Just in Time for Fall.... A Crochet Rainbow of Fussy Lace.
It was super sunny and nice outside the other day, it wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too windy or chilly, so me and Bender went outside for a little bit to take pictures for an upcoming blog post (I'd rather let you see the dirt in my dusty yard and my dusty Dog than the dust in my house, lol). I know pictures outside can be a pain, and not always great, but hey, I got to spend time outside with Bender being my Peanut Gallery.
I finally finished my Noro Lace Shawl, using the Eva's Shawl pattern by Milobo.
I'm glad it's finally over. Not because I don't like working with lace, or because of the pattern, I really like Lace (even though I'm horrible at crocheting lace), and the pattern is wonderfully relaxing (you can pick up anywhere, good on the go/travel project). It was the YARN that made this project agonizing.
The yarn is Noro Sekku, and as much as I love love love Noro yarn's with their rustic texture and amazing color changes, this yarn was just plain headache-inducing. This yarn sticks, terrible. Before working with it, I started a swatch directly from the ball (if you have patience, the Noro skein can be pulled from the center), but it would stick and tangle onto itself. So, I gently wound it into a center pull ball using my swift & winder, but alas, this yarn still stuck together!
My crochet gauge is so dependent on the available loose yarn between my work and the skein, I find that if I don't have enough slack, my stitches get super tight. This yarn would tangle on itself if you pulled a foot out of the center. I even tried a suggestion of putting it in a resealable plastic bag, and throwing it in the freezer for a couple hours (this tip kills the static on really "Farm Fresh" wools, or fine alpaca yarns). No Go.
In the end, I have a ton of trash-talking to do about the yarn for my shawl, but I have to say two good things:
1. It's very pretty, and it's a nice, heavy lace weight, which is always a plus. It's easy to get frustrated with lace weight and cobweb yarn, but this has enough mass to it that your project will bloom nicely, and progress goes quickly.
2. It's Noro, Noro projects, if you're dedicated, always result in something Beautiful. I now have a small, light-weight yet durable shawl I can take with me, plus it has a nice flowing black-charcoal, and a brown in it, so it will both match and totally not match everything in my closet.
If this yarn weren't such a pain, I'd make some doilies out of it. I have a feeling those doilies would be an amazing luxury to add to my home decor.
Noro seems to have fixed this issue with their new Kirameki yarn, so the next project I have that I think would work with Noro, I might try Kirameki instead.
I added a lace border using some random leftover Lavender Cotton thread, which coordinated nicely (cotton composition, and color), but was a little too bulky. I might not do that next time. I also added some unique detail to the corners.
(Apparently, Ben likes to Yawn in Disgust at appropriate moments)
I finally finished my Noro Lace Shawl, using the Eva's Shawl pattern by Milobo.
I'm glad it's finally over. Not because I don't like working with lace, or because of the pattern, I really like Lace (even though I'm horrible at crocheting lace), and the pattern is wonderfully relaxing (you can pick up anywhere, good on the go/travel project). It was the YARN that made this project agonizing.
The yarn is Noro Sekku, and as much as I love love love Noro yarn's with their rustic texture and amazing color changes, this yarn was just plain headache-inducing. This yarn sticks, terrible. Before working with it, I started a swatch directly from the ball (if you have patience, the Noro skein can be pulled from the center), but it would stick and tangle onto itself. So, I gently wound it into a center pull ball using my swift & winder, but alas, this yarn still stuck together!
My crochet gauge is so dependent on the available loose yarn between my work and the skein, I find that if I don't have enough slack, my stitches get super tight. This yarn would tangle on itself if you pulled a foot out of the center. I even tried a suggestion of putting it in a resealable plastic bag, and throwing it in the freezer for a couple hours (this tip kills the static on really "Farm Fresh" wools, or fine alpaca yarns). No Go.
In the end, I have a ton of trash-talking to do about the yarn for my shawl, but I have to say two good things:
1. It's very pretty, and it's a nice, heavy lace weight, which is always a plus. It's easy to get frustrated with lace weight and cobweb yarn, but this has enough mass to it that your project will bloom nicely, and progress goes quickly.
(Yes, that is Bender's Water Bowl in the picture with an elegant lace shawl. Thanks)
2. It's Noro, Noro projects, if you're dedicated, always result in something Beautiful. I now have a small, light-weight yet durable shawl I can take with me, plus it has a nice flowing black-charcoal, and a brown in it, so it will both match and totally not match everything in my closet.
If this yarn weren't such a pain, I'd make some doilies out of it. I have a feeling those doilies would be an amazing luxury to add to my home decor.
Noro seems to have fixed this issue with their new Kirameki yarn, so the next project I have that I think would work with Noro, I might try Kirameki instead.
After spending a half hour being good, Bender Oak promptly picked up a stick, ran around the tree, and then encouraged me to stop taking pictures of lace and Girlie stuff. I asked him to please put down the stick, and the negotiations began...
Well, I spent the rest of the afternoon playing and scratching, so I'll post more about what I was taking pictures of later.
Enjoy a stick out of the yard and some Belly Scratches.
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