Tuesday, March 17, 2009

... along came Ishbel


In the fall of 2005 I bought a beautiful skein of Fleece Artist merino "basic sock" yarn at the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters' Fair, and I've been saving it since then for the right project. It was just so pretty -- a semi-solid forest green. Too pretty for socks, even though Fleece Artist is a great sock yarn. Also, it was precious because it was from a previous generation of Fleece Artist sock yarn; a few months later, they changed suppliers (or something) and the sock yarn got a little fatter and a little softer. So once this skein was gone, my stash of F.A. v.1 would be gone, too.

And then, just a couple of months ago ... along came Ishbel.


A super-fast knit because it's half stockinette, Ishbel took me just a few evenings of TV-watching to finish. The pattern includes instructions for two sizes (as well as for sock yarn and laceweight); my version is a combination of the two. I'd planned to knit the small size, for more of a scarf, but when I'd finished the stockinette section I still had so much yarn left. I wanted to use as much of my pretty yarn as I could (what was I going to do with a quarter of it left over?), so I kept knitting. My stockinette section is from the large size, and then I went back to the small size for the lace portion. (I see on Ravelry that a lot of people have done this. It's certainly the way to get the most of your yarn.) Blocked, my Ishbel measures about 54 inches (137 cm) across the top, and about 23 inches (58 cm) at the deepest point (which isn't actually a point!). It's a great size -- not too big, but big enough to wrap solidly around my neck. And I have, literally, a handful of yarn left over. (So I'd estimate that it took ... about 320 meters?)


And with that, I'm going to disappear for a while. I need to be more focussed on my school work for the next little while, so I'm taking a break from both the Internet and knitting. Only e-mail and writing for the next month (?). We'll see how it goes, and I'll be back when I've got a good handle on my work. Enjoy the beginnings of spring! And thanks for all your nice comments on my recent FOs -- you're sweet. xo

27 comments:

T. said...

Good luck with the hiatus and school!

Natalie Servant said...

Mmm, lovely green & I've admired the pattern too.

Bertha said...

Oh, this came out gorgeous Alison! Good luck with your writing!

Anonymous said...

gorgeous shawl, as well as your other recently blogged FOs! Have a good, productive spell and I'll look forward to your return.

Jodi said...

Just gorgeous! I still need to block my Ishbel.

Good luck with the schoolwork. I'm giving myself full license to take time off through the end of spring break, then it's nose to the grindstone for me, too.

J. said...

Lovely shawl! Will miss you. Enjoy your break.

knithound brooklyn said...

the yarn suits that pattern well. Good luck with the writing.

Gudrun Johnston said...

Such a pretty green.....see you in a month! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

It's a lovely shawl. Well done!

Good luck with the school work. We'll be glad to see you when you can come back.

Unknown said...

Just beautiful!!! Great job!

jennifer.auroradesign said...

I'll miss you! Best of luck with your school work. When my husband was working on his dissertation I always knew he had hit a bad point in the writing when the apartment was really clean. He is a professor now. We both work at home. I'm downstairs on the north end of the house. He is upstairs on the south side. He confessed to me the other day that he installed software that enables him to "turn off" the internet/email for hours at a time so he can focus. Distractions are everywhere. I wish you the best.

Kate Linnea Welsh said...

It's lovely, and I hope your Internet break goes well!

Leslie said...

This is amazing! I could knit forever and never finish something so delicate and beautiful.

ingrid said...

Really, really pretty. This one's in my queue.

Kathleen Dames said...

Lovely! Thanks for adding to my urge to buy the Ishbel pattern. I'm going to have to go assess my Fleece Artist sock yarn stash now..

spajonas said...

wow! you have been on a roll lately! your past three FOs have been lovely :)

tmjackson said...

Absolutely beautiful! Good luck with school. We'll all be looking forward to your return!

Anonymous said...

Love Ishbel and I have 340 yards (300 metres) of ruby 2-ply silk blend, sort of between a lace and a fingering weight. Hmmmmm. Good luck with the work.

Knitting Linguist said...

It's gorgeous! This is definitely one I've thought about for some handspun, precisely because of the flexibility in size. Good luck getting your work done -- sometimes hibernation is the only way to go :)

La Cabeza Grande said...

I now hear "Ishbel" echoing in the halls of my knitting queue, with yours being a fine example of what to do with a special skein of yarn!

It is a beautiful note on which to take your leave, madam. All best.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is gorgeous, I love it!

Ali P said...

Hi other A,
I dropped by to see whats shakin' and was blown away...as usual.
Best of luck with the school stuffs. You're the Brainy one so I bet you'll do great at everything!
Cheers,
that other A

JustApril said...

oooooo purty =) Looks like a really fun knit and a very nice choice of yarn.

Thinks too much said...

Hi Ali. I check in here now and again and am SO deeply impressed that you're not blogging.

Unknown said...

Ishbel shawl is wonderful. Will keep you in my positive thoughts for your thesis. Where was this pattern published?? I'd like to see if I can buy a copy, any info would be appreciated. wyattd2@gmail.com
thanks, and good luck
Dorothy

alix/clo said...

love your blog, love this shawl, love your tatoo!Courage with your exam!

Anonymous said...

Hey, just wanted to say, I hope things are going well for you in life and that the thesis is responding to your efforts! Grad school is tough!