Monday, September 28, 2009

198 Yards of Lima

218 yards of Lima
I am what you might call a bit of a Rowan floozy. A one-woman gold rush waiting to happen where it is concerned, I will do my own version of a run on the banks if it means more Rowan. Case in point: the Felted Tweed Aran frenzy of last month & the newly acquired Cocoon for the Heather Hoodie (ding! ding! told you I was self-involved). Feel free to make any champagne-taste-on-a-beer-budget comments you like, I am fully aware of the road to bankruptcy that Rowan can induce.
218 yards of Lima
Lima is brand new and holy mackerel is it awesome. It has the chainette construction of the dearly departed Rowan Cork but doesn't have that hollow feel that Cork sometimes had. It is 84% alpaca with some merino and nylon thrown in for added structure. The colors are all lovely as well. In short, Lima is sure to be your new best friend if you happen to be so lucky as to nab some.
218 yards of Lima
The Specs:
Pattern: 198 Yards of Heaven by Christy Verity
Yarn: 1.75 yds of Rowan Lima in color # 886, 'Puno'. This color is the perfect fall neutral--it is somewhere between mushroom and camel, a little region I like to call my own personal land of guaranteed knitting enchantment.
Needles: Size 8
Time: Less than a week. Proper!
Mods: The only mod I made was to do the lace edging in stockinette stitch rather than the called-for garter stitch. While I can appreciate the role of garter stitch in some patterns, I was concerned that it was going to take this shawl on a one-way trip to busy town, so I held off.
218 yards of Lima
This pattern was pure joy from start to finish. While I enjoy making hats/mittens/sweaters for the sheer practicality of them, nothing gets me going like a shawl. I mean when I am hitting my stride with the perfect yarn/pattern combo, I become an unstoppable knitting ninja. This pattern was everything I wanted it to be: a fast knit in a new yarn that would make a nice little gifty for another knitter. Stay tuned and that identity will be revealed in my next post...

27 comments:

knithound brooklyn said...

Mmmmm, good color, nice fiber construction, stitch definition, and soft. A fabulous combination, to hell with the bank account!

Kirsten said...

Damn, I have been trying to resist the lure of this yarn, but I think your post has done me in.

That's okay, I'll buy the Rowan. The Lad doesn't need to go to college.

Gorgeous.

Elizabeth said...

I too am in love with this yarn and have been wondering what to make with it. Glad to see it knitted up so beautifully...in a shawl. You've been productive. I'm impressed. Must be that new restraint: three-projects-at-a-time. Nice!

Jodi said...

Gorgeous and perfect for fall! I'm bummed that so many of the pretty new autumn yarns have alpaca -- sneez-o-rama for me. Soft and cozy for others, though.

I'm going to have to knit up that pattern in a different yarn ASAP, though!

kim said...

That.is.GORGEOUS! I just bought a pattern (Eternity Scarf) that calls for Lima. I didn't have any, but now I'm thinking that I NEED some! Thanks, enabler pal.

Rose said...

Gorgeous! Jealous! Righteous! :)

gale (she shoots sheep shots) said...

Did you have to post that and make both the yarn and the pattern so irresistible??! Really lovely. Really perfect for this time of year.

Sarah said...

Nice! And thank you for putting another shawl that I don't have time to knit in my queue.

Anonymous said...

Ooh--lovely! I adore shawls in those natural tones. So wearable and beautiful!

ingrid said...

Ooooh! I would like to add that pattern to my queue and some of that yarn to my stash, thankyouverymuch!

Melissa said...

So lovely!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful!! I have been coveting that Lima since I saw it appear in my LYS a few weeks ago. I need a pullover out of Lima. :)

a friend to knit with said...

rowan is so good. i really must get my hands on some rowan. knitone sells that! lets go! :)

absolutely gorgeous.

Jill said...

Beautiful fall colorway. Perfect.

margaux said...

gorgeous! i am working with Lima right now too!! i love it. beautiful shawl!

Alison said...

Wow! You can really crank out a shawl! Excellent!

Knitting Kris said...

What a beautiful shawl! I absolutely love the color and pattern together. Gorgeous!

earthchick said...

So flippin' gorgeous. The color is fab and the shawl is beautiful.

btw, did you know that there is another pattern named Heather? It's a little vest by Bloom Design. I think you should make it. The suggested yarn is Rowan Soft Tweed.

tiennie said...

That is just awesome you knitting ninja you!

Nana Sadie said...

Just lovely!! You did a great job!
(and thanks for the link to the pattern!)
(((hugs)))

Sereknitty said...

I have recently become addicted to shawl patterns and the amount of shawl patterns currently stacked up in my 'queue' is getting ridiculous -- thanks for yet another contribution!! Very interesting yarn/colour -- looks fabulous!

CCK said...

Dropped in here via Kate's post. I too am a Rowan floozy, and love living in the UK part of the year, so I can tell myself, one must buy and knit with local yarn.....!

sew nancy said...

gorgeous
came over here from needled
must come back and stay for a while one day but now back to my sewing machine and in a little while knitting with chocolate

Rebecca said...

I've popped over from Needled's pages. I like to have a nosey when someone is introduced in a blog. I am very much taken with the shawl, nice pattern and I agree heartily with your love of Rowan. The Lima is to dye for! My LYS has a jumper knitted up in it and it has the most sensual touch. I'm between projects at the moment so this is a very dangerous moment, teetering on the edge of a purchase. Thanks for the fab idea.

Anonymous said...

Nice call on the stockinette edging. Looks great!

cattypuss said...

ARGH! that lovely "Puno" colour isn't on the knitrowan.com site any more - it's in the shade card but not the yarn options. Mutiny, people!

cattypuss said...

I forgot to say: seeing this made me want to try knitting properly after not thinking I could do it for 20 years - I can now do some lace stuff and this'll be my next project! So thanks for the inspiration, your knitting and photos are brilliant.