It's a Wrap

One skein of Noro Sock Yarn has evolved into this lovely lacy wrap.

The pattern is One Skein - a Stole by Katja Jordan. I used colorway S184 which is bright pinks, oranges, and peacock blue.

I am always amazed at how fibers transition with blocking. This is the stole drying on the blocking board.  My version is this interlocking foam puzzle with blocking wires and many T-pins to hold it in place on the foam.

It dried really fast, so I had to give it several sprays with the water bottle.

It is difficult to see the texture change as much as you can feel it. It is less "puffy" with more discrete stitches and the lace "holes" are more open and obvious. It is also longer after blocking . . . my stole is at least 10 inches longer after blocking today. Total about 64 inches long.

The cast on in the pattern calls for 50 stitches. I cast on 75 to make more like a wrap than a scarf.

So what's next you ask???

Check out this beautiful softness from Tess' Designer Yarns. I purchased these 3 skeins of this hand-dyed Angora and Merino at Stitches South in 2009. It seemed I must use it before starting on stuff I got in 2010.

This is the humble beginnings of a poncho-wrap for Baby Annette - who will be a toddler by winter!

It is from a pattern from the Tess website. This is a beautiful website just to explore. The  rainbow of colors is lovely to behold.  This yarn is so soft . . . I think I will have a difficult time putting this project down. I expect it to go very fast. . . More pictures to come!! 

Spring has Sprung

I am enjoying a little time outside today, despite the pollen and gnats! These bourgainvilleas made it through the winter and are already in full  bloom. That is hard to believe, but I am really liking it as they are one of my favorite plants!

I am working on smocked outfits for Annette and Lee. They are "ready-to-smock" products, so I am able to save the time of  sewing the garment . . . and enjoy the fun of smocking. I should mention that Susie's Ready to Smock does a GREAT job if anyone is interested in this idea. Here is the website.

The plate I am using on Lee's outfit is "Gone Fishin'" by Ellen McCarn.

I am going to coordinate it with "Row of Fishes" by Nancy Elliott Miller for Annette's bubble outfit. They will be in coordinating colors - but not matching. I can't locate a copy of that smocking plate on the internet. I will post a picture as soon as that is finished.

Last but not least . . . I had a great weekend in Atlanta at Stitches South and Pediatrics Conference (Children's Healthcare of Atlanta). Sister Cathy was wonderful to put up with my crazy yarn shopping and knitting classes AND downtime while I was a pediatrics seminar. I think she  also found a few items in her shopping bag by the end of the weekend.

One of my purchases at Stitches was this fun Noro Sock Yarn. It feels sort of coarse and I can't imagine having socks made from it. However, we saw a scarf/stole made from it and thought it was pretty unique and colorful. It will be much more uniform after blocking and lose the puffiness you see here. As always, it is so much fun to watch the rainbow of colors unfold.

The pattern is One Skein - A Stole! (English Version) by Katja Jordan . It is available as a free download on Ravelry. I believe it can be accessed through this link. Enjoy!