Irtfa'a update

Ok, seriously people, this is getting insane. I thought that I'd have enough yarn to add a few extra repeats of the small feather pattern charts. So I did.
Then last night I'm sitting there, staring at my yarn and what I've knitted up thinking, "I could totally knit more small feathers and still have PLENTY of yarn for the rest of the shawl." But I was wise and instead of just continuing on my merry way, I decided to weigh out the yarn and the knitted product so far on a gram scale.

I looked up what the yarn weighed when it came to me (200g).

Then I weighed the knitted up product so far (85g)

Then I weighted the yarn I still have left to knit (115g)

We'll just ignore the fact that the needles added some weight to the knitted product because as we all know actual knit up yarn weighs less than its un-knit counterpart. ( I know, some physics violations here, but it's just true. Accept it and move on. I have.)

85 + 115 = 200

This means that I still have OVER HALF the yarn left. I could probably knit another 20 repeats of the small feathers and then drape a blanket around me on the deck (instead of my desired gorgeous shawl).

Rather than react in an irrational manner, I've decided to block part of the pattern out and see what dimensions I'm getting. Then I'll decide how to move forward. Seriously. Nuts.

SERIOUSLY!!

If you haven't been to this new yarn shop that I'm obsessing over you need to get over there before I buy up all the lace-weight!

Me? A test knitter?!

So, not too much has changed from the previous post.

I'm still chugging away on the small feather repeats of the Irtfa'a shawl, still enjoying it very much! It's finally starting to look like it's getting bigger... I should probably think about taking it off the needles and blocking part of it to see what kind of stretch I can get out of the pattern. Then I'll know more about if I need to add some repeats to get the size I want.

I've been working very diligently on that green sock I use to calm my nerves during traffic jams.

I've also cast on for Nancy Bush's Laila's socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia. I did that just last night because I've really been craving some more colorwork and at the same time wishing that I had more socks. I know I haven't finished the other pair but maybe I'll be able to finish these because the colorwork will keep me going? The only thing is I wasn't really pleased with the color choices I had in my stash... we'll see if I end up purchasing extra yarn for these guys....

But the real reason I'm posting is because I am going to be a test knitter for a new yarn-dyer out there! Shivaya Naturals. She does all natural dyeing and the yarns look delicious! I already bought a skein of Alpaca lace in Iris before seeing on Ravelry that she's looking for test knitters for ALL of her yarns! I quickly emailed her and we discussed my test knitting for both spun silk and tussah silk! I'm quite excited, but a little nervous too because she wants an honest opinion and I've never been in a position to tell a person how I feel about their products. But, there's a first time for everything and I've been wanting to test knit for patterns and yarns for a while now. She's asked that I post pictures of the yarns as they're being knit so that should be some good pressure to get a few more posts on the blog! Good news for everybody, I guess. :D