Orkney Pi Anyone?

Orkney Pi
Originally uploaded by Strings 'n Things

Just a short post today.

I'm a member in a number of Yahoo groups. One of them is EZasPi; that group is currently in the middle of a knitalong for the Orkney Pi Shawl. The shawl is designed by Liz Lovick, a knitter and designer who lives in the Orkneys and incorporates traditional Orkney designs in a pi shawl, Elizabeth Zimmermann's design.

This little bit of knitting already has history, beyond the stitches used. It's my second attempt. It isn't that it's a difficult pattern; it isn't. I started it yesterday, using Skacel's Merino Lace, on 2.5 mm (US 2) needles. I was almost at the point I'm at in this picture when I encountered a break in the yarn. After finding the other end of the break, and giving it a tug, I found another break. And another break. Do you see where this is going?

When I picked up the ball of yarn, I realized that something had decided that this particular ball of yarn was a delectable buffet. The entire ball of yarn was nothing but pieces! Immediately, the work in progress was freed from the needles and it, with the entire ball of yarn, was trashed... filed in the circular file. And then I went back to my stash to check the rest of it.

I haven't seen any other evidence of little nibbles, so I'm not too worried. I'm thinking that this yarn had been in the same spot as my Icarus shawl (remember the holes in my completed shawl??). I know I had played with the Merino Lace at about the same time.

Anyway, this yarn is Hemp for Knitting laceweight yarn. This is the yarn I was using to make elann's Luna Moth shawl; the one that I dropped 40 or so stitches from. Once again, I'm using 2.5 mm needles. I do like how it's knitting up. Even though it's supposed to be a shawl (Liz has written that her completed shawl measures over 7 feet across!), this one will be a fair bit smaller, probably just the right size to fit on my glass coffee table. It will also look stunning as a centerpiece on my antique oak dining room table.

The arrow you see in the upper left hand corner points to the first of the traditional stitch patterns, the cat's paw. I'm finding this, like my Evolution Shawl, a fun project. I think I could become obsessive about it, as I did with my pi shawl.

Now, back to knitting and the next section... horseshoe lace.