with no photos! LOL They should be here soon.

Have only been working on the CotR shawl this week. Kinda dropped everything else. But making good progress. Finished the seahorse and crab motif and am almost done with the bubbles separator row. I like these things that start out huge and diminish. The rows just go faster and faster! Yay!

On the horse front, little Callas had a tummy ache this am. She seems better now, but that's always very worrisome. Shadow and Pro head off to a clinic this afternoon. NO PICS until I get my batteries. Next time!

Amazing Lace Entry - Contest #4.

Well, I should really have entered Contest #3 because my camera is broken and I can't do pics. Did you know that Mercury is retrograde? It means that communication is difficult.

But I will try anyway - I can do WORD pictures with supporting illustration (all real pics are pre-broken cam) so here goes....

I am doing the Creatures of the Reef shawl in lace weight linen. It's a gorgeous willow green that is cool, airy, slightly slubby, threadlike, flowing and a real pain to frog when mistakes happen.

Here is an early incarnation - about 6 rows worth (that's 6x400+ - 2400+ stitches).

It is now about 4 inches deep by 400 stitches long. It's loooooong. (figure about 6 rows to the inch - 6x4x400=9600 stitches) Why am I obessessing about how many stitches? Dunno. Except maybe there is some "whine" factor involved for when I goofed up and had to tink back one stitch at a time for two whole rows. But we are on track now and a lifeline is in place!

So picture it - mostly border, just the teeniest edge of the seahorses and crabs in place.

/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8

So if I cast off right now, it could be:

Picture this.

A sofa dust ruffle.
~~~_______________ ~~~
~~(_______________) ~~
~~[@@@] [@@@] [@@@] ~~
~~/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\8/*\ ~~

Or maybe:

A bandolier
~~~~ _____] ^ ^ [______~~~~
~~~~( (.'.'. /*\ .'.'.'.' /8\.'.'.) ) ~~~~
~~~/ / .'.'.' /8\.'.'.' /*\.'.'.' \ \ ~~~~
~~/ /~ .'.'.'.' /*\.'. /8\ .'.'.'~\ \ ~~~
~ [ \~~ .'.'.'.'.'/8\/*\.'.'.'.'.'~/ ] ~~~
~~\ \~ .'.'.'.' /*\.'. /8\.'.'.'.~/ / ~~~
~~~\ \ .'.'. /8\.'.'.'.' /*\.'.'. / / ~~~~
~~~~() \\\\\\\\\//////// () ~~~~~

Still have to get the Camera Fixed...

I have been diligently working away on three projects.

1) Vittadini tank. It's coming along nicely and I think will be very cool. Not the most interesting knit on the planet, but I think it will be nice. I added a teeny bit of shaping, so we will see how that does. I am about 3/4 done on this one. Back is complete, front is done almost to the armholes, but the yoke and bobbles take a while. My sis wants one too - going to make it out of some golden yellow Silky Wool - but sis is MUCH more amply endowed than I am, so I am thinking it might be fun to experiment with short row shaping for the bust.

2) Creatures of the Reef Shawl. I really need to make an Amazing Lace report on my trials and tribulations for this one. Stay tuned. I will write it up separately.

3) Baby blankie. Another koigu baby blankie on #4 needles. I am so nutz!!! I started this off in the same lattice pattern I used in Hank's vest. Love the pattern, but it didn't show off the yarn, so I frogged it, started again with the Swedish block pattern, which looks fabbo! But then I realized I had made it too wide and I was gonna run out of yarn (only I think I have another skein somewhere...) Anyhow, frogged again and restarted with fewer repeats, but now I am cooking along. Unlike the first baby blanket, which had a complex 18 row pattern repeat in which every single line was different (!) and in which I never got the flow of the pattern sufficiently to just buzz away, this is a very simple 6-row repeat. Whew!

I really do need to get batteries because I soon will have FO's and I want to publish pics of my progress anyhow!

So once these are knocked off. I have a linen top for youngest sis, the yellow tank for oldest sis, and some scrumptious silk I bought at MDS&W for yet another sis. I also have some silk/linen that I want to make up into a cropped jacket for moi, but haven't found a pattern yet that I love for it.

So I have been a busy bee.

Not much on the riding front. It is SO freakin' hot that the thought of long pants is ACK! Maybe will try to get up at 5:00 tomorrow am and ride in the cool. Baby Callas does come home today from Mel's. She has been under saddle for about 30 days. I may force Henry to ride her a bit - I am not so bold with greenies, but am going to see if I can get her bred, so she will have the year off to have a baby, then go back to work.

That's it!

Have to get that Camera Fixed.

Knitting

A friend came by on Thursday and I was showing her my WIPs. She hadn't seen the Barbara Walker books, so we were flipping through - saw the Swedish block (or is it check - can't remember) in book 1 and mentioned how elegant it was. Then I was showing her baby blankie and I wasn't pleased with how it was knitting up - the variegation and the pattern were clashing with each other, so I had a little aha moment, ripped it out back to the garter stitch edge and restarted it with the Swedish block pattern. Ahhhh. Easy to stitch and I like how it's coming out.

So even though I worked WAY too many hours yesterday, I am back to where I started when I ripped. Feels good.

Tonight I will do a little on the baby blankie and see if I can get the CotR shawl back to where I goofed up.

Riding

Mel had a good day with Callas - a little bit of breakthrough in getting her to work and concentrate through distractions. Going down tomorrow, so should have some pics.

Haven't ridden all week myself. Between rain and work, ugh! Have a lesson today - am really enjoying the new teach.

Whew

Okay - I feel better.

Got the top back to where I am about to start the lace yolk. Will swatch that tonight & maybe get started.

Tinked back about half a row on CotR - will try to get the other half tonight, then have to do one more row. That row is mostly pure knit, so should be pretty easy (relatively speaking). Then I stick a lifeline in and stick to the mantra I should have stuck to. Don't knit when you are sleepy and especially don't knit LACE when you are sleepy!

I HATE Frogging

Tuesday night, I industriously worked away on the Vittadini top and the CotR shawl and messed them both up!

GRRRR.

So last night, I frogged the top back and restarted the yoke shaping. For some reason, I started the yoke and armhole shaping at the same point. But the armhole shaping doesn't start for another couple of inches after yoke shaping. I would have been "creative", but I think it would have looked dorky, so I frogged.

Worked my way back up to about where the armhole shaping should start, so will do that tonight and try to get the front to the point where I am ready for the lace yoke.

If I have time, will start to painstakingly tink back on CotR - can't just rip out a row on that one and pick up stitches. Bummer.

However, it has stopped raining and the sun is out! Yippee!

Bad Poster! Delayed update.

I have been very remiss in keeping up. Busy busy busy! And my camera batteries have finally given up the ghost on recharging, so I need to get some more. So no pics until I get that squared away.

Lessee - Callas has gone down to Melanie's to be truly started under saddle. Yesterday she walked off lead for the first time. Mel reports that steering and brakes are not yet fully installed! LOL But she was just walking around the paddock, so that was okay. She also reports that she is quite lazy!

Shadow is doing great. He packed one of my students to a first and third at a show last weekend. And we have started riding with a new instructor who is very good. I am quite pleased. We did a little cowboy shooting. I made someone else ride him - good thing. That guy rides faster than I can and Shadow went faster than I have ever seen him go! Holy cow! We show this weekend and my camera toting pal will be there, so hopefully we get some pics. Also not supposed to be so hot - good thing. Heat is NOT Shadow's best subject!

On the knitting front - finished the Maggi's linen clapotis. Gotta gotta gotta get pics, it's GORGEOUS! It is supposed to be a gift, but I am struggling with that notion! LOL. Camo hat is done - very ugly, but I think the nephew will like it.

Working on the Vittadini shell - almost to the lace neckline stuff. Fairly boring knitting - just stockinette until you get to the neckline, but the yarn is really cool.

Got the linen for sis's ("baby" sis) top - it's Euroflax original in Neptune - a beautiful wedgewood kind of blue. Cast on for swatching, but am focusing on the shell, though the gauge looks a little goofy. Wound up going down two needle sizes for the shell and looks like this might be the same. Wonder if I am knitting differently? Doesn't feel like I am knitting particularly tight.

Finished the shell border row on the CotR shawl and started the first chart. OMG, this is gonna take forever. I have to commit to working on it at least one night per week, but I am not loving this process - I think I need to find a knit-along to help with the charts. Not terribly clear to me what is supposed to be happening.

Took a break from stashalong for two weeks. Basically got the linen for sis's top and a few cool & funky yarns to make Christmas presents with. I am thinking about felted purses for the neices, and maybe some crazy scarves for the sisters and not sure what for the bro-in-laws.

Baby blankie is on hold. I have to frog it back an inch or two and I am feeling cranky about that notion.

Cleaned up my little sitting room where I knit. Put stuff away - it's a much nicer space to work in now. Have a few more little touches and it will actually be respectable.

Well - I am really late for work. Better run!

This N That

Here's a pic of the clapotis I am working on out of my illicit Stashalong ooops! yarn. The pic doesn't capture the glorious turquoise of the yarn and the sheen of the linen. It's really pretty. That's pretty much all I am working on right now. Someone on knittyboard said "sorry Kate, it's a boring knit" and that's true, but just what I am needing right now. Kind of a mindless task, but the outcome is so pretty I just pet it every day!


Hank and I went on a judged pleasure ride yesterday with Pro and Shadow. Sorry no pics. I really wish I had brought my camera. A judged pleasure ride is a trail ride with obstacles. Each obstacle has a "judge" sitting by it who rates your performance through the obstacle. They were very cool, ranging from quite natural - a steep bank down to a muddy creek, to kind of surprising - the trail system there goes through a GIANT culvert. It was quite scary for my boy, but he tried like a champ. There were wooden bridges, a mailbox that you had to open and close, a "campsite" with a tent, a dummy on a cot and clothes hanging out. Fun stuff.

Pro took everything in stride - a little cautious in some places, but he is a very curious and confident horse. It's pretty cool because he was a big time show horse and I am sure he didn't spend much time out on the trails. Shadow is a bit more of a chicken and didn't do as well, but I was still really proud of him. He showed a ton of try working on things he was scared of. But I definitely need to get that boy out more! LOL

Mel came over and rode baby Callas again. Callas was still quite "exuberant" at first under saddle, so we need to work on longeing her under tack more. I ran short of time last week.

Heading out to feed the pones, catch a ride on a boarder's horse, do a little gardening, then YUCK - head into the office for a few hours.

Baby Callas got her first ride yesterday!

My friend Melanie came over and backed my baby for me. She will go down to Mel's for 30 days or so, and then will be in very light work for the next 6 months or so. She is still quite immature physically, but a light program will be good for her busy little mind!

That saddle thing is SCARY!!!

Okay - so it's not so bad after all. I can trot around like a good girl!








And I can handle someone sitting on me! I am such a big girl!

She really was pleased with herself after all was said and done. And after her initial nervousness about the saddle was quite sensible - just had to include the drama pic!



On the knitting front - got some Maggi's linen at a really good sale and am working on a clapotis. along with all the other stuff that's still in work.

Quickie update

Nothing really to photograph. Lots of stuff in barely beginning stages!

Baby blankie is about 4". Figure this is 1/9" of the way done. Hmmm. It doesn't sound quite so bad put that way!

COTR Shawl I am almost finished with the scallop edging - just have to gather all the yo's. About 1 1/4".

Started the camo hat for my nephew. I was going to put a spider on it, but I think I will just let it be camo all by itself. It's kind of cool looking in a goofy way! It's about 2" along.

Purple vest is on hold until I swatch, measure, wash and measure again. I am afraid I am going to have to frog, so am putting it off! LOL

Other WIPS - just sitting there for now. Trellis Scarf and a shawl in Blue Heron.

Lots of stuff lined up waiting for a start!

I have been a good little yarn gal and haven't bought a thing.

Henry and I took the pones to a nearby park this am and went for a nice hour and a half trail ride. Pones really enjoyed themselves. We did too!

Show pic

Me and the Shadman at the show this weekend. Pics courtesy of my pal Shari.

Quick pics

If Blogger will cooperate - a couple of quick pics of WIPS!

The blurry one is the Creatures of the Reef Shawl. 5 rows times 400+ stitches each, 20,000 stitches and it's sooooo short! LOL

The bright one is baby blankie #2 out of a sunny Koigu on #4 needles. Progressing nicely.

The purple one is a Vest in Progress, but I am a little concerned about gauge and it's really on hold until I have a little time to do math!

Horse showing today. Will bring baby blankie along as I show at 10:30, then not again until 4:30! ZZZZZZ

Ridin' lots

Prepping for a big show this weekend. Riding every day. Man do I feel fit. And pone feels great too!

Cast on baby blankie (on 4's daggone it!) on Monday night. About 5 rows in. Haven't done any more on CotR - will do a couple of rows tonight.

I think the vest needs to be bigger. Measured it and it was 31" - mini! The yarn blooms, but I forgot to write down by how much, so will swatch again, measure, wash and block, measure and do math. Don't know it it will bloom 10"!!!! So might have to frog and start over. But it's gonna be sumthin!

Gotta run!