The squish of garter, the path of lace ...

 

The squish of garter, the path of lace ...

I have recently put aside one design WIP in order to pick up another. I don't usually do this, but it was simply a question of time in the schedule for the process involved, for both designing and testing,  with that particular design. So my 'Periwinkle Sparkle' lacy wrap I have talked of recently, is going into hibernation, I still love the design, so this won't be forever, just pushing it til Spring 2022 instead, the next space in the schedule for release of just such a wrap. So on that one, it's until we meet again for  now.

This means I have been working solely on the next planned design, and I am tallying with the name The Whimsical (or whimsy) Lane Wrap for this one, as that is just the feeling I get from it so far, but I will detail that a bit more below.

I would like to talk a little about knitting preferences. I realise I sit, as a knitter, somewhere between not wanting to be bored and not wanting to be challenged, which is where I constantly try to balance my designs! 😅

In my personal knitting, I tend to dread that part of a beautiful yoke themed sweater, when you end the yoke chart, split for the sleeves, and than have miles of stockinette, which really should be the easy part as it is just smooth potato chip knitting, but the lack of row by row structured plan sort of throws me a bit and seems like a tediously insurmountable task to me at that point. I have decided the reason I love lace pattern knitting, which for me is engaging enough not to be boring but still fairly simple, because of the set out path of the lace chart, it feels motivating to say to myself right I'm going to get to the end of this lace chart today, maybe just as others find colorwork charts, or reaching a new color in stripes, all whilst seeing a picture evolve into form. I am definitely a knitter that does better with structure, but then again that shouldn't surprise me, as I like organised situations in general, but I still appreciate those interspersed mindless sections in knitting that can be planned into the design. Which leads me nicely onto the design... 

Designs in Progress...

I am currently working on a bias knit rectangular wrap, which involves sections of relaxing, slipped stitch enhanced garter and a panels of a lace chart I've created, the classic two color garter stripes, with a little jazzing up thrown in, and the soft nature motif lace panels, along with the soft muted rather natural shades of yarn being used, gives this wrap an overall glow of gentle whimsical delicateness for me.
Starting with just one stitch at a corner, increases were worked until it had reached the desired width and then one of the edges increases was switched to a decrease so that a rectangle forms, with a bias knitting direction.

I absolutely love the versatility of wide large rectangular shawls and I know I am going to get such wear out of this piece due to that. The yarn, I am using is 'Keld Fingering', a 90% Superwash extrafine merino / 10% linen blend by Eden Cottage Yarns, (@edencottageyarns), in the Barn Door, Hyssop and Linen colorways, (click on the links to see the details). It's a joy to work with, so soft and floofy and I love holding it up and just enjoying the beautiful drape of the piece so far.


This will be, once again, a wrap for the warmer weather, perfect for summery weather wardrobe choice imaginings such as being draped softly around the shoulders over a summer dress or to snazzy up a light tee and linen pants.

Tests in Progress...

A a bit of a weird one for this section this week ... We are in a bit of a testing hiatus at the current time as all the tests that were running have now come to a close and we have only just very recently opened the current test, for the 'Sanctuary Shawl', pictured to the left here, so too early for anything to report right now I'm afraid, let's see for next week 🤞

Until next time! …