Which-Crafts?

One of the interesting side bits to running Seasons of Lace is that I am getting to see a new array of knitting tools used by lace knitters. I had been peripherally aware that people were making fancy stitch markers, but a bunch of our sponsors and prize donors make them, and I have been perusing their sites.

Now some of you may know that I used to bead, a few of you may remember that I used to work at a bead store, and I suspect that many of you may know that I am hoarder of craft supplies. How does this all work together?

I have a huge supply of beads that I haven’t used in a long long while. So last week, I opened my bead box and rummaged around a bit. Dug out some small bits that were left-overs from other projects, and started playing.  I suspect that I’ll show of a few more not too far in the future. This is a pretty, fun and useful way to use up beads that were sadly without purpose.

I know I have mentioned this to a few people in person, but I haven’t gotten around to mentioning this here.  Helen, Maria and I had a little run in with insanity last month. There is a really long and fairly amusing story  - but the long and short of it is that we are running a KAL (Knit-along.) It is a Lace knit along, not based around a specific pattern, just based around knitting lace for the summer.

We got started organizing it a little over a month ago, and already we have a pile of sponsors and prizes (Helen has done an awesome job procuring these for us.)  We have a Ravelry group and a Blog and I am pretty excited about how it is all coming together. Its called Seasons of Lace - and if you are interested you are welcome to join us!

Even though I am Mod there, I am really quite the lace newbie. I have 2 lace projects on the needles right now. One of them I am doing in my own made up pattern - but I am not very far along on that one. This one is someone else’s pattern and is the one that i am working on primarily.

This is the Strangling Vine Lace Scarf. I got off to a rocky start, there is a bit of a discrepancy between the written pattern, and the chart. But once I worked it all out and put some stitch markers in everything smoothed right out.

I am knitting it in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool - which I love love love! I bought this yarn to be Aibhlinn, but after I started knitting, it really was just about the most boring thing ever - and you needed to pay just enough attention to it that it wasn’t even “mindless” knitting. So Riiiiip! Its been a few thing in between, but now its found its happy match.

I ran across Folia the other day. I haven’t played with it for very long yet, but it looks a bit like Ravelry for gardening. If you want to find me there my username is Whichy.