I am dedicating this page to my “What to Knit Next” project. I will update the project’s status here. Here is a photo of the yarn mentioned in Episode 1: 500+ two-ply yards of a merino-silk blend that deserves a worthy knitting project!
Thank you to everyone who made suggestions on what knitting project I should knit with this lace weight yarn. The winning idea: Angelique, by Corrine Walcher. How could I resist a shawl with a peacock tail edging?
As I cast on (2/5/2019), I realized my biggest challenge with knitting. It demands ALL my concentration. I cannot chit-chat. I can barely even listen, nod and say “mmmhmmm” at the appropriate times in a conversation. TV or movies? Forget it. Basically, if I am knitting, all other activity stops. (Sometimes even breathing, when I drop a stitch!) As a result, progress on this shawl will probably be slow. But whenever it happens, I will update this page.
Progress, not perfection! Onward!
Speaking of imperfect, here is my lumpy gauge swatch. My gauge was way off from the pattern recommendations, but I consulted with Corrine who said that gauge primarily impacts how much yarn the pattern uses rather than fit or drape. WHEW!
Updated 3/1/2019: I have cast on (ok, twice) and am making slow steady progress knitting the shawl. And when I say “slow”, I mean SLOW. I am probably knitting two rows a week, tops, because I find so little time when I can concentrate completely on knitting. At this rate, I may be done in time for this fall’s Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival!
Update 5/30/2019: Very slow progress has been interrupted by World Wide Knit in Public Day. I cannot take this precious project out in public. I would completely botch everything because it takes 100% of my concentration. I started a separate knitting WIP so I wouldn’t risk anything happening (aka me screwing up) my Angelique.
Update 7/22/2019: Progress has been interrupted by participation in Tour de Fleece 2019. Any free time for fiber has been going to spinning projects. (You can see my Tour de Fleece updates here and here.) During one of the team’s “rest” days, I squeezed in another few rows on Angelique.
A friend suggested I try reading the chart instead of the written directions, since that really helped her get the hang of knitting lace. I’m going to experiment with that for row 21. Stay tuned!
