hello lace (goodbye winter?)

i'm wishing for spring these days ... well maybe not wishing as i do love the bright sun on the snow but i am dreaming of warmer weather and green grass and flowers. so instead of the sweater(s) i had planned, i have been knitting lace. above is the hemlock ring tam knit with "silky wool" - it is wool and raw silk so has this lovely tweedy texture which i think works for this lacy tam. it isn't warm enough yet for this hat .... but maybe in a month or two?

yesterday i cast on for my next lace project: Cobweb Lace Stole by Michele Rose Orne found in last spring's IK Knits magazine. this pattern looks like a bit of a handful! there are no “rest” purl rows in the main pattern/section - but it shouldn’t bore me at least! so far i have the ruffled edge almost done - it reminds me of foxglove flowers



it is for my trip to Reykjavik and Copenhagen in early april with Willa. (squeal!) so i have a deadline i want to wear this light airy for spring in Scandinavia. the wool is from my trip to the east coast with my family last year - it is the prettiest pale coral or salmon pink/orange. it is suri blue a lace weight by Fleece Artist (based in Nova Scotia) - this wool/alpaca is totally lush - the colour has a slight variegation and a soft halo

it is huge

tam_starmore4
Originally uploaded by knit_north

oooooooooooooooh traditional tammy you have forsaken me - you are sooo big! massive in fact (yes roll out the big scottish head jokes by mike myers and yeah i have a big head!) oh woe such beautiful wool, perfect gauge, lovely motifs but alas not for me - i may try felting it down ... but not sure how much that will help

oh well have started a new one - smaller and more me .. i have chosen the patterns (and dramatically altered the length) rather than religiously following the pattern

winter knitting

hooray for completed projects - these all seemed to finish at the same time and boy does that make me smile!

first off the tams - i fell in love with knitty's three tams pattern
i made this one (version c) for me with local yukon alpaca and noro silkgarden (shade 226)


and a second one (a hybrid of version b + a) for willa - we've named it the bruise tam because the colours are all bruise-y shades mmmmm mustard-y green and purple


and yes i've cast one another!


and my tomten for my friend's little boy is done- hoooray!! i actually completed knitting it in November but haven't been able to put the zipper in until now - i'm home for christmas so my mom sewed it in with her machine. i'm sooo pleased. the buttons are just a 'design element' -read: the top of the zipper was difficult to sew so it looked rather messy there so we sewed on the buttons to hide the machine stitches there ... plus i do think they are cute (knit with Lorna's Laces Bullfrogs and Butterflies - daffodil shade)



another gift i made was toque for Tom for Christmas - it is 100% baby alpaca and super soft and cozy