Tag Archive | little church knits

Marcelle Wrap: Done

I finally finished the Marcelle Wrap yesterday! Bound off in the morning, wove in ends, and blocked it last night. It’s currently pinned out and drying.

Grace is included in this photo for scale. It came out rather large, which was a surprise since I couldn’t get a sense of size when it was all bunched up on the needles.

I know I struggled a bit making this shawl, all faults of my own, but now that it’s done I’m delighted with it. It’s one of those projects where I can look back at it in pride that I was able to make something like this.

The pattern is the Marcelle Wrap by Little Church Knits. It’s well-written, a good shawl for an advanced beginner like me. My only comment is to buy extra yarn! Yarn is KnitPicks Palette in Oyster Heather and Rainforest Heather. I ended up using approximately 2.5 balls of the main color and 1.5 of the contrast color. No idea what I’ll do with the leftover bits but right now I’m tired of the colors and they can just go to the back of the stash.

I also finished the hat I was test knitting, so it’s drying and then I’ll do photos etc. I really should be knitting all weekend, because my knitting time is about to get cut drastically: my job search is over! I got an offer on Wednesday, accepted it Thursday morning, and I start this coming Tuesday. Yep, that’s extremely fast, faster than I originally wanted, but it couldn’t be helped. I’m going to be an administrative assistant at a medical research institute, and I’ll be supporting two new scientists. The first is moving his lab in on the 11th, and they wanted me to at least be partially trained before he arrived. The second arrives in early August, so I’ll get to ease in a bit before she arrives. I’m really excited but also terrified. Intellectually, I know I’ll be able to do the job just fine…but still, it’s new and different, and that’s always a little scary too. So you probably won’t hear from me quite as often, at least while I get settled in, but I’ll do my best.

For now, I must run and sweep the floors. We’re having a birthday party here today: my “baby” is 13 now! Yep, I have two teenagers in the house. Thank you, your sympathies are much appreciated.

U.S. friends, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Peek-a-Boo Bay Shawl

Jun24

Yes, I did cast on a new shawl yesterday, a new shawl in gorgeous bright rainbow yarn, and it was absolutely the right decision. I’m in love with it and don’t want to knit anything else right now. I think it’s just the right combination of color and pattern for me.

The pattern is Peek-a-Boo Bay Shawl, one of the fantastic Free Pattern Friday gifts from Little Church Knits. Yep, same person who did the Marcelle Wrap! I’m using Manos Del Uruguay Alegria for the main color, and I managed to cast on with the right size needle this time. The size 6s are giving it a delightful loose gauge, perfect for this warm-weather shawl. I will need another color for some stripes near the end, but I wanted to knit it for a while to see the colors before I decide. Right now I’m leaning toward the bright yellow-green, though the blue is a close second. This will probably be my weekend project, and the calendar’s pretty empty, so don’t be completely shocked if I have a finished shawl by Monday!

The Green Stripe

May20

Back to the Marcelle Wrap I went yesterday, forcing myself through those last few stockinette rows with the cream. I confess, I was a bit bored with it. It was growing nicely, and the pattern was easy enough to do while I watched TV, but I kept thinking of more colorful yarns and more intricate patterns. The puppies were crazy, so I sat outside with them and knit and knit and knit.

THEN! Finally, after 49 rows, I was up to 309 stitches and ready to start the stripes, and the forest green made its appearance!

Suddenly it was interesting again, even though I’m still just doing the plain stockinette. I speed through the cream to get to the green again, and now I’m trying to speed through the stripes so I can get to the lace section! Woohoo! I am a bit worried I’ll run out of the cream color and have to order more, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

If you missed it before, this pattern is from Little Church Knits, who kindly offers Free Pattern Fridays. You can see all her designs here on Ravelry, or follow her blog here. This Marcelle Wrap is one of four free shawl patterns and I want to make all of them!

Back to the knitting now, to see if I can make to the lace today! Happy Friday, friends!