April 2013 - haekelmonster

cat wrap scarf

Veröffentlicht am 18. April 20132. April 2026 von Carina

This cat wrap scarf turned out way larger than I had imagined. It just kept getting longer and longer. Still, I couldn’t resist that chunky, slightly unpredictable, multi-colored yarn. The colors really reminded me of a cat’s coat—soft, a bit unruly, and full of character. Doesn’t it look like fur?

J was completely taken with the scarf at first. He really loved it—until today. This morning, he came across what was left of a jaybird in our garden. Clearly, a cat had been at work during the night. (I’ll skip the details.) Let’s just say his fondness for anything feline faded pretty quickly after that.

Then again, maybe that was bound to happen anyway. At some point, he probably would have outgrown a cat scarf. Most likely he’ll switch to something much more “cool”—like a not-so-subtle acrylic piece featuring LeBron James or Tony Parker, or one of their NBA teams.

I guess that phase will come soon enough.

See [link] for more information on the pattern, and [link] for other animal scarves I’ve made in the past.

April

Veröffentlicht am 16. April 201310. Juli 2020 von Carina8 Kommentare

April weather is here: beautiful on Sunday, sunburned faces everywhere on Monday, downpour this morning.

Birds‘ twitter, short-sleeved t-shirts, cagoule within reach, ice cream, gardening, daylight when we get up, daylight when J goes to bed, open back door, bulgur salad for dinner – the whole nine yards 🙂 Even work is more fun.

I love this time of the year!

flower blanket — baby blanket in spring colors

Lace & me

Veröffentlicht am 10. April 201317. April 2026 von Carina

It’s getting there. Slowly, but steadily. About 50 cm (19.2 inches) of lace knitting so far.

And yet… it’s been quite a journey already.

Knitting… then unraveling. Knitting again… unraveling again. And then knitting once more. Why? Honestly, I don’t really know. The pattern itself isn’t complicated. Not at all. But somehow I keep adding stitches where there shouldn’t be any, or dropping one without noticing, only to discover the mistake several rows later. It’s a bit like the lace scarf has a life of its own—and not always a cooperative one. Exhausting, really, at times. Especially when I remind myself why I’m doing this in the first place: my sister.

Luckily, Caityrosey had already kind of foreshadowed (in a very gentle, between-the-lines kind of way) that lace knitting might take a while to fall in love with. And AnastasiaMW reminded me that blocking can magically even out a lot of unevenness. I am so grateful for those comments and the encouragement. I really needed it. And to be honest—I still do.

The yarn hasn’t helped either. Part of this beautiful purple skein was already a bit twisted and ragged, so I had to introduce new strands twice already. That means I now have way more ends than I ever planned for. Not just two neat little tails to hide, but several. A whole little collection of them.

So now I’m also thinking ahead: how do I actually finish a lace scarf like this in a way that makes all those ends disappear as if they never existed? What’s the best way to weave them in so they stay invisible, secure, and not lumpy in such a delicate fabric? Any tips or tricks would be hugely appreciated.

And for now, I’ll just keep going—slowly, carefully, stitch by stitch.

Over the years, some of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

Lace Debut

Veröffentlicht am 3. April 201317. April 2026 von Carina2 Kommentare

I never really thought much about lace scarves. Honestly, I never thought about lace at all. It just wasn’t on my radar.

That changed earlier this year when All She Wants To Do Is Knit started blogging about lace, “laziness,” and her wedding shawl. While she was trying to pick a pattern, she linked to several finds on Ravelry – and that was basically the moment lace quietly sneaked into my life.

So suddenly there I was, scrolling through the most beautiful shawls I had ever seen, already thinking of my older sister who turns 50 in May. And just like that, things got serious. On Tuesday I finally went into the yarn store to get lace yarn.

I chose a bright purple, 100% merino wool. It’s for her scarf. And somehow this project feels different from everything I’ve done before. More intentional. More thoughtful. Almost… grown-up. Does that make sense?

The very kind gentleman in the store helped me pick a pattern, and I could barely wait to start last night. It’s a simple one – basically a beginner kit. The lace isn’t too fine (I’m using size 3.5 needles / US 4), the repeat is every four rows, and the rows themselves are manageable. Very friendly for a first lace adventure.

I actually found the pattern by chance. And to be honest, it wasn’t love at first sight. Not at all. That changed when I saw what Avelinux had done with it. If my sister’s favorite color were bright green, I probably would have copied that version without a second thought.

The shop owner (more of a quiet expert than a salesman) also steered me away from my grand lace fantasies – feathers, flowers, spider webs, all the dramatic things I had in mind. According to him, those are not exactly “beginner-friendly.” So I listened. Reluctantly at first.

Now I’m knitting the “Little Leaf Lace Scarf,” and I absolutely love it. So far, I’ve managed about an inch… but it’s a very promising inch 🙂

By the way, did I mention my sister’s birthday is in early May ? So yes – posting might be a bit quiet for a while. I need to KNIT.