points

A while ago, I made a beautiful purple shawl (a couple photos in this post). I've been wearing it a lot as a scarf, just kind of bunched up (which doesn't show off the lace well, but it's warm, if a touch scratchy). I've been thinking, pretty much from when I first blocked the shawl, that I should have blocked it so there were double the number of points - but when I looked at the photos provided with the pattern, only the points below the hearts (though they look like tulips to me) were pointy. So that's how I blocked it. However, it really looked to me like there was enough fabric to bring down intermediate points as well.

Since the shawl has been getting used, and the lace was starting to collapse, I decided to reblock it. I threaded some cotton yarn through the straight edge and all the places where I thought points should be, washed it, and pinned it out. It looks much better this way.

In the last few weeks, I've finished a couple pairs of socks (one started in the US, one pair started here), almost finished a third pair, and made a lovely scarf.

Seaweed socks.  The texture is actually pretty cool, but it doesn't show well in this colour. 

Pyramid socks.  I love how the pattern shows up depending on how the light hits them.

Pleated scarf.  This is knit in a lovely merino wool/silk blend, and is warm, soft, and has such lovely colours.

One advantage to having a boyfriend whose feet are almost the same size as me is that I can make the socks slightly large for me, and have them fit both of us.  Of course, he's probably unlikely to wear fun-coloured, lacy socks, but plainer, darker socks can be worn by both.  I'm also starting to look at things like scarf patterns with an eye to being relatively gender-neutral.  I think I've more or less succeeded with the pleated scarf.  The pleats are pretty cool, because it's based on the way the knit and purl stitches line up, and the illusion of pleats appears - it's not in fact, actually folded or pleated.  Very nifty.  Just enough of a lace pattern to keep me interested while knitting it as well :)