Favorites!

I've spent the past few days finishing the baby blanket for baby Jack. Making sure everything is just right, and on my breaks I've been sitting on Ravelry. Something about that site just sucks me in for hours. So I got to thinking, is it the same for everyone else? My favorite thing to do is look at gorgeous patterns and yarns and see what other people have done with them. My favorite projects to drool over are definitely lace shawls/shawlettes.


Here are a few of my favorites...

1. Clara Sofia's Laminaria This was the first lace shawl I saw that made me think "fashion accessory" and not "grandma". If you check out her flickr/ravelry, she has a ton of other gorgeous projects as well.

2. tma's Icarus Shawl (or c l i c k, as it is the same shade as her favorite Lancome eyeshadow, also one of my favorite shades). I fell in love with this instantly. The color is absolutely perfect and I love that she improvised and did stockinette, then followed the pattern for the edging. It works wonderfully with the yarn. I considered making a copy-cat of it, but for the life of me I cannot find the same shade of Fino. I guess it just isn't meant to be. Nevertheless, I can still look at it adoringly.

3. strose629's Emily Dickinson What can I even say about this shawl that she hasn't already said in the description on ravelry? "An ethereal knitting experience ~ exactly like knitting with cobwebs and dewdrops!" That is exactly what I was reminded of when I saw the picture. I was never a fan of lace/bead combinations, but this has won me over.

4. inezzz's Laminaria I love that it matches her Rose Red hat. I am such a huge fan of this color green and of Laminaria's.

5. kariebookish's Ceramium (Laminaria) What can I say? I find a pattern I love and find these absolutely gorgeous projects. I love that she named it after red seaweed. The yarn looks so squishy and soft. I wish I could knit with it, too. One of my absolute favorites.

6. nasseknit's Laminaria Ok, I get it, you're sick of  seeing Laminaria's by now, but c'mon! They are gorgeous. I want to make one in every single color/yarn combination I can. I'm usually attracted to deeply saturated colors, but this grey laminaria drew me in. Maybe it's because it looks so soft and fuzzy? I don't know, but I do know that I wouldn't mind knitting a hundred of these up.

7. jessibee's Ishbel I love the depth of colors in this Amethyst colorway of Handmaiden Fine Yarn Casbah Sock. The subtle variations of purple are gorgeous, from the blue violets to the reddish purples. I may not be the most girly-girl in the world, but my heart definitely has a soft spot for purple.

8. napkinpoem's Laminaria This is the last Laminaria, I promise. I couldn't pass this one up, though. It was exactly this photo that made me buy two more hanks of Vineyard Heather from Knit Picks.  This perfect plum hue is among my favorite of colors. I am waiting to free up some of my needles, but I think this may be my next "just for me" project.

9. klippity's Swallowtail This reminds me of the ocean, which in turn reminds me of my hometown, 10 minutes away from the water. I love the closeup photo of the lace pattern when blocked. It looks so crisp and perfect, though she notes: "I probably would not use Smooshy again for a shawl because it hasn’t held the block very well. It still looks good but has lost much of the initial crispness of the points rather quickly." Either way, I still love this shawl.

10. Sarastus' Springtime Bandit When I first saw this pattern, I was just getting over the whole idea of shawls being "old lady-ish" and finally thinking they were gorgeous when done just right. I fell in love with the pattern, but still being pretty new to knitting, I gave up on it after a few frustrations with the pattern. The pattern is written well, I was just trying to rush to be perfect at something and got upset. I look back on it now and am glad I didn't make it just then. I had planned on making a plain grey one, just like in the original pattern but now that I've seen all the gorgeous colors other people have used, I can't imagine how bored I would have been with the plain grey.

What I've come to notice about my favorite ravelry projects is that I lovelovelove deeply saturated colors and squishy, soft looking yarns. What is a common theme in your favorite projects? I'd love to know.

xoxo