Lilli Pilli and then some

Please forgive the extended absence, I believe life may have just gotten in the way; however, there has been knitting, some weaving, as well as some needlepointing...

Two weeks ago, The Websters sent me an email featuring this Ambah O'Brien pattern called Lilli Pilli.

They were even nice enough to include several color choices in their selected yarn:  Shibui Staccato:

While normally not a follower, I totally bought into the pattern, the yarn, and the colors featured.  

Monday of last week, the yarn and pattern arrived. It was then I noticed the pattern actually called for MadelineTosh Merino Light, not the Shibui Staccato.

Moreover, the pattern called for 420 yards of each color.  Two 50 gram skeins of the Shibui Staccato totaled no more than 382 yards per color.  Checking the original email again, I noted the following caveat: 

After consulting with the designer, we believe 2 skeins of each color will be sufficient to make your Lilli Pilli Shawl, despite the printed yardage requirements being greater. However it will be close, and important to match gauge.  For surety, 3 skeins per color may be preferable.

As a tight knitter and having failed to notice that little warning before ordering, I decided to take a chance and continue on.

Last night, a week after casting on, I finished the shawl.

Good News:  I had 2.5 grams of the grey (Fog) and 4.3 grams of the Ivory left.

Bad News:  I was about 5 yards short of the Raspberry.

Diving into my stash, I came up with MadelineTosh Merino Light in Coquette (the very same used in the original sample...if I had only known...).  It was not a perfect match, but for 1.5 rows and a bind-off, I was satisfied.

I realized I could have shortened the pattern by two rows, but that would have cut short the Diamond Lace pattern on one edge, and I was hesitant to cut off the lace design.

While noticeable, I have decided it adds character and charm, so I am pleased.

The true test of a winning design?

Once done with one, you immediately want to cast on another!

This time; however, I am going with Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in Ein Klein Wenig Verrucht (dark blue purple) and Blue Curacao for the stripes and Pistaziz (green) for the lace or the Blue Curacao and Pistaziz for the stripes and Ein Klein for the lace?  Each skein is 574 yards, so I think I have more than enough.

In weaving news, I finished a blanket on the new (to me) Leclerc Aristat 36" floor loom I acquired a couple of months ago. According to it's metal plaque, the loom was the 9th one made in 1973.

Here is a photo of it the day we brought it home:

Originally, the blanket was not to be a blanket. I began with the center panel and used Wollmeise 100% fingering in Ebenholz for the warp and Miss Bab's Yowza in Origami for the weft. I was thinking of making a poncho, but the Yowza is a light worsted weight and the finished fabric was a bit too heavy for what I had in mind.

Looking through my stash, I realized I had some of the same weight (light worsted) in a gun metal blue that I had dyed myself, but I was all out of the brown Wollmeise fingering.  A second pass through the stash uncovered a few hanks of undyed fingering weight yarn.

Setting up my dye pot, I dyed the warp I needed in the fingering weight.

So, the side panels are actually made of yarn I dyed!

The actual weaving took no time at all, but the project languished, as I tried to figure out how I wanted to seam them together.  A good half a day was devoted to seaming and hemming the ends.

Wee One has claimed the blanket as her own, and I could not be more pleased!