In the studio

Capelet, rib lace stitch, hemp yarn, size 5 plastic cable needle, 24 inches

This is the capelet I mentioned a few entries back. The loose white thread ends you see are the life line, done with dental floss.

The great pleasure of knitting on this piece is the way that the needle is a perfect match for the yarn. This needle has very sharp points and they pick up the stitches of this fine yarn easily. The hemp glides over the plastic with just enough friction to keep its springiness under control. I can't wait to see the capelet done, because I enjoy the lace so much, but I love the work itself because of the way it feels as I'm working it.

In the studio

Crochet capelet, hemp, single crochet, size 3 aluminum hook

Here's the progress I've made on the November 1, 2006 entry. It took me awhile to think of what I wanted to do around the bottom below the ruffle. Notice on the right of the photo there are tendrils. Each has a bead on the end. It'll be a fringe of sorts.

The tendrils: ch19, add bead, turn, sl st, sc, half dc, dc, tr, dc, half dc, sc,sl st back to the beginning of the chain

There's a sort of crochet pendent at the end of each tendril.

I'm about a third of the way through the tendrils, and when I finish them I'll work on a neck line embellishment. Right now the neck is the basic chain that I did at the beginning, so it's austere when compared to the "out there" frilliness of the rest of the capelet. It will probably be a small picot edging with a small bead accent. The beads are very close to the color of the yarn, so they glint a teensy bit.

I can't wait to block this and see what happens!

In the studio

Crochet capelet, hemp, single crochet, size 3 aluminum hook

This poor thing was forgotten and left in Colorado for a month or so, but I'm finishing it gradually now that it's returned. I like working with hemp, and I think I'll be putting beads in it to give it a jazzy tone. I'm looking at red beads that will glint a little bit but not be too gaudy, to put around the bottom.