Posts Tagged ‘stole’
Posted on December 5, 2008 - by admin
I’ve Been Knitting
Remember when you all voted and chose my next knitting project to cast on? You all chose the Way of Life Stole. After a frogging episode, I finally got on a roll with this one and this is what it looks like so far. It is about 20% complete.
Here is a close up of the lace pattern.
I have also been working on the Rona Shawl. Here is the proof…
Tonight, I also finished this year’s hat for my grandson. So far I have given him a Christmas hat every year of his life. He will now have three. Photos of the hat tomorrow.
Posted on October 9, 2008 - by deborahfillmer
Blocking the Secret of the Stole III
The Secret of the Stole III, like all of our previous stoles, has a very unique shape. Sometimes, a uniquely shaped knitted piece can present quite a challenge during the blocking process. This particular stole has rounded edges on each end so traditional blocking wires that are very stiff will not work well for this type of blocking. Instead, we suggest the use of either thin blocking wires, thick fishing line (almost like weed whacker line), or even better, stainless steel welding rods of .30″ in thickness. Here is how we did it:
We soaked the stole in clean warm water and a little bit of knit wash. You can use baby shampoo, mild detergent, or even nothing but water. Without agitation, we made sure the stole was thoroughly wet and then laid it out on towels, which we then rolled up to keep the stole moist.
Unrolling it a little at a time, we laced the welding rods through the very edges of the stole all the way around, using a new rod whenever needed. For each rounded edge, we used only one rod per end so that the edge would not have a point or jagged look. After “installing” all the rods in the edges of the stole, we then removed it from the towels and placed it on our blocking mats.
Working on the straight edges first, we placed pins into the boards in a way that would hold the wires apart, stretching the lace to the proper width. This is something that can be greatly manipulated in this type of lace, so you will want to make the stole the width that looks right to you. After the straight edges are “straight” and pinned down the proper width apart, we curved the end wires out and pinned them down as well. This is very easy to do, provided you use one wire.
After you have the entire stole pinned out you will want to go back and adjust the pins and the width and length until it looks good to you. Let the stole dry in this position and then, when dry, remove it from the boards and weave in any ends of yarn.
For more information on blocking lace in general, visit our previous post on blocking a stole or shawl.
Finally, wear your stole with pride and don’t put it away in a drawer. You worked very hard on this beautiful piece of lace, show it off! Enjoy.
Posted on August 22, 2008 - by deborahfillmer
How To Use Lifelines In Knitting
Have you ever been, seemingly, hopelessly off on your stitch count on a row and begun to tink back the stitches one by one? Sometimes it is easier (and usually faster) to rip back the knitting a few rows and begin the pattern again from a point where we knew the stitch count was correct. This video explains how to put a lifeline in a row of your knitted project so that if you make a mistake several rows later you can rip the problem rows back without fear of ripping out all your hard work beyond the lifeline row. We hope you enjoy the video and, as always, please leave us a comment and let us know what you think…
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Posted on August 20, 2008 - by deborahfillmer
Blocking a Lace Stole or Shawl
Now that you have completed your knitted piece, what next? I thought it would be a good idea to compile a little of the information that I have found regarding the best ways to block a stole, scarf, shawl, or any other knitted item for that matter. Most knitting (pattern) books are conspicuously quiet on this topic, with more of a focus on the patterns and producing a finished product.
So turning to the Internet for answers, a quick Google search will produce way too many various excellent results on this subject. I compiled my own list of top blocking tips here from those results and my own experience. Let’s get started.
Posted on July 12, 2008 - by deborahfillmer
Secret of the Stole III KAL Officially Opens
It’s official, the Secret of the Stole III knit a long is open for new members. We begin accepting new members today and begin knitting the stole on August 15th. The excitement level around this place just doubled. Now there is just so much to do….
If you haven’t been involved with one of our knit a longs before, now is your chance to see what it is all about. The group is located here:
Membership is free, but the number of new members is going to be limited, so don’t wait, sign up today!
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