Charmayne

Charmayne

Charmayne, as you can see, is a heavily beaded shawl.  The free pattern comes from “Knitty” and you can find it HERE:  http://knitty.com/ISSUEss18/PATTcharmayne/PATTcharmayne.php

The pattern instructions specify you can make a small or a larger version of the shawl; I made the small version based upon the amount of yarn I had.  My skein of yarn was 100 grams; I had 15 grams remaining after finishing the shawl.  The yarn I used is hand dyed and comes from Andromeda Sock Yarn.  The yarn’s maker is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and she sells yarn on line and also at my LYS (Yarned & Dangerous, Canon City, Colorado).  The yarn’s color way is “Take a Hike”.

Some completed projects are easier to photograph than others.  I feel as if this was a challenging project to capture in photos.  I am including a bunch of photos so you can see the shawl from a variety of angles.  

If you are interested to know, I think I used about 50 grams of beads in this project.  The beads are Unions 6/0 Miyuki beads and the color is Metallic Mix (01610).  When I started the project, I only had one tube of beads (20 grams).  As I was knitting along, it occurred to me that I did not have nearly enough beads.  After searching for a good long while, I found two more tubes of the same beads on eBay.  Phew... what a relief!

This was a super fun knit. The shawl starts with just a few stitches and grows from there.  As you knit along and the project grows wider and wider, you are pretty much just working in stockinette and then you pay close attention to one edge of the project where the lace and beads are being worked.  At the very end, when the project is quite wide, you complete the final lace border which contains gobs of beads.  I have to admit I was dreading the lace border. I was worried it would be fussy and slow and too labor intensive.  As it turns out, the lace border was not that slow and it was fun.  This is such an enjoyable knit that I can see myself making another Charmayne shawl.

Miss Winkle

Miss Winkle

I'm a huge fan of patterns/designs by Martina Behm.  This is her design called "Miss Winkle". If you are a fan of the television show called "The Big Bang Theory", the name might be familiar to you. Yes! This design is named after the character Leslie Winkle played by Sara Gilbert. This is what Martina Behm has to say about this design.

One of my favorite sitcoms is "The Big Bang Theory“.  In one episode, nerdy physicist Leonard dates his colleague Leslie Winkle and they have a fierce argument about which version of  quantum Mechanics is correct – String Theory or Loop Quantum Gravity. When Leonard declares that he prefers his space “stringy, not loopy“, that’s a dealbreaker for Leslie (”How will we raise the children?“).  This is very loopy shawlette is here to celebrate Miss Winkle, women scientists and all women who know what they want and don’t let any man talk them out of it!

My Miss Winkle is knit in "Tosh Merino Light" by Madelintosh. The color way is called "Electric Rainbow" and the fiber content is dreamy, squishy, soft 100 percent Merino Wool.

I am sure I will knit this design again in the future!  I love it.

The photo above and below show the project while it was drying. I soaked the item in water for a bit and then squeezed out the excess water. Then I stretched it out on a large bath towel and allowed it to dry.  These are not the greatest photos but it allows you to see the shawl's unique shape a bit better.