First Lace Project

For the past week, I have been happily knitting along my 1st lace project - the Swallowtail Shawl - the 1st few rows were hard going as I was doing what I used to do - knit & watch TV & it was one of my favorites - Grey's Anatomy. There was no way I could keep track of my yo, k2tog, psso, ssk - it was a mess & I had to rip it all out & after the 3rd attempt & after Grey's - I managed to get the rhythm going - once I achieved that, the next few nights were smooth sailing (oops knitting) & here it is (after 10 repeats of the pattern) .....

Not a very clear picture as the yarn is a deep red (Cherries) - it's a 4ply merino & I am using 4.5mm needles. Maybe this will be clearer .....

I really enjoy knitting this shawl as the pattern repeats are easy to remember & the yarn is soft & lovely (love the color!) but what makes it really great is that I am now knitting with my new Knit Picks needles which Helen kindly delivered personally yesterday. The needles are so..... smooth & the ends are slim & sharp (great for psso). I started the shawl on Clover bamboo circulars & it was a bit hard going as the yarn was not sliding smoothly on the bamboo.

I have heard so much about these needles & now I really understand why everyone is singing praises about them. They are as smooth as the Addis but Knit Pick ends are slimmer & sharper. Take a look & the needles & cords come in a handy case ......

Now that I have the right equipment & lace knitting is quite fun (I heard that blocking is the magic event in the grand finale) & Victorian Lace is on the way..... I will be knitting more lace in the future. But I do miss my sock knitting .... maybe .... lace & socks could be a nice combination !