Icarus, before blocking

As requested by our friend miss ewe, here are some pics of Icarus (from Interweave Knits, Summer 2006), in various stages. It's amazing what one can accomplish when one should be writing term papers and studying for final exams...

Knit with Misti Alpaca on my new Addi Lace needles. Still waiting to be blocked - you'd think I'd have done something about that on my week off between classes and CPE, but nope!

Day 1


Growing


Complete! (But in Need of Blocking)


Close-up of the Pre-Blocked Edge


Gratutious Cat Photo

Blogging about blocking

Time for my monthly post! And this time, it's going to be about my own knitting! (Sigh. I gotta get better at this blogging thing...)

A few weeks ago, the lovely and talented miss ewe helped me to block the lace scarf I knit for my MIL. It's a cat's paw lace pattern, taken from this free pattern, which I knit out of Misti Alpaca lace weight.

I had never blocked lace before, so it was an experiment, but it went pretty well.

Phase 1: Soaking


We gave the scarf a little bath in cool water and wool-wash.

Phase 2: Pinning
miss ewe and I each pinned a side.


And here it is!


I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. And so was my MIL!

A couple of days/weeks later (time is but a blur to me - I was in end-of-term hell and have no idea when I was procrastinating by blocking lace), I decided to block another lace project, a scarf from Victorian Lace Today. I knit it was Zephyr Laceweight Wool-Silk in Mahogany from Fiddlesticks Knitting. I love this yarn. Love. It.

I had help with the blocking this time, too...


Dizzy wanted to give me a hand, but did not understand that he wasn't supposed to help by walking on the scarf!



We talked about it, and he decided he would be most helpful if he guarded the scarf instead.



Ella waited until everything was pinned before coming to inspect my work.

And here it is!