Adventures with Lace

I think I am hooked on lace! I have 4 projects on the go, and all of them are lacy. (This doesnt include the non-lacy projects I also have on the go, of which there are many. Oops.). I am not sure what it is about it. It requires more concentration that just straight knitting, since you have to follow charts do fancy things like yarn overs and knit 2 together etc etc, but of course the beauty of it is that individual stitches are easy, its just the way they are all put together that makes it look complicated. So you get to produce a really impressive piece of knitting without doing anything at all hard. Hurrah!

So, to list:
1. Creatures of the Reef Shawl intended for my Grandmother-in-law. I couldnt resist the little sea creatures and since she lives by the beach, I thought it appropriate. I am enjoying doing it, but it is a long project..I have almost finished the crab/seahorse section and am dying to get to the starfish! It is great fun to see the animals emerging, but they wont look truly ace until after blocking.
2. Lace Ribbon Shawl, a recent Ravelry favourite. I am using a sumptuous (ooo, dont get to use that word often) 2ply silk/cahsmere blend from Violet Green which makes me want to cry when I knit with it as its so soft. This one is going to be for me ;) The pattern was a pig at first when reading off the chart, but once I learned to read the knitting it became a lot of fun. Only started it a few days ago but loving it.
3. Started this morning the Isobel scarf from Cider Moon with the Debbie Bliss Cathay left over from my tank top thingy. Looking good so far. This one is for a sister-in-law. Not sure which one yet.
4. The Upstairs Shawl in another pant-wetter from Violet Green, this one a 2ply merino in a imaginatively named colourway, Squid Ink :) This one is for me too. So sue me.

And another thing I have discovered is that regular old circular needles are pretty pointless for lace. Literally. Their ends are too fat, and since you are overwhelmed with K2togs (knitting 2 stitches at once) with the old lace (thats what makes the holes!), or sometimes even K3tog, then pointy ends is what you need. So in steps Addi Lace Turbo needles...oh boy they are like knitting with butter. Well, not really but you know what I mean. They are pointy, and smooth (plated with something that looks like 24c gold, but probably isnt) and the join between the needle and cable is smoooooooooooooooooooooooth, so your stitches dont catch. I think I am in love.

Oh, and the other really great thing about lace is that a little yarn goes a long long way, so even though it might get a bit pricey, a whole 100g skein can make a huge shawl that takes you months to knit. Great value for money :)