May 3, 2009

More Felting, Pretty Beads

The felted basket needed companions, and I needed some (more) near instant gratification. Why not try a felted box? I used U.S. #10.5 dpns and the magic loop cast on and sort of improvised as I went along, knitting outward from the center bottom (increasing 8 sts every other rnd, there that looks big enough!), purling 2 rnds, then stockinette stitching with a purl stitch at each corner until the sides looked tall enough. Cast off last night, then into the washing machine this morning while I wait for the coffee to brew.




The knitting looks pretty well felted after 10 or 15 minutes, although I see the stitches show up a bit more in the photo than to my naked eye. The box is blocked over a food storage container and right now is about 6" square and 2" tall. I might decide to felt it just a bit more, I don't know yet. Now that I've a felted basket and a box, I think the set needs one more box, or maybe a bowl. Whichever one I chose, I think I'll try a couple of rows of garter stitch around the edge before binding off.



Back a few posts, I mentioned wanting to try lace knitting and listed a few of the patterns I was considering. The Shipwreck Shawl was one of the patterns; it caught my eye in part because of the beads. I haven't yet knit with beads and I want to give it a try. So a few weeks ago I ordered some beads from Shipwreck Beads. Pretty, sparkly beads. Some for beaded socks, some for beaded shawls. Not sure of the patterns yet, but here are the pretty beads.








I completed the second pattern repeat of the Muir shawl, only 11 more to go. I think I'm getting better at this, mostly because I've sworn off trying to watch T.V. while working on it. :-) The multi-colored Tencel sort of obscures the lace pattern, breaks it up visually; its not that I don't like it, but I don't love it either. Maybe blocking will change how I feel, depending on how the Tencel blocks out. Or, maybe instead of a shawl, this will become a window treatment. For some reason that's how I keep seeing it in my head... There is a narrow window in my bedroom that might be just right for this...

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