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Seraphim Shawl
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16th July 2007
Project planning: Seraphim Shawl
The Forest Canopy shawl is dead, long live the Seraphim shawl! This will be my first MimKnits pattern and my first charted lace. A little nervous about that one.
I ordered four skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Pine from the Loopy Ewe on Friday morning, and I got them on Saturday, I'm impressed! The pattern requires 800-900 yds of fingering weight and I was planning to take out one repeat, so that should be plenty.
I got my invite to Ravelry a few weeks ago and it helps seeing the finished and in-progress seraphim shawls. Definitely looks better in solid or nearly solid yarns. It will be my first big project in years, and my first charted lace ever. I did a Bad Thing and showed Anna the pattern, now she wants to make one too...
20th July 2007
Seraphim in progress
Made it over three-quarters of the way through the plain rows of Seraphim. If it's done by October 1st I will enter it in the Loopy Ewe Q3 challenge. Mum taught me to knit with the right needle held like a pencil, but that doesn't work with this number of stitches. I'm trying to knit Continental instead but I can't get the purl to work yet. My office has occasional cold spells and Seraphim is more classy than my cardigan. This is my first shawl for myself and the amount of lace is just right. I love the gentle colour shading of the yarn!
I have a page on Ravelry for my Seraphim, which has links to other Seraphim in progress. I'm not much of a forum person, but I like that aspect of the site. It doesn't replace my personal project page though.
30th July 2007
In charted waters
I've finished the plain section of my Seraphim shawl on Friday and started the first of four charts. I knit tightly (continental knitting is helping fix that) and I don't want to run out of yarn, so I cut out one 12 row repeat in the plain section. Plus, a three foot long shawl on someone my height? Not so smart. No pictures because it looks the same as before but with a row of eyelets.
This is my first charted pattern and turning it upside down helped get a sense of what's going on. Counting the little boxes for the number of stitches to knit before the next eyelet would have been most useful before I messed up the first wing and had to undo it! When I hit the second chart I'm putting in lifelines, I've messed up enough lace to want a security blanket. I like that you're eased into it with a set of eyelets in the first chart before the real work begins.
16th August 2007
The next chart
Started chart 2 on my Seraphim shawl and the pattern is emerging. Got a tip from the Clayton SnB about lifelines: dental floss. It shows up well against the dark green and makes the shawl smell a little minty. My lifeline went in after row 14 of the second chart and it feels like a warm fluffy security blanket. No matter what happens, I can always rip back to this row.
I don't think this is what the dentist had in mind when he told me to floss daily...
21st August 2007
Lacewreck
More of a fender bender than a total wreck, but disappointing nonetheless. I had 40 rows to go on my Seraphim shawl when I made a mistake. The fix looked almost passable, and I thought I could live with it, but it didn't look right. When I tried to tink back two rows to fix it, the yarn got away from me and I ended up ripping back to my now-beloved lifeline, four rows beneath. *sigh* And it was going so well!
But I like the pattern, I got to try it on while it was off the needle, and I feel much better for the rip out. I set a deadline of October 1st for the shawl, to be entered into the Loopy Ewe Q3 Challenge:
The Challenge this time is to pick a sock or lace pattern that is a stretch for you in terms of new techniques (or just more complicated stitch patterns than you typically knit.)
Seraphim definitely qualifies
27th August 2007
Bitten by the lace bug
Thanks for your encouraging comments about my lacewreck, I have recovered but there's a lifeline going in every fourth row till the end. I love my lifeline! Started the third chart and the third skein of yarn, don't think I'll be needing the fourth. I have 28 rows to go and over a month to do them.
31st August 2007
Seraphim: Nearing the finish line
12 rows to go on the Seraphim shawl! I am a lace chart convert now, especially since I can see how it matches up to the knitting. Still have to check which symbol is ssk and which is k2tog, but apart from that I'm sold. It's turning out beautifully!
Had a horrible thought yesterday: What if Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock doesn't take kindly to blocking and rolls up in a ball when I take the pins out. Has anyone else blocked this yarn? Will it hold to shape?
I never thought I'd be a shawl person, but knitting Seraphim has been a lot of fun.
13th September 2007
FO: Seraphim shawl
Seraphim's done! Did the cast off with a needle 2 sizes up since I tend to cast off tightly. I tried this on when I got it off the needle, and I thought it was small. Then I stuck it in water and it got huge! It spread over my regular blocking towel and needed three more towels and almost all of my pins.
Seraphim has been such a fun knit, I can't wait to wear it. The pattern was great, I learned how to knit from charts, the yarn is pretty, I like everything about it.
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