English Crystal
Posted by limedragon | Filed under knitting, shawls or stoles
With this little tablecloth or lace square, I completed my personal February challenge for Stash Down 2008: the Logan River Wrap, and something lacy with the Omo.
When I cast off this square, it measured about 20″ square, barely. After a good soak, and some brute force, I managed to stretch it out to 26″. Small, but I think I did pretty well with two 50-gram skeins of sock yarn.
I did consider knitting the English Crystal pattern as a triangle. However, Mom saw the square swatch and really liked it and wanted me to continue. With the same amount of yarn, I could have produced a triangle approximately 52″ wide and 26″ tall.
I love the center diamonds; I thought they would be too plain but have decided they’re the perfect focus for the surrounding squares, circles, and triangles. But do you see that weird hole in the center left just past the diamonds in the picture above? Apparently, when I tinked a few rows, I somehow went one row too far at that stitch. Drat.
Considering I’ve barely crocheted for years and years, I think my crochet edging turned out pretty well. (I don’t crochet often because I have to look at my work, whereas, with knitting, I can work by feel most of the time.) I didn’t realize there was a small issue with the bind-off as given by Kinzel until I was about halfway finished.
Generally, Kinzel’s bind off is done by working a dc into three live stitches. Most of the time, it looks great. In the pictures above, look closely at the tips of the triangles. I don’t like how it pulls the left side away from the triangle tip. This could be remedied with a bit of forethought and adjusting the number of bound-off stitches to 2 or 4 as needed.
This project was fun, and surprisingly quick. The strong, geometric shapes of English Crystal are a perfect match for the yarn color, “Rock Grotto.” I didn’t realize until blocking that there were different repeating squares within the pattern. It’s almost dizzying if you look at it too long!
Did you find the English Crystal in the lace? Here’s what I think it is.
Pattern: “English Crystal” by Marianne Kinzel, First Book of Modern Lace Knitting Size: 26″ square Yarn: Curious Creek Fibers – Omo – Rock Grotto, 2 skeins Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) – Brittany DPNs, Takumi Clover circulars, and KA Classic crochet hook Started: February 15, 2008 Completed: February 23, 2008 Token Progress: 2 of 2. I could buy lace yarn now! I probably won’t, because I have enough laceweight for two more projects.
Tags: brown, challenge, crochet, english crystal, kinzel, lace, square, stashdown, triangle
February 29th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Those photos were making me dizzy. I really like the color.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Wow – that is gorgeous!! I just may have to put that in the queue!
February 29th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I wouldn’t have seen any flaws if you hadn’t pointed them out – it’s fabulous!
February 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Thanks! Now I have the song “I’m so dizzy…my head is spinnin… like a whirlpool…it never ends….” Gorgeous! I think it looks great on the table.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Oh, that’s pretty! You’re tempting me to buy another book…
February 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Looks fantastic, especially draped on the table. The pattern really brings out the colours.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ya know, I can kinda see that circle you were talking about, but I can’t be sure. bah, we knitters are the only ones who see our flaws anyway, no one else ever notices.
February 29th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
That is so very beautiful!! I have no idea what in heck an English Crystal is, but I do like the glass of Martini. Perfect match of yarn+pattern.
I love it in the window. It wouldn’t last long on my table.
February 29th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration. :)
March 1st, 2008 at 6:22 am
Very nice! Great match of yarn to pattern, and it’s fun to stare at it and see the triangles and squares swim around. :-)
March 1st, 2008 at 8:29 am
Wow, you’re really making me want to knit some lace. That is absolutely beautiful!!!!
March 1st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
How beautiful!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Glorious!
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
That is gorgeous! I agree with your mom regarding making it into a square. Very nice!
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Gorgeous! I really like it! (and honestly didn’t notice the flaws until you mentioned it)
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Wow. That’s just exquisite.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
wow! that’s wonderful!!
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
That is gorgeous!