Lacy Serpentine Stole [Scarf]
Pattern: HeartStrings Fiber Arts
Yarn: Schaeffer Anne, Little Mermaid colorway
Needles: Sz 4 vintage plastic circulars
Started: late May/early June 2006 Finished: January 27, 2007
Finished Size: approx. 15" x 60"
Mods: I used a cable cast on & off, added 2-4 repeats, and was short one knit row at the end of the border.
I found this yarn at a shop last February, and absolutely fell in love with it. It's sockweight yarn, but I didn't want to make socks with it, so I needed to find an adjustable pattern for a scarf/stole that could take advantage of the 560 yards. It has all my favorite colors in it, and will be a great accessory for a lot of my sweaters and tops.
The toughest part of this pattern is the cast-on. It requires 303 stitches, as it is knit horizontally instead of vertically. I can't tell you how many times I had to rip-out and re-cast on until I had the correct number of stitches! I tried to use a lifeline, but it was more of a frustration than a help, so I removed it half way through and kept my fingers crossed for no disasters.
The serpentine pattern can be memorized once you get past the beginning rows -- you can read the pattern and line up the stitches vertically, and not have to count for the "repeat 36 times across." If you look closely, you can see that the yarn did want to stripe and there are sections where the color patterns are repeated. Because it will be gathered around my neck, it isn't noticeable like it would be on a pair of socks. Using multicolored yarn for lace is a matter of personal preference. In most projects, I would use a solid color to show off the lace pattern. In this case, it was about the colored yarn, not the pattern, so it works for me.
Lastly, a blocking shot:
A big thank you to Jenn for hosting the "It's Not a Gift" KAL which was a great help in finishing this!
Charlie Update
Thank you SO much for your encouraging comments and emails about Charlie. It means a lot to me. He really scared us for a couple of days. Our vet is still trying to figure out the cause, but he did start eating again on Thursday, and seems to be getting back to his old self. He lost the weight he'd gained after the thyroid treatment, but he has a good appetite, and I'm hopeful he'll put it back on. Hearing him purr in our laps and sass us around the house again is such a relief.
Hollyarn & Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive
In the middle of Charlie's health scare, I saw a post on Rebekah's blog for a new pet charity KAL hosted by Holly of Hollyarns, in honor of her kitty Cyrano. She is collecting handknitted snuggle blankets, pet beds, and toys for cats and dogs, to benefit her local shelter. As Charlie was an adopted stray, I have to join. I found some pink yarn left over from the cat bed I knit last summer that will make a great snuggle blanket for a girl kitty in need of a home. If you are knitting from your stash or looking for a "car knitting" type of project, this would be a great one.
I hope everyone had a happy and restful weekend!
The shawl looks wonderful! :)
Posted by: Amy Artisan | January 28, 2007 at 09:29 PM
The Lacy Serpentine Stole is stunning! Congratulations! So happy to hear that Charlie has recovered his appetite and is back to his old self.
Posted by: Kristen | January 28, 2007 at 09:31 PM
Beautiful job!
Posted by: Donna | January 28, 2007 at 09:37 PM
Beautiful stole! Congratulations! Glad to hear about Charlie.
Posted by: Valerie | January 28, 2007 at 09:37 PM
The stole is just lovely!!! Nice work. So glad to hear that Charlie is doing well. It must be such a relief to see him getting back to his old self!
Posted by: Sheepish Annie | January 28, 2007 at 09:46 PM
You did a wonderful job on that stole!
Posted by: Sarah | January 28, 2007 at 09:51 PM
Your stole is beautiful! I really like the picture of you on the beach.
Posted by: Beth | January 28, 2007 at 10:21 PM
I have to agree that I like solid-colored lace better than variegated, but I do LOVE the colors in the shawl. PINK, blue, and lavender are so lovely together.
Happy to hear that Charlie is eating again!
Posted by: Laura | January 28, 2007 at 10:22 PM
I love your stole!! The variegated yarn makes it look even better I think. Glad Charlie is feeling better: It is such a worry when animal companions are unwell!!
Posted by: 2paw | January 28, 2007 at 10:23 PM
Your stole is beautiful! I'm glad your kitty is okay - I'll send some of my cat's extra weight his way!
Posted by: Kellie | January 28, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Beautiful shawl, and good news that Charlie is feeling better!
Posted by: Jane | January 28, 2007 at 11:15 PM
The stole looks great--I think in this case, the colors really work with the pattern.
Posted by: Meredith | January 28, 2007 at 11:45 PM
What a beautiful picture of your stole by the water! Enjoy it -- it's beautiful!
Posted by: Pam | January 29, 2007 at 01:04 AM
Looks beautiful on you! Fantastic job!
Glad Charlie is doing better.
Posted by: tiennie | January 29, 2007 at 01:26 AM
Your stole is breathtakingly perfect! How lovely.
I'm wishing Charlie back to good health, along with all the others.
Posted by: alice | January 29, 2007 at 06:41 AM
It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm all inspired... even with having all those stitches to cast on!!
Posted by: Cindy P | January 29, 2007 at 08:42 AM
Your shawl is beautiful. Congratulations on finishing it -- and of getting a great shot at the beach!
Posted by: sprite | January 29, 2007 at 12:11 PM
the stole is beautiful! and the beach shot is great!
Posted by: amanda | January 29, 2007 at 01:19 PM
Beautiful stole! I love the shot at the beach.
I'm so glad to hear Charlie is doing better; hopefully he'll be completely back to his old self real soon.
Posted by: Julie | January 29, 2007 at 04:17 PM
Pretty shawl! I hope you don't mind, but I'm using your close-up picture of the pattern as wallpaper on my computer. Thanks for the links to the charity drives for the shelters. Both of my kittehs are adoptees.
Posted by: Nancy | January 29, 2007 at 05:18 PM
So glad to hear Charlie's doing well! Thanks for the encouraging note on my blog - it helps. I'm in the middle of lace angst, so I'm hoping I've made a new friend in the nick of time!
Posted by: debsnm | January 29, 2007 at 05:30 PM
Gorgeous stole, I must say I normally don't like variegated yarns in lace, but this I really like. You have great stitch definition and the color changes go right in pattern.
Posted by: Rebekah | January 29, 2007 at 05:48 PM
Are you outdoors in the freezing cold without a coat modeling your stole?? You'll catch your death, young lady!
It IS a mighty lovely bit of lace, I must say. The minimal color pooling is too slight even to call it that. Beautiful colors.
Posted by: Rachel | January 29, 2007 at 06:31 PM
Wow, that's amazing! That's a really beautiful stole!
And I am really glad Charlie is eating again and doing better!
Posted by: hege | January 29, 2007 at 08:58 PM
The stole looks beautiful! And I'm glad Charlie is doing better.
Next step: checking out the charity drive...
Posted by: Erika | January 29, 2007 at 10:45 PM
The Serpentine Stole is beautiful!
I'm glad to hear Charlie is eating again. It is so scary when you can't get them to eat. Hope he continues to make progress.
Posted by: Sydney | January 29, 2007 at 11:36 PM
Beautiful! I have some Ann that would like to become a wrap, I think.
Glad to hear Charlie is on the mend. Poor Byron has these mysterious recurring lesions all over his back/body and I am going nuts trying to treat him. He's on a second course of antibiotics--fingers crossed.
Posted by: Greeley | January 30, 2007 at 09:33 AM
The stole is absolutely beautiful. I love the photo on the beach it just looks so floaty and soft. I think that the multicoloured yarn works perfectly with the pattern.
Posted by: kendra | January 30, 2007 at 03:42 PM
I'm commenting in here as I can't find an e-mail address for you. Regarding a post you made in another blog, Australia has very good roads through the central part of the country. To drive from my home in Melbourne, Victoria, to Darwin in the Northern Territory, you have to go through South Australia. Roads in Vic and SA country areas are fair, but once you are in NT, the quality of the roads is incredible, yet I have never seen works being done.....which we see all the time in all other states.
Posted by: Sue | January 30, 2007 at 05:35 PM
Oh your scarf came out just beautiful! It looks so soft and light in the picture!
I'm glad to hear Charlie is doing better! I'm sure he'll put the weight back on before long.
Posted by: Karen | January 30, 2007 at 06:29 PM
Utterly divine, worth the time and effort! I love the stitch pattern!
Posted by: Meg | January 30, 2007 at 07:50 PM
How beautiful! It looks so spring/summery with those colors. I'll definitely be adding that one to my list of possibilities for all the pretty sock yarn out there. Great find to show off the yarn!
Posted by: leslie | January 30, 2007 at 11:10 PM