colorwork and entrelac

I haven't posted about any knitting in a while. I should be getting ready for bed, but sleep has been a bit elusive and my dreams have been a bit restless (but that's another story for another day).

I made these fingerless gloves for my friend Katy's birthday (which was in February):

It was my first real attempt at colorwork knitting. Next on my list to tackle is a fair isle pattern, but I have another project to finish first. I could maybe claim that I designed the pattern myself, because I took my basic 4-needle mitten pattern and some graph paper to chart out this basic diamond colorwork pattern that I put together after staring at pictures on the internets. What would I do without the internets? I was at one point going to write up the pattern and post it, but I never got around to it. If anyone really wanted it, I might post it eventually.

Then, I made this entrelac baby blanket for one of the ladies in my small group:

It turned out much bigger than I had expected. Turns out 17 blocks of entrelac in each row is a lot. But it was still reasonable baby-sized, I suppose. My baby blankets keep getting bigger. I think the one I made for Kristina's baby was about 20x20 inches, the one for Keith and Heather's little one was maybe 30x20 inches, and this one was closer to 48x36 inches. Approximately. I didn't actually measure, since I finished edging and weaving in loose ends rather late the night before the baby shower. Actually, I never measured any of the baby blankets I've made. I don't quite see the point of measuring blankets- it's not like it has to fit anything. If it looks big enough, it must be big enough. And if it doesn't look big enough- well, hopefully they're like Kristina, who used it as a car seat blanket. :)

This project was my first real project with entrelac. I started then unraveled an entrelac scarf, mostly because with worsted weight wool yarn in dark purple and off white, it just looked... dowdy. (I actually used that yarn to make Katy's mittens- much better use of the yarn, I think). But I'll have to do better with the bind-off. Or just cast-on more loosely. Because (though the pictures hide this nicely) the bind-off edge was much looser than the cast-on edge, so the blanket isn't exactly rectangular. Que sera, sera. I just did a simple double crochet edging, one round in each color. I find I much prefer crochet for edging blankets, just because it's much easier to handle. And possibly faster, though I can't say for sure. But I'll have to do entrelac again. I think in the right colors and the right weight of yarn it would make a really lovely shawl.

But, for anyone who's interested, that blanket was an 8 stitch entrelac pattern, with 136 stitches cast on, worked for 23 tiers (including the bottom and top triangles). Baby weight acrylic yarn in pink and cream, size 6 needles. I can write out a more detailed pattern but it'll take up space. Again, if anyone wanted it I can pass it on. (It hardly counts as a pattern in some sense- just keep doing the entrelac until it's done.)

I really want to make a nice lace shawl. Only (1) I can't quite pick a color, (2) I have to either buy the right yarn online or go to the local yarn store (not Micheal's or JoAnn's) and the only time I can make it to the yarn store is on Saturdays, and (3) I have another project I must finish in the next month or so. I'm really a one-at-a-time kind of knitter. Maybe two, and that's only if I have a "stay at home because it's big and cumbersome" project and a "take it on the train" project. But I'm rambling.

And finally, not knitting but not really baking either: lemon curd vol au vents. I had the shells in the freezer from... umm... September? Baked puff pastry doesn't keep well, but it's ok.

Lemon curd recipe was from the joy of baking. I liked this recipe (though it's the first lemon curd recipe I've tried) because it only used whole eggs. I get tired of using only egg whites or only egg yolks. I like to be efficient with my baking, and I like to not have leftover pieces. At any rate, lemon curd is marvelous. And easy. It does hit the spot, but it's a different kind of spot than my typical chocolate craving. This would make a lovely tart filling, or even cake filling. With fresh berries, and whipped cream! I have a "strawberry shortcake" recipe that involves lemon curd folded into the whipped cream that sounds fantastic. The downside is that I don't think the assembled desserts would keep very long, and I'm all for the dessert I can make and keep in the fridge for two weeks without being left with a stale, soggy mess. This is part of the reason I love tiramisu- it gets better the longer it sits.