It's Nice to Have Options

You know having options when choosing ice cream or underwear, options make everything better. That goes for knitting too. After a year of acquiring Chiagoo Bamboo Needles, I decided it was time to invest in some Knit Picks Options.

I am now the proud owner of tips size US 4-10 in both the Nickel plated and the Harmony wood. I also have the cables in 24" (4), 32" (2) and 40" (2).  I decided against getting the kit in favor of a la carte because I had purchased the Try-It set a few weeks earlier and I am loathe to have repeats, and I rarely knit anything larger than a US10 (6.00 mm) and so it was not worth it having up to 13 for me.  I may very well acquire these at a later date, but that is the joy of Knit Picks, I can get them later for not a whole lot of money.

My intention is not to advertise for a company I patronize frequently, but rather as a means of suggesting an annoying lesson my Dad has been preaching for year.  I spent around $100 getting a needle set I wanted (the KP Options) but in the year before that I have spent at least $100 on the Chiagoo needles that I am now going to give away or store.  So basically, get the set you want spending more money now can save you money when you decide to get them later. I have previously applied this logic to many other purchases, but picking up needles one at a time at my former LYS I never really did the math on my cost. Generally, these needles have been great.  While working on the nupps on the Robin's Egg Shawl I found it was great to use on nickel and one wood to make the perfect combination of slick and stick.  Those are the kinds of options I like.

Also, these needles are sharp, they look good and are really, really pointy!

And here are the photos I promised you last time.  The Robin's Egg Shawl has been moving along just fine.  The nupps were interesting, not my favorite thing, but they have such a great effect.

Life is more fun with Options, knitting and otherwise.

Check Out These Nupps

So, I managed to survive the budding vine lace and I have been working on the lily of the valley lace section. This is where we ran into the nupps. I must say that they are not nearly as frustrating as I had anticipated (based on knitter/internet lore). Here is what it looks like ... Okay, I can't find my camera, but they are very cool.

Overall I have been quite happy with this pattern.  It is just interesting enough to keep me engaged but not so much that I cannot enjoy an episode of Eureka or Warehouse 13 while I knit.

Oh and I have yet to knit another stitch on the Cherrywood Scarf and I am starting to get concerned if I will ever finish it.

Meet Robin’s Egg Shawl

I have a new item to welcome to my collections of UFOs, welcome Robin's Egg Shawl based on the  Swallowtail Shawl pattern (Ravelry)!

I cast on on July 1st (yes, I did violate my red and white Canada Day knitting policy). But I was really excited to get something new started. I am currently on the 9th repeat of the first chart, the Budding Lace chart. So far so good.

Whenever I pick a pattern I try to choose one which allows me to learn a new skill.  For this pattern I will be doing nupps for the first time. I know they are evil and all that, but then again grafting was way, way less stressful than I thought it was going to be. I was also going to learn how to do a provisional tab cast-on, however I was unable to make that work so I gave in and did the standard knitted cast-on.

The yarn for this project is Knit Picks Shadow Tonal Lace in Blue Yonder.  I also have the Queen Anne and Springtime colorways that will be used to make wonderful new things.

So other than that I am still working away on my Shifting Silt Scarf and my Cherrywood Scarf. Things are moving along nicely, although after six months of working on Cherrywood, I am not sure if I have the interest to finish it before my Grannie's 86th birthday in September (she is the intended recipient of the scarf).