Like Miss Woodhouse, it’s a “more than a triangle shawl.” You work double the increases on the outer edges as you do on the inner edges to get this shape.

A couple of you asked when the pattern would be available. I’m working on it as we speak.

And a couple of you were spot-on about what my new project is:

Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague.

Yeah, I don’t knit a lot of things by other designers, but this is my Christmas break knitting. I’m not designing, just happily following a pattern.

I am using a lovely lovely yarn from Dragonfly Fibers called Dragonsock:

The colorway is called “Green Riptide.” It’s pretty much heaven in a skein for a lover of all things green, like me.

I bought two skeins of it when I visited Fibrespace last month, with the thought of using it for a shawl or shawlette. So I’ve got 780 yards, which is plenty for the larger-sized Ishbel.

I’m using a U.S. size 4 needle and am loving the fabric that makes on the stockinette section.

In other news, I went into work today. The government was offering unscheduled leave for today, but today was my last day at work before my holiday leave — I’m off until January 4 — and there were a few loose ends I needed to tie up. The commute went fine as the streets around me are pretty much clear. The only issue was the train station parking lot. Black ice on asphalt in the dark makes me extremely nervous. I crept along and got to the sidewalk without any slipping or falling, so all is well.

And now I’m home, home, home. Not that I’m happy about that or anything.

Just for fun, here is a photo of a chair full of stuffed animals.

Or is it?

I did make some good organizational in-roads into the stash yesterday, but got sidetracked by switching my closets from summer to winter. Still, I can see the bed in the stash room, so that’s a start.

But all this industrious organization means that little knitting got done. However, I’m about done with my first skein of Mini Maiden on the Two-Thirds Shawl.

I’ve got two skeins and each skein is about 550 yards. So at this point I’m more than halfway done with the shawl because I don’t anticipate using the entire second skein.  The shawl is measuring about 15″ (unblocked) down from the center back at this point. I don’t plan on blocking it too aggressively, and I don’t think I want it more than 22 — 24″ long. So I am poised for last minute adjustments to my pattern.

I did actually knit a bit on my Bamboo sock.

It is knit from Wollmeise 100% merino superwash, which has 575 yards per skein, so I can pretty much knit this baby with as long a leg as I want. I think I’ll keep going for at least a couple more inches.

I may finish this sock before I leave for Oklahoma on Thursday, in which case I’ll cast on the second sock and take just that one along for travel knitting.

The suspense is killing me.

When I got home from work today and picked up my packages from the condo office, this is what they handed me:

It was just one of those days . . .

Meanwhile, Lucy is showing off her fluffy little “cataloons:”

You can tell by the vacuum cleaner tracks in the carpet that my cleaning lady was here today. I love her.

This took approximately 600 yards of dk/light sportweight weight yarn — Lorna’s Laces Pearl, in the “Mineshaft” colorway. I used 3 100-gram skeins (220 yards each) and had 30 grams leftover from the last skein. US 7 (4.5mm) needle.

The wingspan is about 72″, and it’s about 26″ down the center back.

The pattern will be available in a couple of days.

We Have a Winner

Congratulations to Emmy Jay who has won my copy of Men’s Knits: 20 New Classics by Erika Knight. Thanks to everyone who left a comment!

Am I Still Knitting Socks?

Yes.

Am I Still Knitting Lace?

Yes.

Lucy Sez

“This is a nice kitty blanket, Momma!”

Seanna Lea asked:

What will you do if it you take it off the needles and don’t really like how it looks?

Good question. I’m pretty sure I’ll like it if it is anything the way it looks in my mind’s eye, but you never know. If I find it loathsome, I could always give it away as a gift to some poor unsuspecting victim.

Actually, I don’t have a final disposition in mind for it anyway. It may be destined to be a kitty bed for Lucy.

Cindy asked:

Any idea of the size this will block out to?

Well . . . I’m aiming for somewhere between 60 and 72″ in diameter. I should be able to estimate fairly well when it’s time to stop knitting on the body of it and knit the edging on. I can measure out from the center and stretch as I measure and get a rough estimate of the size.

I bought 4 skeins of the yarn and I’m slightly less than halfway through the second skein, so I’ve got plenty of yarn. The edging I plan to use is a very simple small one, so it won’t take more than half a skein (I think), but I’ll be sure to stop knitting on the body while I still have at least a full skein left. My gut instinct is that I’ll be ready to stop before that anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how close I come.

I won’t name the design until it is off the needles and I can see what I think it looks like.

Oh, and I’ve got an idea for another circular shawl with a construction different from this one. But I’ll finish this first.

Lucy sez:

Did I hear kitty bed?

Then last Friday night in Richmond, L-B casually waved a skein of Madeline Tosh sock yarn she had acquired under my nose . . . in the Malachite colorway. I might have drooled. I’m fairly certain I whimpered.

But happy day! The Yarn Lounge had some mmmmmmmTosh sock yarn and ever greedy, I snagged three skeins of it, in Malachite, Iceberg, and Nutmeg.

Hey, Cut Me Some Slack — This Yarn’s Made From Yak!

Another purchase from The Yarn Lounge: a skein of Tibetan Dream sock yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch. This yarn is 85% pure Yak combined with 15% nylon. The skein is 4 ounces, with 440 yards. I’m working on dreaming up the perfect pattern for a pair of socks using this yummy yarn!

Lucy Sez:

“This rhyming thing is getting annoying.”