FO: Gail Shawl

This is a shawl that had been on my knit list for the longest time. I wanted to make this every since the pattern was released in September 2008 but I had a hard time trying to understand this pattern. I had trouble understanding the chart written by the designer. This is a free pattern so I don't complain about anything. The designer is already generous enough to provide fellow knitters with a free pattern. It's my job to figure out how to read the charts. So it annoys me when people complain about the charts not being properly written. 

I had a hard time understanding the chart because of the double yarn over in the middle. I always thought I was making a mistake as it didn't seem to line up properly with the chart. But once I talked to my friend and found help from fellow raveler, I decided to start making this shawl. It didn't take long to finish it, probably took me around a week to finish it. Once I got through the first repeat, it wasn't hard at all. There are more complicated patterns out there that required more time to make!  

The double yarn over at the base of each leaf. Different from other shawls I've made before. Most of the ones I made before all had increases in the center panal creating a straight line of increases. This shawl was a shawl made for my aunt as I promised to make her a full size shawl.

The shawl is only made up of branching out leaves as its motif. Simple yet elegant. I do love this pattern but there are other patterns that I want to make first. If I ever make this again it will probably be a last minute gift to friends and family.

The yarn used was Rowan Pure Wool 4 ply. It was yarn I received from my fellow ravelry yarn swap. It's a 100% wool fingering weight yarn. It's not a color I will ever wear so it's good for making shawls to give away! The yarn itself is very warm and it's great for cold winter nights for keeping you warm. It also felt soft enough I will purchase again in another colorway.

Pattern: Gail Shawl

Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool 4 Ply

Yardage: 696 yards

Needle: 4.5mm

Birthday Haul

It's always nice to treat yourself to a shopping spree. When I go shopping with my friends I always get home empty-handed, so I prefer shopping on my own. That's when I can actually buy things I love. I've always been in love with Jo Malone products, nothing is better than buying something you love on your birthday.

I originally planned on going to Holts to pick up Vintage Gardenia and Blackberry and Bay. I didn't realize they discontinued Vintage Gardenia until today. So I picked up the red rose diffuser instead. 

$85 for a diffuser is very expensive. But my last one lasted over half a year so I guess I can justify my purchase. It is an artificial fragrance, not like Neom Organics where they are essential oil. I find that Jo Malone makes the best rose fragrance in the market, it smells divine. It doesn't have the overwhelmingly fake rose smell like other brands. This one smells much more natural. I don't have the retail sizes of this perfume but I do have two 9ml bottles of the red rose cologne. 

Blackberry and Bay cologne is the newest cologne from Jo Malone. This is one of their fruity colognes. You can smell the blackberry and grapefruit. I like it but I don't like it enough to get the full size. I doubt that I can finish the full size. I find it being one of the less fruity colognes available. It's not overly sweet like Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne and Pomegranate Noir cologne. I normally use it alone or pair it with English Pear and Freesia. 

I also got myself a set of new interchangeable needles. This is my 6th set of interchangeable needles. Second set of Addi. You can never have too many knitting needles. Extra needles are always useful. You never know when you need to start a new project! It's the same old boring needle case. This time in brown not black. But it's still a boring color. Why can't they make the case in different colors?

This is the set with the shorter needle tips. They are 3" long compared to the 5" long regular tips. 

A trip to the yarn store is not complete without buying new yarn. Yarn is always the hardest thing to resist so I try my best not to step foot into any yarn store. Michaels doesn't count, they don't have yarn I like. I only go to Michaels for notions and tools. If I go to Michaels for yarn, it's probably for projects for people I don't love that much. 

So this time I came home with three kinds of yarn. 5 skeins of the diamond brand luxury collection Baby Alpaca sport. Don't let the "sport" fool you thinking it's a sport weight yarn, it's actually a bulky yarn between worsted weight and bulky. For a bulky yarn they shouldn't put sport on it. It's very misleading if you didn't look at the yarn before buying.  They retail at $14.99 per skein not cheap but it felt so soft. Just couldn't put it down. I'll be using it for a scarf for my boyfriend. I didn't expect my boyfriend to ask for a new scarf!!! 

Next are the two skeins of ruffle yarns from Rowan from the kidsilk creation line. I actually have a few balls of ruffle yarn I need to use up. I bought them before the ruffle scarves became so popular. They've been in my stash for three years now. But all the ones I have at home are made of nylon, not something I prefer. I know Rowan came out with this yarn sometime last year, Kidsilk Creation consists of 70% mohair and 30% silk, that's the best you can get for ruffle yarn. It feels soft and luxurious but at $25 a skein it's not something I'll get. As I already made something similar just with a different brand of yarn. But with the Kidsilk  Creation being 50% off, I got two skeins. One will be for knitting, the other will be used for crocheting.  

   

rowan magazine 50

 I finally received my subscription copy of the Rowan magazine. With the post office just finished going on strike, I'm surprised I get it this quickly. There are still mail from June that aren't here yet. What makes this issue special, this is the 50th issue of the Rowan magazine and as the 50th issue since publication, subscribers get the limited hardcover version of the magazine. I have to admit I love hardcover books. They are more durable than paperbacks. And this is better than the silly reusable knitting bag rowan gave out last year. The bag was worse than my sobeys reusable shopping bag, totally not worth the subscription value. The book they later gave out, winter kids. Seriously? A kids pattern book? Does it look like every single knitter have kids? It's just not useful for everybody. I still prefer receiving yarn plus a pattern. Even if I don't like the pattern, I still get to try out new yarn. I know I don't get to choose the color of the yarn but it's still better than receiving patterns you don't like. I can swap yarn with other knitters. 

Rowan 50 in hardcover. 

cabled cape jacket and mitts that appeared in the alternate paperback cover. I like both of them. I'll probably make the mitts as presents for my friends. I'll probably make it for my friend that is leaving for Luxembourg in August for a year.  

cabled cape jacket. I really want to start making it even though what I should really be working on is my assignment that is due on Thursday. It requires 17 skeins of Rowan felted tweed aran for the smallest size. I checked my stash and I don't have that much yarn in aran weight so I'm thinking of getting new yarn for this project. Biggest dilemma i'm facing right now is what kind of yarn should I use, tweed or regular yarn and what color should I use. If I'm using tweed should I use Rowan or other brands. If i use Rowan, the cost can easily come out to over 200 canadian. If I choose other brands, cost will be less. Should I go the cheap way and get cascade yarn instead. If i do the cheap cascade way, it will be 8 dollars a skein and I only need 8 skeins of cascade 220 wool and it will come out to less than 70 bucks for the jacket. I should make a trip to romni this saturday to look at the yarns and make my decision or I might order some yarn from knitpicks. Never ordered anything from them before. There is always a first time for everything. 

one of the more feminine designs in the book, reminds me of some of Kim Hargreaves's designs.  I'll make it if I have yarn and time on hand.