Category Archives: Shawls

I Found The Sixth Color

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It took some serious brain effort and I tossed my whole stash (via Ravelry) to find my options of white and grey yarn. My Mini Solutions Scarf needs a sixth color and I’m determined! I finally stumbled upon my Naked Hippo mini skein from Lolodidit. I had planned this for heels/toes/cuffs on socks but it’s a relatively solid grey and very very close to my last gradient color. Now it’s shawl yarn!

It was the best option I had without buying new yarn so I just went with it. I’ve gotten it attached and working up. It’s very subtlety different from the adjacent color but not to shabby.

I did have to work this addition of the sixth color twice because in my haste I added the last color without adding the eyelet row. Doh! I painstakingly tinked back to the fifth color and re-knit the eyelet row. Darn near perfect now! I just need to work up this color for a bit and then do the bind off and I’ll sitting pretty with a new scarf!!

Happy Knitting!!

Close But Not Quite Right

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I went stashdiving in my yarn and sadly did not come up with good white/tonal solutions for the sixth color of my Mini Solutions Scarf. On the right is the solid Cascade sock in white. And on the left is some Hue Loco Opal Sock in Cherry Blossum. They both are lovely but just not quite right.

The Opal Sock is nice tonal creamy white but has some subtle pinks and greens mixed in. Not to mention it is 50/50 silk merino and has a lovely sheen to it. That silk will stick out like a sore thumb against the more matte wool of my gradient set. Sigh…back to the drawing board.

I think I need to cull my stash for grey options again….

Happy knitting!!

The Fifth Color

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As promised last week in my whiny mom post. Here is my Mini Solutions Scarf in all it’s stretched out glory. I have added the fifth and final color from the Treasure Goddess  Super Toes Cashmere MCN gradient set in the Blackbeard’s Revenge colors.

As I initially thought I knew my gradient pack wouldn’t get it big enough for my liking. So I’m going to need a 6th coordinating color to add to this. I had initially pulled a solid white cascade sock yarn back when I kitted up this project. But this gradient set is too beautifully variegated/tonal to just slap on a commercially made solid color at the end.

I need to go stash diving to see what else is living in my yarn bins to see what grey tonal/speckle options I have. And I need to do this quick as I’m about to run out of yarn and I really don’t want to stop knitting this project!

Happy Knitting!!

I Just Can’t Be Trusted

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I was minding my own business in my office at work and I looked over at my coat and shawl and saw……a hole!! I just fixed a hole in another shawl last month! What am I doing to my knitwear? I obviously cannot be trusted!

After some careful sleuthing, I don’t think this is a broken yarn kind of issue. I could not find any ends. Just a dangling loop, which means a dropped stitch that has been hanging around since I finished and blocked this thing in 2016. I just so happened to have some EXACT MATCHING YARN BASE AND COLOR left from one of the section of my Mini Solutions Scarf so I snipped a bit off to fix my Old Man of Storr. I used a crochet hook and fixed it to match the pattern to the best of my ability and then used the scrap yarn to tack it down on the wrong side.

It’s clearly not perfect and the pattern did get interrupted. But it doesn’t look bad if I do say so myself! No one will notice going by on a galloping horse so I’m calling it a job well done. That stitch shouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I’m paranoid now…should I be checking all my shawls??

Happy Knitting!!

Cashmere Addiction

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Hi, my name is Rachelle and I have a cashmere addition. My Mini Solutions Scarf has consumed all of my knitting time because I just can’t quit it! It’s gloriously soft and squishy and requires zero complicated brain waves. It’s my comfort object and I can’t wait to wear it!

I’m already in color four of my five color gradient set. The stripes are getting thinner and thinner as I add more stitches. I did pull some solid white when I was originally planning this project but I can’t decide if this project will need it? This yarn is gloriously variegated and I don’t know if a solid will throw off the vibe. I really want this to wrap nicely around my neck without constant adjustment. What do you guys think?

I guess I could always knit a few row of white and see what I think? A little tinking never hurt anyone right? Maybe I will see how big this scarf/shawl is after color number 5…hmmmm

Happy Knitting!!

Beer and Knitting

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Sometimes life really kicks you right in the knitting balls, am I right?! It’s busy season at work as I’m an accountant and we are in the throes of audit season. And then I have two tiny humans at home who seem to be hellbent on giving me grey hair. These are the days I really need my knitting (and alcohol in moderation).

Last night I had a perfectly poured frosty beer and my Mini Solutions Scarf. I’m all the way into color three and working up to where I need color four. I’ve said it before but I really can’t put this project down!

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My brain was so overloaded that I just sat and knit listening to the fire crackle. No music, no TV, no podcasts….just silence in the wake of chaos. It was glorious for all of 42 minutes until someone needed something. Oh well…there’s always tonight!

Happy Knitting!

I Heart Gradients

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You guys, I’m addicted to this gradient. I finished up the first color of my Mini Solutions Scarf on Tuesday and added in the second color. The color change rows are just genius and make the perfect transitions where it’s perfectly half and half for the yarn overs.

The gradient set is very well done and the color shift is subtle but yet still noticeable. And the cashmere content makes my fingers happy. The pattern is in my brain and only once in awhile do I make a mistake. But garter stitch is very forgiving in that way.

I really should be giving my Charlotte Winter, bright socks or dad’s socks some love. But I can’t put this scarf/shawl thing down. It’s calling MY NAME!

Happy Knitting!!

Mom Paradise

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Jellybean had a sleepover at a friends house this past weekend and PB went down for a morning nap. The dishes were done and laundry was not taking over the laundry room. So I decided to take a moment for myself. I had coffee, knitting and a knitting podcast playing. My Mini Solutions Scarf was just the right amount of soothing garter stitch for a slow knitting moment.

I managed to make good progress on the first color section before PB woke up. And then at bedtime I worked through the rest of the first color. I’m ready to wind up the next mini skein and work the color change row. Working with the Treasure Goddess MCN set is just SOOOO luxurious.

I may or may have fallen asleep with my knitting in my lap right after this photo was taken. I spent too long looking at the fire dance and exhaustion took over. Oh well, I guess there are worse places to catch 40 winks!

Happy Knitting

(Re) Cast On: Mini Solutions Scarf

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Next up on my breast pumping/lunch project rotation is my Mini Solutions Scarf. You can remember here that I misread the pattern and had to rip out the whole Christmas Eve cast on progress. So this past week I decided to get back in the saddle.

This little wedge is one 45 minute lunch worth’s of progress. And its WAAAY better looking than my first attempt. And how cute is this subtlety tonal yarn?? Or is variegated? I really stink at deciphering….nonetheless its pretty!

Now I’m cruising through all soothing garter stitch until I run out the first mini ball of yarn. This super tired working momma sure loves her some garter stitch. It keeps my hands busy and my brain pleasantly calm.

Happy Knitting!!

That Niggling Feeling

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I’d like to think I’m a pretty good knitter. But mom brain and sleep deprivation on are real things. I cast on my Christmas Eve cast on and merrily knit along. Isn’t the yarn pretty?

I had this niggling feeling that this shawl was turning into a funny shape. It was getting very wide very fast. But I kept knitting anyway trying to see if I could finish the first mini. Well I stopped and actually re-read the pattern. I missed ONE SMALL TINY DIRECTION for the end of the right side row. One solitary K2tog that makes a HUGE difference.

So this whole tiny shawl is headed to the frog pond. The yarn is cashmere based so I don’t mind working again with it. And Jellybean really really likes helping me frog things. He thinks its soooo cool to watch the stitches come out. I just feel like a little silly for not being able to follow what is super simple directions. Oh well, at least I listened to my inner knitter before this go to much farther!

Happy Knitting!!