Thursday, June 9, 2016

Life is Too Short to Knit with Cheap Yarn

I can't thank you enough dear readers for the extremely kind comments that you left on my last blog post.  It made me realize that I should have shared things like this a long time ago since it made me see I'm not the only one who can feel this way.  Thank you again!

I'm back today with a knitting post.  Sorry to exclude those who don't knit but maybe this post may encourage you to do so.  I taught myself to knit.  It doesn't take a ton of supplies; just patience.

Awhile back my friend Christine shared her raspberry and apple shawl. When I saw the pattern and the gradient yarn, I knew I had to knit one of these shawls.  The pattern is called Wild Poppies by Charlotte Walford.  At first I was hesitant knitting the lace, but Charlotte writes out the lace pattern along with also providing a chart.  This worked great for me, as I need to read the written pattern versus knitting from a chart.  I bought the pattern on Ravelry.

Gradient yarn was a new concept to me since I had never knitted with this type of yarn before.  A popular yarn is The Wool Kitchen.  However, I wanted to make a larger shawl and I found some gradient yarn on etsy.  I love the way the yarn gradually changes colors; it's fascinating to see the change take place.

On Etsy, I found the perfect yarn.  The color is called Romance.  It comes in different lengths, and I bought the 600 meter length.  (I should have bought the 800 meter length if I wanted a larger size shawl).  This yarn is a blend of merino and silk and it was heavenly to knit with it.  I highly recommend this yarn from Wollelfe.  Wollelfe also sells seed beads (size 6/0) which I bought to add to the edging.  And, although it is shipped from Austria, the shipping was very reasonable.

The shawl pattern is originally written for 400 meters with six repeats on the spine of the shawl.  My plan was to do 9 repeats on the spine but unfortunately, I only had enough yarn to complete 8 repeats.  It was great fun doing the lace border.  If you choose to do this pattern, it's a good idea to leave markers on either side of the middle "fan" so that your stitch pattern will stay even.  I added beads to the last fan design.  I also changed spacing of the picot edging and added a picot in the middle of each pattern section, adding one bead as I went along.  The shawl blocked beautiful and it's now going to be given to a dear family friend in Greece.

One last thing, you can find my notes on this shawl on my Ravelry page.  Recently, I realized that the links I leave for Ravelry only work if you have a Ravelry account.  Sorry about that....I will try and add additional links from now on if I can.  Finally, I just had to share this picture of Lilly.  We had a mini heat wave during the day and Lilly insisted to sleep in her padded bed!  She has ignored this bed for months and now, during the warmest time of day, she wanted to sleep there.  Cats are such amazing little creatures!

Oops, almost forgot about my title to this post.  I've so enjoyed discovering new, fancy yarns.  Gone are my days of knitting with Grandma's Red Heart (which I still have), but it is so glorious to knit or crochet with a fine fiber.  Since I'm always on the lookout for a great bargain, I've found many online websites that sell fine yarn at great prices.  Lately, I have as much fun "looking" for the yarn as I do knitting with it!

It's going to be a busy time here at Lilly My Cat.  Hopefully, I can share some fun times with you in the coming weeks.  Thank you again dear friends for visiting Lilly My Cat!

My best wishes to you,

Pat
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26 comments:

  1. Your shawl is so pretty, your friend in Greece is going to love it. Lilly looks really settled on her bed.

    Diana

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  2. The shawl has come out brilliantly with the colour change yarn. It looks so difficult to make, well done you! x

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  3. Hello Pat,
    oooh - what a beauty and so delicate and neat! I've been yearning Wolfelfe's creations too, but I won't yield till I haven't cleared my stash at least a little.
    Happy crafting,
    Marjan

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  4. I had never encountered gradient yarn but it looks amazing. I suppose you have to match the wool to the pattern so I'd need to be a much better knitter to do it justice. (So far, scarves only!)

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  5. Very pretty shawl Pat. Looks tricky to me, you are clever!
    Lilly looks so happy!
    Barbara xx

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  6. Your shawl is exquisite and the colour change is just beautiful. I'm sure your friend will be thrilled with such a lovely gift and treasure it.

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  7. The shawl is absolutely beautiful, it looks so delicate. I love the picture of Lilly, such a contented cat - have a lovely weekend Pat xx

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  8. The shawl is absolutely beautiful, it looks so delicate. I love the picture of Lilly, such a contented cat - have a lovely weekend Pat xx

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  9. Beautiful shawl! The colours are just so pretty. Your friend will love it. The cat looks very relaxed. Mine actually sat in front of the heat register again the other day - a chilly front had come through and I think he thought it was winter again!

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  10. Your shawl is lovely. Your friend is lucky! I agree with you .. the fancy "good" yarn is worth every penny. I'm trying very hard to use up all my stash so that I can splurge! Lilly is lovely. Knit on and have a lovely week.

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  11. It's beautiful, particularly the lace part. I don't knit, just crochet, one needle is about all I can handle.

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  12. The shawl is beautiful and I love the idea of a little beads on the edge. I too like to use a good yarn now and again I have been looking on several websites for the best prices.

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  13. I crochet, and only dream of knitting (I don't seem to be able to coordinate my hands). This is a beautiful shawl and I love the colours, so feminine and fresh. I have also just read your last post and know exactly how you feel. I do tend to try and surround myself with positive people as I have had too many years being brought down or trying to fit in with people I don't really like. Life's too short and if people want to act like school children or judge those who don't fit with them, let them - move on you are a better person xx

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  14. That shawl is so incredibly beautiful. I have tried knitting, but I didn't stick with it. Maybe someday I'll give another go. Items like this are inspiring!

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  15. Your shawl is beautiful!! The yarn looks really lovely. I don't really use "posh" yarn because of money, but you are right, it is good to treat yourself sometimes and use something really nice! I am so glad that you feel better after your post last week! I hope you felt lots of friendship and support from your five on Friday and blogland friends! Thank you for taking part in Five On Friday. I hope you have a great weekend! xx

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  16. How pretty, Pat - the gradient yarn really makes a nice effect! I've never seen yarn on a big spool like that! I always admire the expensive yarn, but have not made anything worthy of it - yet. I don't knit, but I do crochet and mostly make things I need to wash so use cotton or synthetic blends, but one of these days I am going to make myself or someone I love a beautiful sweater with wool. I just love the feel and smell (is that weird? haha) of wool. Hope you have a lovely weekend, my dear. xx Karen

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  17. I completely agree with you, taking the time to knit with beautiful yarn is well worth it. Taking the time to knit with cheep yarn will always leave you disappointed.
    Love your beautiful shawl,
    Meredith

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  18. The title of your post made me smile. It's a good motto to live by. The shawl is totally stunning and I'm sure will be well received. I've not yet knitted anything Lacey but too chicken but feel a slow burning urge to try.

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  19. As to your previous post, yes, feelings can be a touchy thing. I think your list is realistic, not mean or emotionless. It's what you need to do for you. And the current post. GORGEOUS! The shawl is lovely.

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  20. would love to learn to knit so reading about it is the next best thing. lovely needle work.

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  21. That shawl is just exquisite! And also, you can make a Ravelry page available to non-Ravelry users. Click on the "share" link at the top right of the project page. A box opens and gives you the option of making that page public, with a link you can use to direct people there.
    Lily choosing her bed on a hot day made me laugh! Yes cats certainly are independent thinkers.

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  22. I like the term "fine fiber"!!! You should use teh best especially when you put so much time into a project. Your shawl is stunning! I love the bead work as well. Enjoy!

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  23. Your little fur person looks so content. There's nothing more peaceful than a sleeping kitty.

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  24. Love the colour shades in that yarn and matches the delicate look of the shawl. I admire your skill at making such fine items. Lilly looks comfortable. I'm doing quite a lot of nodding off myself at the moment in an afternoon. Hope your busy time proves to be enjoyable and fruitful.

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  25. I've never used gradient yarn, but after seeing your shawl I'm really tempted, it's just so pretty xx

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  26. That's a very beautiful shawl, Pat, and a good use of gradient yarn. I think it's perfect for shawls like that! xx

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