Diamonds & Lace

Spring has finally sprung in Maine!  The flowers are in bloom, the leaves are starting to grow, and there is a startling amount of green in my backyard!  We're still waiting for the temperature to rise a bit, but there are certainly some sunny days ahead!

So now is the time to put away the heavy worsted wool yarns and pull out the sock and lace-weight silks and cottons!  I can feel the shawls in my queue calling my name to turn the fine threads into frothy lace concoctions!  This impulse must have been growing for the last couple of months, too, because I've got quite a few lightweight finished projects to show you - ones that I've been quite naughty about sharing for a while now...

Firstly, the Arachne Cardigan:

This one is a sock-weight delight by Lien Ngo with diamond lace panels around the body and repeated on the cuffs.  It's mostly knit in once piece - the only seams are sewing the sleeve caps into the shoulders.  I do love a sweater with minimal finishing and the lace is simple enough to memorize easily, but just complicated enough to keep the sweater interesting.  An excellent knit!

For the yarn, I used KnitPicks's Capretta, their new(er) cashmere blend sock yarn.  While I wouldn't use it for socks, since it seems a bit on the delicate side, it is lovely for a light cardigan like this one and much warmer than I expected.  I would definitely use it again.

Next, the Mandy Cardigan:

Another sock-weight cardigan with a diamond lace panel, this time by Michellee Zaharis.

Here's the diamond panel:

This one I don't love as much, but I think that is simply due to the open front construction of the piece.  It simply flops open too much for my liking - great for weekend wear, but not so professional for the office.  I do love the little ruffle detail at the waist, though.  (You can kind of see it in my picture above).  Just enough emphasis drawn to the waist without overdoing it.

While I thoroughly enjoy a good top-down raglan sweater, this one was a bit of a slog with the wide front panels and the sock-weight gauge.  I probably wouldn't knit it again.  I will wear the heck out of it around the house though!

And lastly, the 100 Diamonds Shawl by Sachiko Uemura:

I loved knitting this.  It was so quick and so engaging!  I really need to knit lace more often!

Now the only bad thing about the weather getting warmer - fewer changes to show off my handiwork until fall! :(  Except here, of course, I just need to get better about taking photos in a timely fashion!

Enjoy the beautiful weather everyone and have a wonderful Memorial Day 

-Allie