Knit My Dog

One of my goals this year is to knit a lace stole. It's been in the back of my mind for months and I finally made the leap this weekend. I've knit lace before, but always on a smaller scale and never with lace weight yarn. Every time I look at a completed lace shawl on any blog, I'm awed by the accomplshment. The problem with a triangular shawl for me is that I don't think I would EVER wear it. I have visions of grandmothers in rocking chairs when I see one. So early on I decided that I would knit a rectangular stole instead of a triangular shawl.

Then came the decisions on which pattern to knit. I have one major road block this year: I am not purchasing anything new. So that means the pattern has to be free. I've been looking at Eunny's Print O' the Wave Stole for months, marveling at the workmanship, the pattern, and the overall design. I have some laceweight 80% alpaca 20% silk handspun in the stash that I purchased last summer in Ontario that fits the bill. So I took the plunge and cast on. And I discovered something about myself. I hate knitting flat work on circular needles. The whole floppy cable thing was driving me crazy. Not to mention this:

Yes, off white laceweight yarn on an off white needle. I lasted less than one row.

Instead, I cast on using my trusty yard sale purchased, bent and faded, almost antique Susan Bates aluminums.

Much better! And the needles are in a convenient contrasting color.

After three pattern repeats, I don't have the pattern memorized, but it's much easier to spot an error as I knit. The pattern calls for 80 stitches, including four repeats of the center wave pattern. I dedided to cast on 64 stitches, with only three repeats of the center pattern for a narrower scarf-like stole. This was also done out of necessity since I have less yarn than the pattern calls for.

It looks lumpy like all lace in progress, but you get the idea. The color is kind of boring, but it is oh so soft and lush. I can always dye it when I'm done if it still bores me, can't I?