just flown in ...

... and i'm buzzing with excitement! but must hold off till this evening, as today phd takes precedence :(

still - something wonderful to look forward to, n'est pas? :)

Thank you for the invitation!

I am a newbie lace knitter and loving it although challenged at times ;p). Working on my first lace project Merino Wool Socks from Favorite Socks. Learned some important lessons since I couldn't possibly have made worse decisions! For your first project: 1) Don't choose a dark yarn! Hard to see! I chose Lorna's Laces in Black Watch. 2) Don't have a learn a new cast-on method if possible. I had never done long tail cast-on before. Learned knitted cast -on from my grandmother. 3) If you don't already know how to read charts this will be a challenge! 4) Size 1 needles are not optimal for first time out. Well as Dilbert says Bwah ha ha ha - had to tink the dang thing 20 times before I got to the heel! Looking forward to knitting the shawl Very much. It is so beautiful I want to touch it asap.

Introductions!

Hi everyone! I'm Ashley, and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my kit for the Honeybee Stole. I'm making it for my mother, a former beekeeper, and I'm having a lot of trouble keeping it a secret. I've never tried knitting lace before, so I'm a little nervous. I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments, and I love seeing your finished work!

Just Starting

With the completion of Swan Lake (a.k.a. Mystery Stole 3) I can now dive whole-heartedly into Bee Fields. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw its picture and am happily knitting away, even though my husband keeps asking how many shawls I really need!

I am totally in love with the yarn (Wooly Wonka Tupelo Gold), which is extremely soft, and the color changes are much more subtle in the knit fabric than they were in the unwound skein.

My biggest problem so far is the "winglets" in the beehive section. They look really loose and sloppy, and I can't figure out how to tighten them up... unless I am just supposed to assume that they will fix themselves when the shawl is blocked. Here is a closeup:



I struggled getting started because of some confusion over counting the BO2 as the first Knit stitch, but once I got that in my head, it has been pretty smooth sailing.

If any of you have tips for potential pitfalls, I would love to read about them!

The Shawl, She is Done!

With many thanks to all with regard to the loosest bind off, I chose the K2tog, slip back to the left hand needle, K2tog, repeat, repeat, repeat...it took a lot less time than it did to unpick the umpteen gazillion stitches in the bad bindoff.

Sorry for the dark picture - it's a gloomy morning here in nyc.

I'll probably block it tomorrow - more interested in starting the stole, and doing the winglets the "other" way - and once I have enough of them done, I'll take comparison pix of the two to show the differences.

And she is off...

Howdy: I got my package from Wooly Wonka Fibers today! Wooohoo!! I have been watching how beautiful everyones shawl is and am very excited to join in. What a great way to start the weekend.

wrapping up the beehive section

I should be finished with the Beehive section in just a bit and can start the Swarm section. I'm finding my knitting time being curtailed by the need to start preparing for my return to teaching in a couple of weeks. There's a whole lot of reading I should be doing right now...

Bind off Booboo

I was so excited to reach the bind off row, and thought that I bound off loosely enough, but obviously not!

So, I'm spending the better part of the morning c a r e f u l l y unbinding... I'm now asking you all for your own best and LOOSEST cast off suggestions.

Thanks!

tallying the old poll and cranking up a new one

The votes are in on the fiber poll and the results show a majority of knitters (39) are using the Tupelo Gold yarn with an almost equal number of knitters using either the Buckwheat Honey (25) or the Oregon Red Clover Honey (13).

Eighteen knitters bought a different yarn specifically for this project, and an admirable 9 among us are exercising commendable self-restraint and knitting the 'bee' with yarn from their stash! Well done there!

At the close of the poll, there were 9 knitters among us who were undecided at the time they voted.

And now, there's a new poll!

Through the Swarm!

I'm done the swarm!! and still loving this shawl :) definitely bored of knitting the swarm though *lol*

Carissa
Spirit Blooms

New-bee

I just joined the KAL, although I've been working on my bee fields shawl for a couple of weeks. I'm using Addi lace turbos size 5 with Schaefer Andrea (silk) in the Jeanette Rankin colorway, which I'm hoping will look like fields of wildflowers, but not too busy.

I knit the setup section at least 6 times, and yesterday I spent about 3 hours achieving my all time daily low of negative-9 rows in the beehive section. I even found a mistake in my lifeline row! At this rate, I will be the longest-lived KAL participant here.

Keep posting all your wonderful photos, and I will try to do the same when I get far enough to pull out the camera.

new pattern errata

Anne just posted a new correction yesterday (8/15) for the Bee Fields Shawl. The correction is for the written directions not the chart.

Beehives Ahoy!

I'm making good progress on the beehive section of the Bee Fields Shawl, and I wish that I could work on it all of the time. I seriously want to cast on the Honeybee Stole immediately, and I may or may not have picked up some yarn during lunch to swatch with.

I'd like to make a solid Killer Bee black stole, and I'd like something about the same weight as the Wooly Wonka kit I'm using for the shawl. The yarn I am going to swatch with may be too heavy, and it might have more halo that I'd like. Does anyone have suggestions for me?

Sorry to see it fly away

Just a quick picture of the finished shawl:
Today I gave it to a dear friend if mine who has been very dear to me during my ongoing illness. She is a knitter but hasn't tackled lace yet so I'm hoping that this will inspire her. I loved knitting this shawl and love the finished garment.

Yarn: Jaggerspun Super Fine Merino in Marigold
97 grams used, about 1200 yards
Pattern size: tall
Size unblocked 32X72, Size blocked 36X80
Started (and restarted): 7/29/07
Finished:8/13/07

a swarm is predicted ...

... sometime soon! am buzzing with the news that my buckwheat honey is winging its way across the pond as we speak - can't wait. i get so envious looking at all your lovely yarns and work! but soon it'll be my chance to make my home a hive of industry!

btw, on the subject of wires. i have been using mine, bought from Heirloom Knitting, for ages now, and love them. especially for a big project, such as the Wedding Ring Shawl, i find them so much easier, because they get all the points even without faffing. just thread them through, pin in a few places, and it's done.

two tips, however. make sure each time that they are absolutely spotless, if you don't want to have to wash your work and start over again :( . and if you need more than one on a side, which you usually will, overlap them by 2 or three points to stop getting bends where they join. i had to get two sets to do a big project.

happy knitting, all you busy bees. off to the Lake District for a few days R&R, so of course it is raining already, and we haven't even left London yet. still am not going to let it spoil my fun. and it's a five and a half hour drive, so lots of lovely knitting! ;)

The beginnings of my Bee Shawl

I've finished the third repeat of the beehive section and am plugging along. Some Addi Lace needles are making this easier!


I think I like the underside better, right now.


It's exciting to see some finished Bees popping up here!

Yarn Call

The yarn for my Honeybee Stole arrived today:
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Oregon Red Clover Honey laceweight yarn.



There's a few projects that I need to work on / finish before I begin the stole. But, having this luscious yarn might speed me up!

Coming soon?!

Thanks for the invite! I've been checking BMFA's site everyday for my shipping date, & today I got my answer! I'm so excited to start this project. The last time I attempted something in pure lace weight was at the very end of my first pregnancy. It was ripped & still serves as a sad reminder. I'm not the kind of girl that can knit lace while dealing with a fussy newborn. I couldn't even deal with brushing my teeth when Gus came along. I've learned that I'm okay with lace patterns when done on heavier yarn, but I want dainty & pretty! So I'm jumping back into bed with lace weight at the mid-point of the second pregnancy! See I can learn from my mistakes, just start sooner. I'm planning on using everyone here as encouragement, so thank you in advance.

Now just one more project to finish up...

Bee pics!

Used the camera and ta da! Photos of the finished bee.

Knitting Notions Wildflower lace merino, size 5 lace addis.

blocking wires

Do you use blocking wires? I've been using rust-proof T-pins for a long time, but I think I'd like to invest in wires, as well. Opinions are sought. :)