First half edging

I've nearly finished the edging on the first half of the stole. I usually use a dpn for knitted-on edging, but this is working just fine with the other end of the circular. On row 4 there's always one stitch that gives me fits with the P2togTBL. It's a stitch over a yo and gets pulled too tight every single time. But I'm learning to anticipate it. I'm anxious to start the second half. I have to admit that I'm enjoying the "resting rows" in this pattern. I can get into a nice rhythm of focusing on the pattern and then doing a quick back row, focusing again, etc. I didn't realize how much I like the Addi lace needles till I was working on another project with lace-weight mohair and a regular Addi. I miss the tapered points.

Simurgh is just the beginning

I discovered with the Beefields shawl that the stole makes a nice warm-up for the triangle shawl. In that case I started with the triangle and then picked up the stole midway through. I liked getting comfortable with the motifs without having to worry about the shifts on either side for the triangle increase. With the raven shawls, I decided to start with the stole (Simurgh) and then move to the shawl, which Anne is calling Irtfa'a. I ordered the yarn for both at the same time, and both patterns were out by the time I got the yarn.

On the needles

I had planned to post a picture shortly after I got Simurgh on the needles but one row led to another and before I knew it I had the large feather pattern and half the small feather pattern on the first half of the stole. I used a crochet chain cast on and I read somewhere that cotton thread is the best choice for the waste yarn. I heartily concur. No chance of it splitting and it's easy to see the bumps on the back side.

The yarn I'm using is Geisha from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (kid mohair, mulberry silk and a bit of nylon in a fingering weight). The color is showing up more than the black in this photo. No pictures of this yarn do it justice. The sheen, the drape and the incredible softness can't be captured. It is pure delight to work with. I'm using Addi Turbo lace needles, US 4.

Welcome to My Midwinter Madness

As I was putting projects into my Ravelry profile (EditKnitBook), I realized that most of what I currently have on needles right now comes from Knitspot. Lace knitting is my drug of choice, and Anne has designed some amazing shawls in the past year, as well as socks, mitts and other luscious patterns.

I'm finishing up a tiny Casino Shawl for a Christmas gift, but my real motivation is to clear off the needle so I can cast on Simurgh. The bees are hibernating till spring. January and February belong to the ravens.

Several years ago I worked in the science and nature section of one of our local bookstores and discovered two books by Bernd Heinrich, Mind of the Raven and the earlier Ravens in Winter. I pulled them off my shelf again when I got the patterns and the yarn for the raven shawls. Ravens in Winter explores the intriguing behavior of ordinarily solitary ravens sharing food with one another during the winter. It seemed like a good image for a knitalong.

If you'd like to join me in my midwinter exploration of all things raven, send an email to editknitbook_at_mac_dot_com. I'm not as familiar with blogspot as I am with WordPress, so I'm learning as I go.