Oh the joy. I bought lace. (online) I’ve never seen lace. When it arrived, i had to put my glasses on so that i could find it. (joking) I do love it… the colour reminds me of the blooms of Australia – the wattle, the many yellowey blooming trees, and it also reminds me of a fluffy new baby chicken.
First up, i handwound my lace skein. This took awhile, and i did complain. Second up, i assembled my new interchangable KnitPro bamboo needles (love them already). Third, i consulted my PATTERN. I am to cast on several hundred lace stitches and keep them from rolling and then join. No problem.
Problem. Oh my godfather. This stuff does like to roll. Imagine having several hundred little fluffy new yellow baby chicks , now imagine yourself lining them all up in a new row facing north. Well its just impossible.
Persisting onwards anyhow,, and hoping to myself several rows into it will get easier or sort itself out. Don’t you love it when things just sort themselves out? I’m a big believer in it –
{sooo… does anyone know an easy way to get rid of a twist (or two) once you’ve started? I’ll be your best friend…}
I’m reading some great novels.. last week i finished a short story book on South African tales by Doris Lessing. I also read Bite of the Mango, by Mariatu Kamara. Next up has been a series of tales of misfortune in the outback..which was quite reassuring me i do not want to go any further than i am now! My hubby is reading lots of book on ‘outback adventure’ and ‘4wheel driving’. His survival guide says an outback adventurer should firstly always expect and fear the worst. Check.
My Cria sweater now has one sleeve , a neckline, and three buttons ! It’s coming along…snail pace. Just in time for our 100degree weather.
I’ve waffled on enough i believe.. Linking up with ginny . See you there!
Oh angelina 
your description of the fluffy yellow laceweight wool makes me giggle. i don’t believe there is a way to fix it once you begin, if you are joining, but if not, it doesn’t matter. you can untwist as you reach each stitch. i like to place a marker every 100 stitches when casting on a large amount that way, helps tremendously. also, if your one or two short or over in the first or second row, don’t fret, just increase or decrease (at rows end) as needed and move on.
love your cria, it’s almost done. :)
i’ve not seen that doris lessing book, did you like it? i’m off to check your shawl pattern now.
xxx
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Posted by Lori | October 19, 2011, 6:40 amAh, the joys of joining in the round. I tend to knit one row without joining, which seems to make it slightly easier – I guess because it rolls less? Then it’s just a matter of closing the one stitch gap once I finish.
Nice going on your Cria, mine hasn’t moved forward in weeks!
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Posted by Natalie | October 19, 2011, 8:29 amSo jealous of your needles! I bought a skein of 2 ply meriono when I was preggies…meaning to knit some baby singlets. I got so frustrated with it knotting while I was winding it into a ball…I may have given up (sigh) Should really hunt that out, was totally beautiful yarn.
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Posted by Angela McEntee | October 19, 2011, 9:34 amLace should be perfect for all those extra hot days coming your way -make the holes big.
Love the colour and your description of those hundreds of stitches refusing to come into line for you.
Pretty Cria. Enjoy
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Posted by mistea | October 19, 2011, 9:49 amLove the colour and the fluffiness of the wool you’re using. Followed your link to Ravelry. I really should resist. Is it just me or does everyone else find themselves clicking around Ravelry and looking at patterns that they never thought of searching for. Time sure flies! Looking forward to seeing scarf. Also noting Natalie’s tip about the first line. I guess that you could use scrap yarn for the first row or two and then pull it out.
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Posted by Cheryl | October 19, 2011, 10:19 amLOVE Malabrigo lace! I’m so sorry you have a twist. I don’t think I’ve ever knit anything that big in the round, but Yarn Harlot says you can’t undo a twist, and if she says it, it must be the gospel truth. You’ll have to start over, and I totally agree with using stitch markers every 50 or hundred stitches. Makes it so much easier to keep track, at least while casting on. Then you can remove them since there’s no pattern to keep track of. Good luck!
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Posted by Sara | October 19, 2011, 10:31 amI love the yellow yarn…we do have a chick that colour at the moment! Good luck with the lace, looks fiddly, but I bet it’ll be worth it x
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Posted by Carly | October 19, 2011, 10:54 amAargh at the twist! I think I would have given up already before even casting on all those stitches. Love your description of the yarn – I just love soft, fluffy, lacy yarns, well until I actually start to knit with them lol.
xx
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Posted by Becks | October 19, 2011, 11:06 amDon’t start over! If you are on the first round (or maybe two) you can just roll the knitting over the needle to get the stitches all facing the right direction, then continue on. It won’t be perfect, but especially with such fine yarn you’ll never notice the little kink. Unless the mere memory if it not being “right” will make you crazy, I wouldn’t start over.
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Posted by ericaceae | October 19, 2011, 11:30 amThe colour is so beautiful! Yellow is my favourite colour:) Looking forward to seeing it once it is finished:)
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Posted by linda dawkins | October 19, 2011, 2:34 pmThe little chicks remark so perfectly fits – what a great analogy! Good thing you hand wound the yarn – it would have been a mess done with a swift. I also like that tablecloth? With the black & white print of flowers & the word ‘garden’. Is that fabric or something else?
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Posted by Ellen | October 19, 2011, 2:58 pmYeah, I have no clue how to hand wind a skein of yarn…good for you. I tried once with some beautiful green sock yarn I bought one time…and it became an utter disaster to which I just through away half of it :-) Your books look great too!
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Posted by Heather | October 19, 2011, 4:53 pmOMG.. patience & persistence – you’re going to need oodles of that! Good luck with it, it looks fab so far!
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Posted by Rie | October 20, 2011, 11:23 pmhey angie, what is wattle?
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Posted by eric | October 22, 2011, 9:51 amhi deary. loving the sweater. drop me a line. missing you. xoxo
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Posted by Molly | October 23, 2011, 12:19 am