Two Scarves

In between doilies, I have been knitting scarves. Benefits: using up stash yarn, good travel projects, good knitting-while-yakking projects, and gifts.

The one to the right is the Cat's Eye Scarf from "A Fine Fleece" by Lisa Lloyd. It's knit from Haneke Select 75 percent merino, 25 percent alpaca, 460 yards, on US6 (4mm) needles. The finished size is 8.5 inches by 63 inches.

The scarf below is Off-set Diamonds from Caryll Designs. The yarn is Baruffa Maratona, two skeins from a thrift store. Knit on US7 needles. Finished size is 6.25 inches by 57.5 inches.

Boise Lace Knitting Retreat

One of the great pleasures of the Boise Lace Knitting Retreat is seeing lovely work from so many talented knitters. This year was no different. Learning from the work of others is as important as the learning that takes place in the official classes. Below are only a few of the many stunning pieces.

Plenty of hand-dyed yarn was for sale, providing no end of temptation.

A group of Idaho artists also was meeting at the facility during our retreat. One was a talented beader, whose work earned many ooohs and aaaahs. She might even have persuaded a few knitters to add beading to their repertoires.

Doily with Spiral

I gave myself a break from the teeny-tiny thread for a doily in size 30. This is Doily with Spiral, a free pattern from Nurhanne's site.

Details:

• Thread: Cebelia size 30, approximately 210 yards
• Needles: 2.0mm for the first five rounds, 2.25mm for the remainder; I find that starting in a smaller needle size helps make for a tighter center
• Finished size: approximately 16 inches in diameter

This is a fairly easy pattern to knit, even though it isn't charted, with a stunning result.

I'm off to Boise, Idaho, next week for Myrna Stahman's lace knitting retreat. This is my fifth (I think) year to attend. I always come home with a head full of good ideas and new techniques. A whole week of lace knitting — what a luxury!