I have been bit by the lace bug. Hard.
On Ravelry I discovered Herbert Niebling's work (sorry, I couldn't find a good link on him, but you can check out the yahoo group or the Ravelry group). He knit doilies, tablecloths, and curtains mostly (entirely?) in fine cotton yarns. While many of his patterns are only available on eBay for astronomical prices. A few have been reprinted.
Kunst stricken -Grosse und klein Decken, available from Lacis is a collection of 28 Niebling tablecloths. It is in German, but fully charted. Once you get accustomed to the symbols used, it is quite straight forward. (As always, click on any image for a larger version.)
Amaryllis called to me.
What is the difference between a tablecloth and a circular shawl? The yarn you knit it with. A bit of stash diving unearthed some Knit Picks Shadow bought several years ago.
Progress through round 130 of 154. The pattern progression is logical and straight forward. I am using multiple colors because that is what I have in the stash. I think it will be fine as long as they are of a similar saturation.
It is a surprisingly simple project to knit. So much so that I have searched for ways to keep myself entertained while knitting. One way has been celebrating percent complete milestones. I confess to updating my project in Ravelry on every 5% increment. I made a spreadsheet to do these calculations. Everything is just a little bit better with a spreadsheet. I'll be posting the spreadsheet for others to use soon.
My next Niebling will be the astoundingly beautiful Lyra. Wow with a capital wow! It is also available from Lacis for a mere $7. The pattern is in English using German charting conventions. I am seriously thinking about making a 3/4 version (imagine removing the portion from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock). Silk, did I mention silk? Gorgeous, stunning shawl in 100% silk. Yummy.
Another new project is Heirloom Shawl from Patons, available for free online, as Lovely Lacy Shawl, from Canadian Living. The free version isn't charted. There is a charted version in the Patons booklet called Wrap It Up (recently out of print, but still available from some vendors and occasionally on eBay).
I recommend the charted version.
It is a fairly difficult pattern. This is chart 1 of 8. Even though it is charted, you still have to follow some text directions.
I am using the dreamy, delicious, and fabulous Polwarth Silk fingering weight yarn I got at CNCH.
And, finally, the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl (you can join through June 30, 2008). It a circular shawl based on pi. The first clue was released yesterday and it has 4 charts to choose from. I think each clue will have options. That means there will be many different versions. Pretty cool.