The Beginning .....

Last Friday night I officially started the Secret of the Stole III. The designer of the pattern is DK, the Nautical Knitter. The group is now closed, but if you like what you see, the pattern will be available for purchase once the KAL (knit-a-long) is complete. Every Friday for nine weeks there is a new "hint" released. The first "hint" was 64 rows long but so far I have only finished up to row 40. I guess I'm one of the slower ones since "hint" 2 was released yesterday and some knitters have already finished through row 134!










The first mistake I made was on row 27 and of course the last lifeline I put in was at row 20. So, I ripped out those seven rows. I started again the next night and worked my way back up to the same spot. Of course, I made another mistake on Row 27 and had to rip everything back for the second time. I'm not too worried about being behind. This is my first lace project and I just want my stole to come out looking good. Besides, this means that other people will find any mistakes in the pattern before I get there :)

I'm still plugging away at my Silk Shrug. I know it seems like I've been working on this forever, but I only have about two inches of the fringe left before it's done. I should get lots of knitting/stitching things done over the Labor Day weekend since I'll be at the race track for the Spec Miata Festival. I know my primary duty is pit crew, but I can usually squeeze in a couple of hours here and there!

Secret of the Stole III

I'm probably in way over my head, but I have gone ahead and signed up for the Secret of the Stole III KAL by DK the Nautical Knitter. This project is a mystery so I'm not sure what the final design will look like until the final "clue" is released in about nine weeks. I'm sure I can find someone who will love it if it's not my style.

Here are just a few reasons why I'm crazy:

A) I've never knit lace before
B) I've never used laceweight yarn before
C) This is NOT a small project that will merely get my feet wet
D) I already have too many projects on the needles
E) I have at least two projects that I need to finish before Christmas that I haven't really started yet

Despite all these reasons, I've managed to complete the gauge swatch with only a little bit of trouble. I had to rip back once near the end because I forgot a yarn-over. I had thought I was doing so good and then I realized my count was off by one stitch!

I'm using Malabrigo Lace in pink frost. I don't see this color on their website so I'm not sure if it's still being made or if it's discontinued. I have three skeins of this yarn that I got at the Needlecraft Cottage in San Diego when I was on vacation two months ago. Being a fan of both needlework and knitting/crocheting, I have to say that it's one of the best shops I've ever been in because it has both :)


I took a close up of the swatch so that you can see the two different colors of beads that I've been trying to decide between, the light amethyst with rainbow finish or crystal silver lined. I actually think they both look pretty good with the yarn. The amethyst beads are a nice complementary color that give a subtle effect while the crystal beads give it a little more bling bling. I've opted for the amethyst since I'm not much of a bling bling girl. I think they'll give me all the sparkle I need.

The first "clue" for the mystery came out today and I think I'll cast-on tomorrow. My chances of making mistakes increase exponentially after 11PM. Goodnight everyone!