I finally finished this last Wednesday - in fact I put in 12 hours on it Wednesday to get it completed and over to dad on Thursday. Of course I forgot to bring my camera too :) Anyway, it’s done - thank goodness. Eventually (but not right this second - I’m not up to another afghan just at the moment!) - this ancient article…
...will also be replaced :) I made that more than 25 years ago. No, I don’t know what I was thinking either but it is a testament to the durability of Red Heart acrylic which is all I could afford at the time.
Now I’m trying to plan another project and, until yesterday, had been kind of flailing around. I haven’t really been sparked much by the various attempts at lace entrelac so my mind turned to another shawl idea that had been simmering for almost a year. It’s related to classical music and to one composer in particular. Since the Faun’s Eyes pattern wasn’t working in entrelac for me, I wondered how it would work circularly.
Now here’s the problem. Well, the problem is with me because I had myself convinced that I couldn’t do a circular cast-on. I’ve tried them all, but never got anywhere. But yesterday I spent about 8 hours working it out and then working on a…well, I suppose you’d call it a “prep” piece. Not really a swatch because I’d be using different yarn (which I don’t even have yet) and different needles for the real deal. But just a sort of preliminary to see if the idea was feasible. In the process of that, I quite accidentally found the solution to the problem with the musical shawl that had been stumping me for quite a while :)
Hey Ev - it worked! Because this lace is worked on both sides of the fabric, I fretted about “translating” the wrong-side rows to knit stitches. I pretty much fret about everything - think of it as a form of exercise :) - but it turned out to be easy-peasy and made the lace incredibly simple to work.
Now I know the center looks like the dog’s breakfast, but I also know what went wrong and how to avoid the issue next time. And yes, there are two colors here but it’s what I had at the time that I was willing to sacrifice for the sake of experimentation. This is basically the Pi shawl formula (explained in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac).
I have never made a circular shawl so it seemed like a good idea to try one. I do have one last reservation about it. When I fold it in half to wear, won’t the lacework be obscured? Is there a way to minimize or avoid that? Regardless, I intend to go forward - in fact I ordered two different types of yarn this morning so I’ll have a choice. Of course that could be a mistake :)
Looking at this, I recognize the possibility of beading too. Of course it’s only a possibility :) At this point, everything about it is only a possibility - but I’m champing at the bit to get started and will be checking my mailbox, oh…2 or 3 times a day, until my yarn and needles (wooden ones!) get here.
We finally got to see the sun - for about 10 minutes this afternoon - before things clouded over again. We’ve had tons of rain this last week and things aren’t due to really clear up until Thursday.
This is what the sky looked like at about 2:00 PM EST and at the very bottom of the photo, you can see the trees starting to get some color.
Dad and I went out to lunch today…
...and will be doing so again on Thursday. My Uncle Howie is coming up from Florida for a short stay and dad and I are taking him up to Lord’s Harborside in Maine for a late lunch. I’m looking forward to my Uncle’s visit; I always enjoy him. I particularly enjoy observing his interaction with my father - they both turn into 13-year-olds. And watching this pair of octogenarians instantly revert to mid-pubescent teenagers in each other’s presence can be a lot of fun.
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Wow, that blanket is lovely. How wonderful! Your dad is very cute.
The afghan is really beautiful! I love it and wish I could crochet like that… Congratulations. You really made a wonderful object. I hope you and your Dad enjoyed your lunch out and that he will have a lot of fun when his brother arrives.
aww, captain cranky is a cutie!! and his new afghan is quite spiffy too-
the eternal life of red heart is definitely a wonder- i once made a humongous one for my dad from his university colors (okay, so maybe it was a bit garish!!) and my mom spent the remainder of her life shuddering whenever she looked at it- he was quite fond of the behemoth and it lived through much use and abuse- no matter what my mom washed it with or how she tortured it, she couldn’t ever get it to rip, unravel, or even fade- both of the parents are gone now, but guess what now resides with me, and i cannot throw it out either? the blasted afghan!!
i’ve also wondered about circular shawls (i’ve long admired them, but never made the effort to make one) and how well the patterning shows up- looking at pics of them, it seems they are worn folded slightly less than into a perfect semi-circle so that the lacier outer patterns hang longer and show more clearly- also many seem to have the more ‘solid’ patterning in the centers- keep us informed- i want to know, but i am just a bit overloaded to try to find out for myself yet-
stay happy-
Abi - Thanks :) I take no credit for the afghan since I’ve made that pattern twice before - it and i are old friends now - and dad picked the colors.
By the way, it would just tickle him silly to know he is thought of as cute!
Laura - Thank you kindly :) I can’t recommend this pattern enough - it is very well designed and will probably be my “standard” blanket from now on whenever anybody needs one. And crocheting goes so quickly - can’t beat that!
Barb - I find it just delightful to think of all the pleasure your father must have gotten from his school-colors blanket. And, terrible person that I am, it makes me grin to think of your mother shuddering over it.
Thanks for your observation about wearing a circular shawl. I’m committed to pursuing this so I will certainly let you know if I discover anything new and interesting. Actually, probably you’ll have trouble shutting me up about it!
Lovely afghan! I’m so glad you figured out the circular cast on!
Opal - I don’t know as I have it down just yet, but I imagine practice will encourage familiarity and ease :) I do remember a time when I swore I’d never be able to handle DPNs - but I do it without even thinking about it these days, so I remain hopeful about the cast-on too!
Oh, well done on that afghan! I bet the circular shawl will be pretty spectacular too. Have fun with it!
The afghan turned out great! It looks awesome! And, like everyone else, your Dad IS a cutie!
As for circular shawls, you don’t really fold them completely in half. If you fold it about 1/3 down, you’ll still see the lace patterning and, if it’s big enough, there will be enough fabric to go around you. Be warned, though, a pi shawl uses up a LOT of yarn!
Isn’t it great when things work out, even when you weren’t sure if they would? How did you do the circular cast on? You crochet. It’s easiest to do with a crochet hook, imho. :)
Chris - Since I only know about half what I’m doing with the circular shawl, I intend to have fun - at the very least! It’s an adventure :)
Ev - Well, I did use a crochet hook but not the way you think :) I did a provisional cast-on and joined it after I’d knit about 15 rounds. I did not, however, use contrasting yarn for the crochet strip from which I picked up the stitches. Hence the mess in the middle!
I know better, I really do but sometimes, when I’m really, really eager to try something, the niceties go out the window - usually to my eventual distress :)
I ordered 1700 yards of laceweight and 2700 yards of fingering weight - just so I have options :) Do you think that will be enough? I’d be using on or the other, not both :)
Very pretty afghan!!! I love the colors. Classical music and a particular composer….please tell! Now you have piqued my interest for sure. Can’t wait to see what you are up to.
Your dad is a cutie. I’m glad he is up and feeling better! Lunch with those two sounds like an adventure!
Carol - I’ll wait at least a while before revealing the inspiration for the shawl. I’d like to have it well on the way and right now I don’t even have the yarn yet :)
Yes, lunch with dad and my uncle is an adventure indeed - they are quite the pair!
I like the completed blanket, especially the way you reversed the colors in the outermost blocks. Good job.
Charlotte - Thanks :) I can’t tell you how long I played with various layouts before I decided that was the one to go with. It worked out even better than I thought!
If you want the pi to be large enough to use as a shawl, I’d go with the 2700 of fingering weight. That way, you know you’ll have enough (and it will work up more quickly).
The best circular start I’ve found so far is Emily Ocker’s circular cast on. Check it out here:
http://www.spellingtuesday.com/circular_co.html
I know what you mean—my mother and her sister would fall into the giggle fits they shared as kids every time they saw each other—the two of them in their 70s leaning against each other giggling at who knows what, my uncle with this baffled look on his face… a good memory.
Ev - Regarding the yardage, I’ll keep your advice in mind :) I’d love to try the lace weight (about which I’m still a little skittish!) but the fingering weight might be a better choice. I’ll know better when they get here!
I’ve tried Ocker’s cast on with little luck. Perhaps persistance and practice are the key here :)
Rob - It is fun to watch them, isn’t it? As they exchage meaningful looks, poke old buttons and share old jokes and family-speak all their own…
The shawl ‘swatch’ looks great and the blue afghan is gorgeous!
Lynne - Thanks :) I have high hopes for this shawl and I’m impatiently awaiting the arrival of the yarn I’ve ordered for it!
Not such a patient waiter, me :)
