Thursday, June 28, 2007

The Making of a Silk Shrug

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My Aunt Janice, Uncle Joe, and cousins Julianne and Matthew generously gave me a gift certificate to Knitting to Know Ewe, our favorite knitting store in the entire world, for my 18th birthday back in March. About a month later my mom and I visited Aunt Janice and Juli and we excitedly took a trip to this fabulous knitting store so I could spend my gift card on beautiful yarn and maybe even a pattern or two. As I looked around the store something caught my eye. It was this gorgeous and fabulously soft cable and lace shrug made of silk. I knew this is what was destined to be my next wonderful and challenging knitting project ( and I am always up for a good knitting challenge). So I asked one of the women how I could go about making that shrug. The pattern is in the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk pattern book along with many other fabulous patterns. I decided to make it in a green so that it would go with most colors. I started it and then ran into a little trouble when the pattern called for me to increase in pattern( yikes!!). So after putting my project on hold for about three months with two pairs of socks and a pocketbook in between I was able to receive the help I needed with a trip to Knitting to Know Ewe and explanations from Diane and J.J.! It finally clicked and I was well on my way to making the shrug I fell in love with.
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I am knitting the back. I finished shaping the sleeves and shaping the back and am just knitting in pattern right now for another four inches. The shrug is knit in a pattern that is separated into Panel A, the lace knitting, and Panel B, the cable.
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It is knit in four parts, the back, the right front, the left front, and the ribbed edgeing. The sleeves are knit attatched to the front and back and has one seem! This is what I have so far. More pictures to come when I have more to show!
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Sunday, June 24, 2007

My Fire Hot Socks

I know I haven't updated my blog in a while and it is apparently getting boring, so here is an update. I finished my socks a while ago and just have not had the time to post them on the blog. Everyone is in love with them and I am very happy with how quickly and easily they knit up.
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I have been working on my Debbie Bliss Pure Silk Shrug from her pure silk book and it is coming out beautifully with some help from the kind ladies at my favorite Pennsylvania knitting store Knitting to know Ewe. The lace knitting combined with cables is fabulous and the yarn is so soft and wonderful to work with. I am also working on ankle socks for myself and have found an amazing ankle sock pattern from the new summer issue of knitty and cannot wait to knit those up. I am also knitting my aunt janice two pairs of socks: one pair of alpaca and another of superwash merino wool. So i have many socks to knit up and a bolero to finish. Pictures of the shrug probably to come by tuesday and the others as I finish them.