All lace and no play

So, there seems to be a theme going in the lace this year...

Maple Leaf Shawl, Victorian Lace Today. Alpaca Sox yarn on size 6 needles. Despite my best efforts, I can't get all the leaves to close up nice and tight. On hold for a day I have more patience.

Mystic Waters Shawl, knitpicks laceweight, from a current kal and soon-to-be-released pattern. I've spent a lot of time on this very pretty but very frustrating shawl. Too much time- the stitches were always off and I'm tired of wrestling with the pattern. So, I've left it on a lifeline in hopes of one day finding the strength to frog and try again.

Hemlock Ring Blanket, Lion Wool. I put this down for a few months, and when I got back I was so far off it wasn't even funny. I will eventually try this one again- the size 8 needle goes super quick and the pattern really is gorgeous. The yarn is destined for a sweater, I think.

But, all is not lost! Behold the flourishes of Project Spectrum:

A Handsome Triangle Shawl, Victorian Lace Today. Claudia Handpainted silk laceweight, size 3 needle. I skipped the last repeat, as I felt it was long enough on the needles. Truth be told, I should have trudged on- it ended up a bit too short when blocked out. This pattern is probably one of the easiest in the book- although it doesn't look it from the pattern. I think it would look lovely in a variety of yarns. Maybe a dk?

Secret of the Stole I- Guinevere. Originally from a kal, pattern available now. US 2 needle, knitpicks alpaca laceweight. Lessons learned include never using size 2 needles on lace! This thing took forever as a result. It was almost painful to get to the decreases, but once I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, I powered through. The pattern is another asymetrical one- two points at one end, one point at the other. I think I'm getting to be okay with the non-matching shawls. The crossed swords are my favorite part, I like how they create little diamonds in the center.

So, lace in the red family = win. Lace in anything else= lose. I'm starting Dem Fischer Sin Fru in a handspun green alpaca yarn. So far, it's going well- let's hope the pattern is broken!