And the winner is…
And Chelsea gets an honorable mention with her follow-up quote – Georgie loved that! Presumed Innocent (who knew it was that easy!) is one of our favorite movies. It’s one of those we watch every time it’s on. (Funny how Harrison Ford is in a lot of those movies. Go figure!) Georgie can be heard exclaiming “What a colossal blunder!” and “It was dem dat fucked up!” all the time. Seriously. It’s right up there with “met-a-mor-PHO-sis” and “Immobiliare” (Extra, EXTRA special prize to anyone who can come up with the first one – you will never get it. The second one you might get – but the first – no way.)
Jackie – send me your snail mail and give me a week or two! Congratulations!
So I basically can identify every Flower Basket Shawl on the Internet – because I’ve seen them all – twice. I’m still unsure as to which yarn I want to use and after the great dress debacle yesterday (to be fair I wasn’t wearing a baseball cap or sweat socks – but I did look like shit. I figured that was enough.)
My problem is I want it to be sturdy – not light and airy. And I want the color to be BRIGHT – not subdued. So I’m leaning towards a cotton – like maybe Cotton Fleece or Cotton Fine – weigh in on this people! Tell me what you know. Teresa used Cotton Fine and said it had – wait let me get the technical term – “loopy thingies” hanging off the twist. Was this an anomaly? Or a feature of the yarn?
[Okay – so I just mentioned cotton to Cassie, and while it was through email, I swear to god her head spun around like a top! Go see her CONTEST. There’s still time to be wool-obsessed. Cassie – I love you!]
I’m also thinking about going naked and wrapping myself in an Alchemy Yarns Bamboo FBS. Since I can’t find a dress and a shawl made from this stuff will cost as much as a dress. But will it block?
And there’s still the Euroflax Linen. Although, honestly, I don’t care how soft you people say it gets, it’s kitchen string to start and I don’t know if I can knit that. I’m a very tactile knitter. If I don’t like the yarn – forget it!
I tried, I really tried to cast on with the Zephyr. In the end, I’m figuring I could probably get it to work for me, but that’s not the end product I want. I’m not a light, airy kind of person.
Besides killing my self with Zephyr yesterday, I knit nothing. I may try to cast on again for the short row front, or I may just stick with sock knitting today.
I’m going to see The Fantasticks tonight. The way I’m feeling these days, it better be FUCKING fantastic. 😉
My head definitely spun around. All of this pro-wool exertion is wearing me out.
Mmm, bamboo. Don’t think that you could go wrong with that one.
First of all, I LOVELOVELOVE the Fantasticks. The show is a little strange, but the music is so wonderful. Soon it’s gonna rain…
And, Cotton Fine is a GREAT yarn for the FBS, in my opinion. It’s definitely not flimsy, but it still shows the lace pattern really well. I highly recommend it. and this is one of my first real lace patterns too.
I’ve only used a few of the possible yarns you mentioned, but thought I’d weigh in on the cotton yarns I’ve dabbled with. Cotton Fleece is nice – it’s easier on my hands then other cottons I’ve used, and it had some block-ability in it. They are available in almost every color imaginable, and if you’re looking for a solid color this is a nice (cheaper then some other yarns) alternative. It isn’t light and airy and will produce a fairly sturdy shawl.
I’ve used Reynolds saucy too – it’s available in two weights (one is sport, the other like a worsted) and it’s easier on my hands then some, and has a bit of a sheen (due to being mercerized). I liked how the finished product worked out, and have thought about using this for a shawl (please pardon me while I run and hide so others can scoff at using such a utilitarian yarn for a beautiful thing such as FBS……)
(and there’s always wool! I’m using cascade 220 for my first one because I love the way it drapes and the colors are fabulous. Plus, up here it’s cold (more often then not) and I want it to be warm enough!)
Hmmm, what about SW Trading company’s Soy Silk? I love that yarn.
I also love that picture and am stumped by your movie quotes. We’ll be thinking on it over the weekend!!
I want to be the person sitting in all that green! How about Koigu? It is finger weight but not light and airy. Charlotte has lots of color (5 colors of Koigu) and still has substance. It works up beautifully and quickly. Check out Pattern Works or Threadbear. Let me know if you want some help (not sure what I can do but I will do anything I can).
Two more possibilities for the FBS (or is it LL) — Elsebeth Lavold silky wool or Blue Sky Alpaca alpaca and silk – very soft. I’d like to be under that umbrella!
I also had all kinds of fbs angst about picking a yarn. I’m currently on repeat #7 and am using KnitPicks shimmer in flower garden colorway. While the yarn doesn’t really meet your “sturdiness” requirement (though it could be doubled easily) it definately meets the “colorful” quota. It looks like a lovely strawberry parfait. Plus the yarn is quite inexpensive – $4.99 per hank. Fbs is also my first lace project and the varigation in color seems to be helping obscure any horrible inconsistencies in my knitting without losing the basket-esq qualities of the lace pattern.
Good luck picking yarn and I look foward to seeing your completed fbs!
Sara
I used Cotton Fine for the Branching Out scarf I made. I liked the yarn very much. I’ve got some in my stash from SP2 last year, and I’m saving it for something special.
I just got http://www.knitpixie.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=818 in the mail today and it is gorgeous. Only the one color though, white white white. It’s lace weight so I am not sure when I will tackle it. We’ll see.
Hey, Cara, the Threadbear guys are putting all their Alchemy on 50% sale, so maybe you could get the Bamboo! I think I’m gonna try the FBS in a doubled cashmere, but I dunno. This Summer of Lace thing sure is opening up a world of (too many!) possibilities ~
Is that picture taken in the NJBG? So beautiful there — and so is your picture! I hope you enjoyed the Fantasticks; I used to listen to the soundtrack over and over, back in the days of records. 🙂
bamboo sounds good…or something interesting from habu textiles. hope you’ve enjoyed the show!
great photograph you’ve got there, lady.
OH!! Yay me – thanks for the great contest Cara! My addy is in an email.
For FBS – how about a rowan cotton? Handknit DK or ASC maybe, or one of the new cottons they carry? Or what about the Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere?
I have a very small start of an FBS using Elsbeth Lavold’s Silky Wool, one strand, and I like it. (Someday I’ll get back to it.) Hm, maybe I’ll bring that with me, too.
I think that the Bamboo sounds wonderful for it. I have been meaning to try that yarn for awhile.
Love that pic with all of the green–I want to sit out there too 🙂
Have a good weekend, dear C!
Whoa, Maggi, thanks for that tip!
Mine is in Fleece Artist Lady Godiva, which is 50/50 silk/wool, sport/fingering weight. It’s making a nice substantial shawl that’s not too warm. Fleece Artist can be a little hard to find in the US, but it’s a far sight more affordable than Alchemy (at least full price alchemy).
I think if it were me, I’d go for a 100% silk in fingering or light sport weight. But that’s me. A cotton shawl isn’t really my bag.
Gorgeous picture, and I hope the Fantasticks lived up to the name…
Hang in there, baby. I’m sorry things are so rough right now. ((((((big hug from small blogger)))))
After reading Norma’s post and heading over to poke around at Kaleidoscope Yarns, I came across their FBS kit. They’re using Stork, a 100% Egyptian cotton from Dale of Norway.
I’m using EL’s Silky Wool on the Branching Out scarf and will be making an FBS with it in the fall (gift). It’s a great yarn, but I don’t think it comes in bright colors.
Cassie’s aversion to cotton needs to be exorcised. Perhaps the head-spinning is another sign.
One more thing…..Stephanie’s FBS is made of Silk Chai, and it is heavier. Did you see it in person? It’s gorgeous. The only thing is, I tried looking around for that yarn and it doesn’t seem to be around anymore…or maybe I didn’t look hard enough. Ask Steph.
Re: Norma’s comment, the Silk Chai is still available, but only from Art Fibers… the link is: http://www.artfibers.com/YARN/catalog/new_wave_2/Chai/chai.html
Chai is the variegated colorway; they also have single colors (although kinda spacedyed – they call it “shaded solid”) of the same silk that is called Siam here: http://www.artfibers.com/YARN/catalog/new_wave_2/Siam/siam.html
Having done most of a sweater in Chai, I strongly recommend it, too – it’s a fabulous yarn to work with and incredibly soft. I also have some Bamboo in the stash to play with!
And to close the longest comment EVER, I have to guess that “Immobiliare” is from The Godfather Part III.