WolfWeave

Ah, it must be Harry Potter time again! And to think that I haven’t even read book 6 yet…well, looking forward to seeing the current (4th?) movie next week. In the meantime:

The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff!

Said Hufflepuff, "I’ll teach the lot, and treat them just the same."

Hufflepuff students are friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working. A well-known member was Cedric Digory, who represented Hogwarts in the most recent Triwizard Tournament.

 

Take the most scientific Harry Potter Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Slow Bee that I am, and I am having such a terrible time knitting with the laceweight yarn, that I have definitely earned this new button:

especially since, when I make a mistake, I cannot see how to fix it and have to frog back to the beginning of the stole. Luckily, I have yet to advance very far in the pattern! I’m also beginning to wonder whether it wouldn’t be easier and more useful to make the stole out of a fingering or sport weight yarn rather than this thin laceweight. Then I would at least end up with a finished product that I’d be more likely to wear, as it would be more warming than this thin cobweb of a stole. At the moment, all I can see is that my finished stole, with its beads, will be more useful as a piece of jewelry than as a shawl. Oh dear, oh dear.

UPDATE: I did switch to a fingering yarn: Elann’s Peruvian Baby Cashmere in pewter color on size 3 or 4 needles (can’t remember). I just happened to have 2 skeins and some lovely matte metallic pewter size 8 Delica beads which matched perfectly. It was SO much easiser knitting with the fingering weight and I managed to get to about the 26th row but then my father fell ill and I never got back to concentrating on the stole. Besides, by then others were finishing and I decided I wanted to wait for the 2-wing version of the pattern (which I now have purchased from Melanie). Someday I will return to this gorgeous pattern and practice my lace skills.

but don’t watch the Men’s Final at Wimbledon at the same time! Finally I finished my swatch with a minimum of mistakes and now it is pinned, sprayed and dry.

So, what do you think? [And yes it is upside down with a big mistake at the bottom!] It is Knitpicks Shadow 100% merino laceweight wool yarn in the color named Vineyard Heather and I used Knitpicks Options size 4 US needles. I really pulled it hard to pin—do you think it looks too open? I really don’t want to go down to size 3 needles! I’ll check the group but Melanie was going to pull the swatch photos because we were running out of space.

Aside from klutzy—another fall today (whacked my shoulder blade and hit my head on the floor; spent the afternoon wrapped in ice packs and fell asleep though I know you’re not supposed to in case of concussion).

No, crazy—knitting crazy. I’m still slogging along with Tie-Dyed Boxes: have finished the front and am about 1/3 of the way finished with the back. What is crazy is that I’ve joined the Mystery Stole 3 knitalong conceived by the notorious Melanie who ran the first two mystery stole knitalongs. She doles out one “clue” per week, consisting of part of a lace chart and, if you keep up, by the end not only do you have a completed lace stole, but you can decipher the pattern in the lace.

I’ve fallen a little behind…I’m still picking out my yarn (black and white have been recommended). After rejecting 3 laceweight yarns in my stash (Lorna’s Lace Helen’s Lace in aqua—wrong color; Knitpicks Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor—wrong color; Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Midnight Heather—too thin and fuzzy), I’m awaiting a shipment from Knitpicks of some Shadow (100% merino) in the Vineyard Heather color. It should have arrived today, but didn’t, and I have my whole drawer of size 8 beads out waiting to match up with the yarn. I still have to knit a gauge swatch and work out the first clue, and the second clue is revealed tomorrow. The group has attracted over 5500 update: 6700! participants so far (the postings are voluminous) and even the Yarn Harlot has been drawn in! As for my progress…well, I’m just glad Bonne Marie has joined and donated this fine emblem for those of us lagging behind:

I’ve also joined the Kauni cardigan knitalong . I just couldn’t resist the Kauni cardigan, for which I blame the Yarn Harlot …it was the gorgeous photos of her knitting that put the spell on me so I found myself ordering the very reasonably priced yarn from the Netherlands. It arrived quickly but so far it’s still in the shipping package; I haven’t even taken the time to wind it into balls (and now I’d really better let my shoulder rest!). I have never tried stranded color knitting (a version of Fair Isle), let alone steeking and feel the need to read up on sweaters of this sort, as the pattern directions are sparsely written. But I love the look of the cardigan and hope to make it one of my winter sweaters. Meanwhile I’m following along with the knitalong to see how the other participants manage.

So, July begins and I have yet to finish my first summer project. Hmmm—seems I’m doing a lot better at destroying my body than I am at completing any knitting. Let’s hope that turns around soon!