New Year. New Blog.
Welcome to the new Bellsknits blog! The old Bellsknits still exists and will stay where it is as a record of the last three and a half years of my blogging life.
I’m still getting to know wordpress, still figuring out what I want to do, so rather than wait until everything is perfect, I thought I’d just kick the year off with things as they stand and let you know that I’ll be moving things around, figuring stuff out and generally tidying up as I go along. I’m not convinced this is how it will look yet but it’s as good a place as any to start. I’ve got some plans, still tentative at the moment, for ways to develop and improve my blogging this year so let’s see how it goes!
So, to kick things off, what better way than to show a secret knit from 2009 which was given to my sister, Adele, on Christmas Day. I made the Swallowtail Shawl for her and was so happy to finally give it to her. It’s a shawl I’ve long wanted to make and if you recall, I learned to make nupps last month while knitting it. Adele posed on the last rainy day of our visit over Christmas.
This was my first time knitting lace in something fuzzy – it’s Madil Kid Seta, which was a long ago gift from Tinkingbell. Adele spotted it on a visit a long time ago and said she loved it, being a much pinker girl than I am, so it became hers.
I got over my fear of combining fuzzy yarn with lace knitting with this shawl. It was lovely to work with and as long as I kept an eye on things and didn’t need to rip back, it was fine. What I did wonder was what it would be like to wear something that felt every bit like a cloud? Surely it must be annoyingly light and fluffy? Thankfully, after blocking, it seemed to settle down and while still cloud-like, is incredibly wearable. I’m quite enthralled by how it’s both alluringly light and very warm. I think it’s a good combination for Sydney’s milder winters.
Next I think I ought to make a shawl for my other sister who has declared she too would like a triangular shawl for next winter.
Bells
I love the swallowtail shawl, Bells. Adele seems to as well.
Congratulations on getting your new blog up and running – it’s looking great! The shawl is adorable. I love both pink and fluffy, so am very envious indeed of your lucky sister! Oh, and Happy New Year!
Happy New Blog!!
Nice new page. The swallowtail shawl is gorgeous.
It looks really beautiful: I think the fuzziness makes the lace look all the more delicate, and the pink looks lovely on her!
Beautiful and inspiring shawl. Great choice of yarn for the pattern. You are very right about ripping – not fun or fast. Knitting lace with it is very good for improving ones powers of concentration!
Love the new blog and the shawl. Looking forward to your 2010 projects!
great new site bells – congrats and happy new year
love the shawl in the fuzzy yarn – and the nupps are fantasticly nupplicious
New Year, New Blog! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The shawl is, of course, just lovely! As I knew it would be – how could it not, with you knitting it lovey!
It’s a lovely shawl; what a great gift.
Welcome to WordPress. I find the platform to be pretty intuitive. And it’s fun to preview all the different looks before settling down to one!
I like the new digs!
The shawl looks lovely with its cloud-like qualities. It makes it look more delicate, if that makes sense.
Hooray – happy blog warming!
The shawl is gorgeous! It looks like the pattern is well suited to something a bit fluffy – the stitches show up really well =)
Happy New Year and Happy New Blog!! You will have lots of fun getting settled in.
Oh I loved knitting the Swallowtail, I enjoyed the nupps. And it looks very beautiful and ethereal in the fuzzy yarn!!
happy new year bells! that shawl looks dreamy! so soft and light – adele must be thrilled.
i find wordpress to be generally quite user friendly, perfect to jump in and get going as you have said. i’m looking forward to a new year of bellsknits.
Yay for Bellsknits.com!!!
Fabulous!!!
Yay for my new shawl too!!!
Congrats all round.
Beautiful shawl!! Love the new blog. Wishing you a wonderful New Year!
Gorgeous, Bells. Looks like it would be so lovely to wear. Congrats on the new domain, too
woohoo, youve arrived! love the look so far and am excited to see what else you come up with. the swallowtail is gorgeous and looks perfect on the lovely adele! yay! xx
Congratulations on your very own domain name, and the new blog! And what a stunningly beautiful shawl … I’m sure Adele was over the moon!
Happy New Year, my dear
Congratulations on your new blog. It’s beautiful! Looks like you’ve already got the hang of it.
And the shawl is gorgeous!
I *love* what you’ve done with the place!
And that shawl is divine! Well done you! I’m inspired to work on mine tonight.
Happy New Year! May it bring bigger and better things than you could dream about.
Welcome to your new web home! Looking forward to seeing what 2010 brings you.
Lovely fresh blog! I do like the shawl, it looks soft and knitted beautifully.
Love the new home!! And your sister looks very happy with the Swallowtail – and no wonder!
What a beautiful new FO to start the year off with – I bet it does feel like a dream – it certainly looks like one. Great work and happy new year and home
hooray- I couldn’t get that comment thingy to work for me at all over at blogger – but this looks promising – and that shawl worked out beautifully. I am impressed you could knit fluffy pink!
I have very similar plans for a shawl, so it is great being able to see what it looks like in “real life”! Congrats on the new blog – I’m very happy ‘cos this means I can finally comment!
Lovely shawl! I look forward to seeing how your new blog takes off.
loving your new blog and loving that shawl! for some reason I thought the lovely lady in the shot was a knitter and made it herself but it’s your sister! oh it’s a lovely colour and I can almost feel the softness through the internet!
gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!
Corrie:)
The swallowtail shawl is such a lovely way to begin (or end) a knitting year. It looks so delicate in this colour and yarn. Thank you for the new blog. I confess that the comments process on the old one had defeated me.
This new place looks awesome, as does your shawl – it game out great; it looks like a cloud! And Adele looks beautiful wearing it!
Congrats on buying your own name and setting up the new site. It sounds like it’s fun to play around and make it your own.
I love love love the shawl. It’s a perfect pink color and looks lovely on Adele.
Happy New Year and happy new blog!
Love that shawl. And welcome to your new blog!
Ooo, shiny! I have some fuzzy lace yarn myself that I’ve been starting to look at. I think this year is going to be a year of diving in and trying things!
I love the new blog, and the scarf looks spectacular – I’ve toyed with mohair scarves, and this might give me a push in the right direction.
Lookin’ good Bells! (Both your lovely new cool green page and the fluffy pink swallowtail!)
Love the new blog.
The shawl is delightful and is making my fingrers itch.
Congrat’s on the new blog and a new skill! I’m yet to attempt lace with fuzzy yarn but I’m inspired by the loveliness of Adele’s new swallowtail – simply lovely!
New digs and a domain name… very spiffy! Looking forward to seeing what you do with it all!
Lovely new blog. Beautiful shawl.
Oh, that is just gorgeous. Gotta love the nupps, although I tend to be partial to bobbles and poms and round things. Really beautiful job, Bells!