a start on lace

So that's the second one, then. Lovely, comfortable socks. The Koigu wool is great to knit - no pooling, no striping, just a nice stippled texture. Although the colour and texture both overwhelm the lace pattern somewhat. But, all in all, a bit too easy to suit me at the moment.

With all the practice of the last year of knitting, I've had about enough of socks, mittens and hats. Now, it seems to me, I ought to try knitting lace. Like this lacy Swallowtail shawl pattern. Quite a challenge I think - not sure I'm up to it. I've started and frogged three times and have finally made it past the beginning chart and worked the first repeat of the main chart. Already I've learned lots:

... lace weight yarn is mind-bogglingly thin. Scarily thin.
... dark green makes it very hard to see my stitches.
... my HiyaHiya needles aren't nearly pointy enough for lace.
... my stitch markers are all much too huge to be of use.
... much of the final appearance will depend on blocking.

Before I go any further I need to protect what I've already knit. This project definitely calls for the prudent use of life lines.