Ripping out is hard to do...

About 70% into the knitting of the 'supervisor shawl' from my 'Wendy Knits Lace' book (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiffany-triangle-shawl) I realized I had to rip it out. I had knitted a lot of it in airplanes, didn't quite bother with paying too much attention to the pattern and when the stitch count had not matched I just 'knitted through' by adding or reducing stitches. It looked OK but my supervisors did more than just OK with me and its important to follow patterns. I mean, if I'm committed to learning how to knit lace I have to face the fact that I will have to rip out hours of work, right?

So I ripped it out, rolled the lovely hand dyed purple Merino wool and started again... hopefully, more careful knitting and stopping when I'm tired (and adding 'life lines' after finishing sections deemed 'OK') will help me learn to do better

:S

The shawl

So on my way to Granada I decided I needed a project. I mean, it was a long trip (took more than 12 to come from Bergen, thanks to awful weather and delays)... so I needed something to do. I didn't have any sock-weight wool, but I did have the lovely lace-weight Merino I got for my supervisor's graduation present. So I started the shawl. It all went fine until I found myself having more than 80 sts and being tired and just too bullheaded to stop and rest. I continued and made a lot of mistakes. I am now almost done with it but think it might not be good enough to give to my supervisor. I might keep it to throw on a chair or to wear and try to make it again. Sigh

At least I got some fly time and now I know more and better!

My mom's scarf

My mom likes to call me her 'little spider', because she says that every time she turns around I'm just knitting. That might be true. When I was at home this January, she asked me to make her something. Guatemala City is not a place where you can a lot of knitted things, so I decided to make her my first lace scarf. It didn't come out perfect, but I am proud of having done that project. Just like with the shawl I'm making now, I have to learn to be more careful when counting stitches, and have to just learn to rip out what doesn't come out right instead of just 'knitting through'. It really messes with the pattern. Any way... here are two pictures. One of my  mom wearing the scarf and a close up of my mistakes, so that I remember not to make them anymore! :)

Finally some pictures!

So I am finally more or less settled in Granada. I came here to spend two months with my supervisors, who are currently on sabbatical in this lovely town in the south of Spain. This is a picture of the fingerless gloves I made for my friend Lisa (as a thank you present for hosting us in Philly this January). I'm very proud of the gloves and when she got them she gave me a lovely compliment: they look store bought! to a beginner lace knitter, that is something alright!