Waxing Nostalgic Over a Lace Panel

I love knitting with friends.  For me, that means online knitalongs.  It keeps a solitary hobby from being too solitary and allows for the best part of group knitting- the conversation.  Lots of my knitting friends have been wowing me with their Morning Mists in the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL, so I had to cast one on in the final week.  This time I’m going to be taking part in the Morning Mist KAL hosted by This.Bird.Knits

This is an enjoyable little piece of knitting.  Want proof?  I have messed it up, only to be discovered when about halfway through, three times and I haven’t gotten angry once.  Well, I did; but not more than once.  One of these photos is not like the others. Can you spot the mistakes?  Probably not, but the middle picture is the correct one.  Sheesh.

I didn’t mind the re-knitting because it was fun and puzzle-like lace.  My mistakes were due to the splitty nature of the Lindy Chain I’m working with.  I’d get a ways through the project, see where part of a strand hadn’t been knit into a loop, then get lost in the pattern as I tried to fix it.  This happened over and over again.  But, I don’t really see how a chainette yarn, in fingering weight, could be any different.  I think it will be worth the headache, since it feels light and smooth and the lace isn’t a very big part of the pattern.  I just need some needles with lace-knitting tips.

Maybe I’ll add that to the never-ending Christmas list… right up there with the rest of the pyrex nesting bowls I wanted, that sweater’s worth of indie dyed yarn… a kayak… a nice range hood…

(more on ravelry, kollabora, instagram, and flickr)

So, pretty isn’t it.  This rectangular panel will be the top of the back of this tee by Annie Rowden.   Annie is such a sweetie.  I first “met” her through the Very Shannon group on Ravelry.  I believe it was in a KAL last summer that she and some other ravelers encouraged me as I pondered my, then  nineteen year old, daughter’s engagement.  I was receiving some negativity for allowing her to marry at the age of 20 and this great group of knitters bolstered my confidence.  (Another post, entirely)  So, knitting her pattern is extra special for me.

When she released Morning Mist, I saw that I had some fingering weight Lindy Chain in plum, that I could use, leaving me only one skein to buy in a contrasting color.  The pattern is written for dk weight, but I’m getting gauge with this fingering, and I don’t mind if it creates a slightly airy fabric.

I’m halfway through the lace and very excited to start the body.  Check out the other tees in the Morning Mist KAL  here.  There’s also #MorningMistKAL on instagram.

Also, the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL has wrapped up and it’s project page, with both finished and in-process knits, is here.

I swear, sometimes I look back on knit along projects pages from the past and it’s like looking through a yearbook.  I’ve met so many wonderful people there and remember lots of great conversations we’ve had.  Then there are all the skills I have picked up along the way, like knitting continental.  They’ll always be associated with that knitting group in my mind.  I wonder if Shannon, Annie, and the other group hosts, realize just how wonderful a space they are providing for people like me.  Ah, it must be an emotional night.  Well, I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend.