While parts of the UK have been wet, miserable, and sometimes snowy, as usual we've been having glorious weather.   We had planned to get some good walks in this weekend but unfortunately Lexie is poorly again, and so excietment in the form of walks has been kept to a minimum.



However, the lack of walking has meant that it has been a fairly productive weekend knitting wise.  I have made 2 pairs of socks on my knitting machine, but I can only show you one pair, as the first pair I made was with the April Club Yarn, and as that only went out in the post on Saturday I don't want to ruin the surprise for club members.  Suffice it to say I rather like it and I see more of the colourway in my future.  Here is the second pair I made today:



I know I've mentioned this before, but I have a real love/hate relationship with my knitting machine.  One sock worked perfectly, the second .... not so perfectly.  But I've patched it up and it will do me nicely.  The colourway is one from the Assynt Storms range, and is, therefore, a one off.  I've been asked when more of the Assynt Storms range will become available - well I hope to dye more this week.  The Assynt Storms range of colours was inspired by the incredible colours we get in the landscape during some of the more dramatic highland storms.  I think this colourway is a good example of this:



Another completed project this weekend is a lace shawl called "Berkanan Shawl", and designed by Anne-Lise Maigaard.   I finished the knitting just after returning from Edinburgh, but a stuffy head prevented me from blocking it.  Below is a sequence of photographs showing the steps you take when wet blocking knitwear:

 

[caption id="attachment_6230" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Pre-blocking it looks very crumpled and not very pretty. Note that it fits easily onto 2 squares.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6231" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A close up of the unblocked spine of the shawl.[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_6232" align="aligncenter" width="640"] First stage of blocking complete. I've pinned it out roughly. You can see it has already grown quite a bit compared to the unblocked version.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6233" align="aligncenter" width="640"] When blocking you can fiddle and faddle for hours trying to get it just so. Eventually you have to just stop fiddling, and leave it to dry.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6234" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Off the blocking squares and ready to wear![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6235" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A close up of the blocked spine of the shawl.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6236" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Final result? A pretty, delicate, lightweight silk shawl with beads.[/caption]

 

The yarn I used for this project was the 100% pure silk laceweight, in the Mulberry Delight colourway.  The pattern was so well written, and very easy to follow.  It probably isn't a lace pattern for a beginner to lace knitting, and it is charted only, but if you are able to read charts then you'll be fine.  Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern.

I have good news about postage prices, but that will keep until tomorrow.  In the meantime, with all the knitting going on in Ripples Crafts Towers, I've not had a chance to put up the postage prices yet, so if you were wanting to buy something at the old postage prices, do it now!