Decision Time

It's that time of year again.  Tomorrow, I'll be taking several scarves to the fair grounds for the crafts exhibit.  I had been meaning to write all about it, but I realized that I would just be repeating myself.  Three years have passed since I started my blog, and I've enjoyed it very much, but it may be time to move on.  My simple life is so simple, that once you've read a year's worth of posts, you've read them all.  Spring planting and blooms, Summer heat, Fall and winter knitting and holidays..with the exception of a few unexpected events, that pretty much sums up my life.  As I look for new things to write, I realize there is nothing new..And that's perfectly fine!  I love my husband, cats, and family, and would not trade them for even a minute of what society would consider an exciting life.  Simple is the only way for me, and I will continue to live my life in this way.  It makes me very happy, but I know it doesn't make for very interesting reading.  For this reason, I am saying good-bye to my blog.  I may post an occasional picture or two, or stop by to tell of interesting new knits and yarns. I've had fun, and I wish my readers all the best.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven- Ecclesiastes 3:1

Improvising

For those of us who love yarn, Ravelry is an amazing website.  Anybody who reads my blog knows how much I love to browse through the patterns an photos for ideas and information.  Last week, I stumbled upon a fun thread.  I don't remember the title, or which forum I was in, but the subject of the thread was yarn bowls.  I have been wanting a yarn bowl, so I opened the thread, not knowing what a treat I was in for.  I saw picture after picture of household vessels and thrift shop finds being used as yarn bowls.  I was so impressed with how clever some of them were, and I realized I didn't need a $50-$60 yarn bowl, when any container will do.  

Saturday, Dave took me to The Cedar Chest, a local antique store.  I'd never been there, because I always thought antiques were very expensive, but I still wanted to go.  What better place to get ideas for yarn bowls than an antique store.  I was surprised at how reasonable the prices were.  I found two nice, heavy pieces of pottery for only $15!  I will definitely be visiting that store again! 

Not being an antique enthusiast, I'm not sure what these pieces actually are, but the lidded one says on the bottom that it's oven safe stoneware.  I have no idea what the pitcher was used for.

It doesn't matter what they were designed for, they are both yarn bowls now :)

Pothos Update

On the eighth of last month, I demonstrated how to cut back and root Pothos ivy.  I thought it might be fun to let my readers see those same cuttings after three weeks in water.

As you probably noticed, I'm minus one of my cuttings.  That is because the leaves on that cutting had turned yellow, so I threw it away.  I could have pinched the yellow leaves off, and allowed it to continue rooting, but since I have so much ivy, I saw no reason to keep it.

I've placed my cuttings back in the water to continue rooting.  Didn't I say it was fun to watch them sprout? :)

I hope you all have a pleasant Sunday evening, and a great week!

I Did It!

Here is my finished Plaid-ish scarf!

I dropped it off, along with my two other scarves, at the yarn store for the window display!

Cuteness!

This is what happens when I leave my work in the floor.  I know I should make him move, but he's just so comfy :)

Plaid-ish Woven Scarf

last week, I warped my loom for the first time by myself!  The only thing I needed help with was keeping the yarns even as I wound it, but I was told that's normal.    I have been going back to the yarn store weekly, not only for the lessons, but for the company as well. There is a small core group of fiber artists who sit and visit as they work on their craft of choice, weaving being the most popular. It was during one of these visits that I got the idea for my latest weaving project (well, I guess I didn't really think of it, but I was told I could use it). One of the ladies had completed a scarf, using two solid colors for the warp (vertical strands), and a variegated yarn for the weft (horizontal woven yarn).  The finished item reminded me of plaid.  I know it isn't a true plaid, but the effect is definitely there.  I just had to try this for myself.

First of all, I'm excited to report that this entire scarf is being made with stash yarn!  I found a variegated Lion Brand wool yarn, and two solid wools to match it.  Like Donna, I warped my loom alternating four slots with each color, ending with color #1.  As I began to weave with my variegated, I was amazed to see the pattern emerge!   

My plaid-ish scarf emerging on my first self-warped loom.

Adding a close-up of the woven section.  I'm so happy with the results so far!

As I was leaving the yarn store, Carol told me they are featuring the woven work of their students in their next display window.  Anything I can finish and bring to her by the first of September will be included.  How exciting!!  Think I can finish my plaid-ish?  I'm sure going to try :)

TaDa!!

 My spell check doesn't like the title of this post, but I'm leaving it! I just completed my first project woven on my new loom, so I deserve the right to say TaDa! :)

A Birthday Surprise!

This has been a wonderful birthday! Dave took me out to lunch, then dropped me off at the yarn shop downtown while he did some errands. I made my selections, and as I was paying out, Carol (one of the owners) went into the back, and brought out a brand new Cricket loom.  My wonderful but sneaky husband had purchased the loom earlier, and asked her to present it to me at the check out counter.  I could not have been more surprised!  Now I can add weaving to the list of reasons to hoard...um...buy and stash yarn.  The only regret I have is that Dave was not there for the presentation.  I normally shop and visit for a long time before paying, but today I saw what I wanted almost immediately.  I did notice that Carol was spending an usual amount of time with me, pointing out the new yarns and items they'd gotten in since my last visit.  In hindsight, I realize she must have been trying to delay until Dave's return, but there was only so much she could do without giving the surprise away.  Hopefully, all the praise and gushing he received from the women in the shop upon his return made up for this.  The ladies gave him a description of my reaction that was so detailed it had to be the next best thing to seeing it for himself. 

Carol warped my new loom for me, explaining the whole time how it is done, then she got me started on the weaving.  Dave had some business at the station to take care of so he left me in good hands while I reacquainted myself with the weaving process.  This is different from any fiber craft I've attempted so far. For the first time in a yarn shop, I don't even know the language, but I'm a pretty quick learner.  Especially when I'm excited about something.

My very own Cricket Loom!

This what I have accomplished so far.  I already love it!

My woven scarf in progress shot from a different angle, just because I can.  :)

Just when I thought today couldn't be more perfect, I got home and logged onto Facebook to find a page full of love and well wishes from my friends and family. It made me feel so special! Turning 45 was not traumatic at all :)

Rooting Pothos Cuttings

Welcome to my second ivy tutorial.  I guess you could call this a part two, or a continuation of yesterday's post.  You have cut your ivy back, now you are ready to root your cuttings.

Here is the cutting from yesterday. I removed the bottom most leaves, and placed it in a glass of water until I had more time to work with it.  As I stated yesterday, you could leave it as a long strand and it will still root nicely.  Since I like a full plant, I'll have to make some more cuts.

I've divided the cutting into three pieces.  How long to make each cut is a matter of personal preference.  Keep in mind that you will be removing the bottom leaves, and you want to leave enough stem for the cuttings to stay down in the water.

This is plenty of stem to hold the cuttings in place, but you could remove more if desired.  Remember, as long as you have at least one leaf, you will be fine.

place each cutting into a glass of water.  The amount of water is completely up to you.  I find that filling the glass to a little over half to two thirds is a good level, as it enables me to stuff the cuttings down into the glass.  I've found that ivies floating above the top of the rim easily fall out (or get pulled out by nosy cats).  Again this is just a personal preference of mine.  as long as your stems are submerged under the water, your cuttings will sprout roots.  If you are a beginner, I recommend you use a clear glass.  This makes it so much easier to keep an eye on the water level, and it also allows you to watch the roots sprout.  It is so much fun to watch the roots sprout.  

Here is a cutting I started earlier (I wish I could remember exactly when, but I can't)  As you can see it has rooted nicely.  I could pot it now, or I could put it back into the water until I'm ready and have more time.  It will not die as long as the stem stays under water.

When you are ready to pot your rooted cuttings, any small container will do.  Here, I used small, coffee-sized styrofoam cups, with drain holes cut in the bottom.  I've also been known to save pudding and yogurt cups for this purpose.  You could also save your pots from your spring annuals and use them.  No drill required :)  These small plants are the perfect size for sharing.

You could also choose to plant several cuttings together in a larger pot to make a full plant.  I used this method, during the Spring of this year, to create this Golden Pothos plant.  

The possibilities are endless with pothos ivy.  As long as you don't deny it water, it will survive and flourish for years to come.  I probably shouldn't tell this, but I've been known to throw ivy cuttings away, simply because I don't need any more ivy plants.  Please, don't hurt me...

How To Cut Back Pothos Ivy

I love pothos ivy.  Normally I allow my ivy to grow long tendrils during the summer, but I was recently asked how to cut an ivy plant back.  It is something I can't explain in words, so with the help of my oh so patient husband, I've decided to create a photo tutorial on how I cut back a pothos ivy. 

For the purpose of this tutorial, I will be cutting this tendril from my pothos Marble Queen ivy.  

Before I proceed, I have a confession to make.  It wasn't until last year that I learned the proper way to do this, but fortunately, God created a very forgiving, resilient plant when he created pothos ivies. My walking buddy, and former co-worker, Kim, taught me the correct way cut back my plants.

I used to cut the ivy tendrils off at the bottom of the pot.  Since ivy branches at the cut site, this caused excess weight, which drags the tendrils down, and stresses the root.  Kim showed me that if I made my cuts at the first knuckle (as shown in the photo) the branching will result in a fuller plant with a stronger root system.    

This photo is simply a close-up of the previous shot.  With my scissors, I am pointing out where I'll make the cut.  This cut is just above the first knuckle closest to the soil.

I'm happy to see that there's a leaf below the cut.  Kim assures me that all an ivy needs is one leaf to allow enough photosynthesis for the next growth spurt, but I prefer to leave as many ground-level leaves as I can, if only for my peace of mind.

This is the cutting. Simply remove the bottom leaves, and put this whole cutting in water.  This will keep it alive until you are ready to work with it.  You may choose to leave it long, or as I normally like to do, cut it into shorter cuttings.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful.  Tomorrow, I'll show how to root this cutting, and include pictures of plants I recently created from cuttings.

My Not So Simple Life

Things have been far too hectic around here. Especially for one who suffers from anxiety.  Routine is our friend.  That may seem boring to a fun-loving, spontaneous person, but we (the anxious) need it.  Routine provides us with a sense of stability and control, and without it we feel unsafe.

It all started with a trip to my dentist for a routine cleaning and check up.  Since I do this twice a year, I have learned not fear it.  I know what to expect.  What I didn't expect, was to be told I needed dental surgery to remove the wisdom teeth on my left side.  The ones on the right side have grown in straight, but the ones on the left were tilted, and partially buried under a layer of gum tissue.  I never paid much attention to them since they didn't hurt, but apparently, my dentist had been watching them.  This visit, he found decay (ew!).

He told me I could fill the tooth if I wanted to, but the location and position of the tooth makes it difficult for me to properly brush and floss to maintain it. I also learned that when you remove a bottom wisdom tooth, it is standard procedure to also remove the one above it, and vice-versa.  He assured me that the decision was completely mine, but I could tell he thought surgery was my best option.  He was of the opinion that the tooth would have to come out eventually anyway, and filling would just prolong the inevitable. (BTW, Dave was of the same opinion). My whole head was x-rayed, and a consultation with the oral surgeon was scheduled, giving me something to worry about for a week.

I arrived at the oral surgeon's office with my nerves already on edge, only to be treated to a nice, thick stack of papers to fill out.  I became so disoriented that Dave had to help me (I'm so glad he loves me), but that was nothing compared to the consultation itself.  By the time I was told about everything that can go wrong, I was ready to go back to dentist and tell him to fill the tooth, and I'd deal with it later.  Please, don't misunderstand me.  The oral surgeon was very nice, and he could tell I was an anxiety sufferer before I even told him of my diagnosis.  He suggested that I be sedated for my procedure, and we wholeheartedly agreed. 

(I know I'm going into more detail than is necessary, but I want to give you an idea of how the anxious mind works. Let me also point out that I've never had surgery of any kind in my life!)

Dr Peters, because of my anxiety, prescribed two valiums for me, one to take the night before my procedure, and the second to take an hour before.  I was afraid of it.  I've taken antidepressants before, but never valium, and I was afraid of it...and I had two weeks to be afraid of it.  My surgery was scheduled for July 12th (which was last Friday), and I had two weeks to worry about everything.  Potential side effects from the valium, potential complications from the surgery, the extra cost of the knock-out drops, and, Heaven forbid, What if the Knock-out drops don't work?!  Yes, for two long weeks, I worried about it all!

Of course, none of my worries became reality.  The surgery was a complete success, and I slept through the whole thing...and the rest of the day...and most of the evening.  I was given medications for pain and nausea, and for swelling, plus a strong antibiotic.  I'm sure it is completely unnecessary to tell you this, but I was very out of it that day.  9pm is when I was finally able to get out of bed without becoming nauseous, but I didn't stay up long.  After a pain pill, and a lovely late dinner of chicken bouillon and jello, and maybe 30 minutes of television, I was falling back to sleep.  I didn't fully wake up until after noon the next day.  There was a little pain, but nothing I couldn't handle, so I opted out of my pain medicine.  I have to pause to give credit where it is due.  Dave has been amazing through all of this!  I could not have asked for a better nurse than Dave has been. He has been, and continues to be, my rock through every struggle. 

By Sunday, the pain had lessened even more.  I was able to attend church, sing, and accompany Dave to the grocery store.  It felt nice to be out of the house.  I just knew the worst was over, and I was on the upside of things.  I woke Monday with more discomfort.  This surprised me after having done so well the day before, and like the idiot I am, I googled dry sockets.  It didn't take long for all my anxiety to come rushing back with a vengeance.  For the next two days, I was afraid I was going to dislodge the blood clot, which was the only thing preventing me from suffering excruciating pain.  How much more can my nerves take?

My follow up appointment was yesterday, and I'm happy to report that all is well.  The openings are healing nicely, the danger of dry sockets has passed, and all of my restrictions have been lifted!  I was allowed to enjoy my first Diet Coke in 6 days!  I have to continue taking my antibiotics until they are gone, and continue to flush out the sockets until they close up, but other than that, I'm a free woman! I still have soreness, but that's to be expected. 

Before I close, I just have to vent a little.  Why?!  Why, oh, why do I do this to myself?  Dr Peters did an excellent job with my surgery, and my recovery has been miraculous.  Physically, things could not have gone more smoothly, but my anxiety made it into a traumatic event.  I am so angry with myself!  I have lived in fear for a month, and it was all so unnecessary.  This is how I live!  If I didn't believe in God, and if I didn't have a  supportive husband, friends and family, and a praying church family, I don't know what I'd do.   

New Curtains!

I found these beauties at Big Lots (I seem to be shopping there a lot lately)!  I knew I liked them, but I can't believe what a big difference they made to my rooms!

The fun pattern on these drapes remind me of bubbles, which makes me happy :)
Between our local Big Lots, and the store in Greenville, I found enough panels for the windows in my living and tv rooms.

This more calming pattern is perfect for the master bedroom.

I'm so happy with the transformation!  I can't pick a favorite room!

Glow Bugs

Actually, they're solar lights, but I'm not too old to imagine. :)  Big Lots was selling these cuties for $5 off, and I've always loved dragonflies.  I placed them in my potted herb garden at the end of my walkway.  I wasn't sure if they would work because of my many shade trees, but I'm happy to report that they do!

The kit contains a faux rock, with five flexible tubes.  The dragonflies are placed over bulbs located at the end of each tube.  The rock is your solar panel.  

I love the way these dragonflies look in this pot, even if the lights hadn't worked.

Fortunately the lights do work, and they are beautiful!  This picture doesn't do them justice at all.  In reality, the lights are much brighter, and they blink.  The overall effect is one of dragonflies in flight.

I hope you all had a happy 4th of July!  Never take for granted the freedoms we all enjoy!

Knitting Injury

This is what happens when you use your finger to press down on the point of the needle as you move the stitches up.  It hurts more than you'd think, but fortunately this was not a bad puncture.  The pain was gone by the end of the next day, and completely healed a day or two later.  I've had them much worse than this one.

Morty's Remodel

I can't count how many times Dave has fixed that screen door.  Morty just loves to climb, and he's decided the screen door is the perfect apparatus for indulging this hobby.  Dave replaced the old material with pet resistant screen a long time ago, a product I highly recommend for households with pets.  Morty has never succeeded in tearing this heavy duty screen, but he has, on several occasions, managed to loosen and pull it free from the spline. Dave has gotten quite good at rescreening, but this year we may have to spring for a new door.  We've never been able to find a spline that isn't too thick for the groove framing this screen, so Dave has been reusing the spline that came with it.  That will not be possible this time.  The spline is now stretched beyond use, and the trim is split and falling apart. 

Isn't this gorgeous?

I forgot to mention that Morty chose the day before our Houston trip to pull this, a time when we were both too busy to tackle it.  A piece of plywood nailed to the frame is the lovely look we're sporting back there. Surprisingly, it isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would, which is a good thing.  Way too often, I settle for whatever will give me the quickest fix, but not this time. 

This sweet little face is always up to something!

 We spent the weekend in Houston, getting home with plenty of vacation days left for screen door shopping.  Unfortunately, we can't find anything that looks sturdy enough for our needs, but there is potential good news.  At the Lowe's in Sulphur Springs, we found spline material smaller than the smallest we've ever found.  Dave may be able to salvage the existing door after all.

Unexpected Beauty

 Dave and I were away over the weekend.  We drove Kloe down to Houston to spend the summer with her mother.  While there, we shared a lovely dinner, and a nice long visit with Dave's daugher, Robin, and her husband, Roc.  Later, at the hotel, I couldn't sleep (surprise), so I googled yarn stores in the Houston area.  We found one called, Knitting In The Loop, which wasn't far from the hotel.  Dave took me by the next day, and Oh My, what a beautiful store!  I saw yarns there I'd never seen before.  Dave was in full vacation mode, and in a very good mood, enabling me to purchase some gorgeous yarns.  After we left the yarn store, we drove down to Galveston, where we shared a wonderful seafood lunch, and went for a nice walk along the beach.  When we got back to Houston, we spent the early part of the evening in the hotel swimming pool.  Since it was Sunday, we had the whole pool to ourselves!
Monday was check out day.  I was a little sad leaving the hotel, but after we got on the road, I began to feel excited about getting home to my cats (we've discovered that if we leave two trays of food, three water dispensers, and three large litter boxes, the cats will do fine for two to three days).  Our last stop was the Costco in Rockwall, then it was all homeward bound from there.  I didn't know then, but our trip held one last pleasant surprise.  We were just south of Cooper when we saw them.  Sunflowers!  Several fields of bright, cheerful sunflowers planted along HWY 19-24!  Dave pulled over to the side of the road to allow me some photo time, and I picked out the best pictures to share with my readers.  I hope they brighten someone's day. I know they brightened mine.

This picture was taken from the car window. 

For this picture, I walked around to the side to get a closer shot of the sunflowers' faces.

Hoya Pubicalyx Pink Silver

This plant looks amazing this year!  I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

 I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Woven Scarf

 I went to Ewe-nique Creations today to check out the new yarns, and there, on display, was the scarf I'd finished weaving for Marianna!  I had just about talked myself out of buying a loom, but seeing this made me want one again :(

So the question still remains, "To weave or not to weave?"

Knitting Kool-Aid Dyed Yarn

Three years ago, I became interested in dying yarn with Kool-aid.  I had several natural colored hanks of Cascade 220 wool in my stash, so I decided to give it a try.  I bought non-sugared Kool-aid packets in a vast array of colors and flavors, and spent several weeks transforming these off-white wools into colorful delights. Sadly, this yarn dying frenzy only lasted a short while.  It was during this time we reluctantly decided to rehome Max, only to have him escape and go missing for two and a half weeks.  This sent me spiraling into a severe depression, causing me to lose interest in yarn dying, and everything else.  I thank God every day that we found Max and later was able to bring him home! He's not going anywhere ever again!

Ok, enough of that!

To continue my story, I had stashed all these newly colored hanks of yarn.  Because I never wrote anything down, and I dyed each hank individually, there is no way I could ever duplicate any of the colors.  I had to limit myself to patterns that require 220 or less yards of yarn.  This task has become much easier with my recent scarf obsession, and I'm happy to share pictures of my first project made with yarn dyed by me. If memory serves me, and it may not, I'm afraid, this yarn was dyed using 4 packets of blue rasberry lemonade.

A close up of the lace.  Beautiful!

In this picture, I tried to shape the scarf as it would be worn around the neck.

My blooming hydrangea bush makes a perfect background.

The pattern is called 198 Yards Of Heaven, a free Ravelry download, designed by Christy Verity. Offering both charted and written instructions, this project is perfect for beginner lace knitters, and anybody who needs a quick, last minute gift.  The pattern is written as a kerchief style scarf, but you can easily adjust it bigger with more pattern repeats.  I chose to knit the pattern as written because of my small amount of yarn, I love the results!

From The Garden

Not much to write, but I wanted to share some pictures from my side garden.

This is the pink hydrangea that came with the house.  I've grown to love it.

The hydrangea Dave and I bought from the side of the house has grown so much.  Hydrangeas seem to do very well in my yard.

My pot of red salvia has its first blooms.  

This is the ground cover we planted three years ago.  There are a few thin spots where the rain spills off the roof and drowns most plants, but overall I'm very pleased.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

To Weave Or Not To Weave...

For the last two days, I've ventured outside my fiber craft comfort zone, and dipped my toes into the world of weaving.  Ewe-nique Creations, our local yarn store, now sells Cricket Looms from Schacht Spindle Company.  Unlike the intimidating floor looms most people, myself included, associate with weaving, these looms are small and portable.  I was introduced to one of these looms during one of my visits to Ewe-nique. One of the owners had hers set up with the beginning of a summer scarf in progress, and I got a chance to weave a few rows into it.  I must say I was intrigued, but at the time, I didn't give owning a loom of my own much thought.

Last week, during my panic trip to buy more yarn for my Haruni, I was again drawn to the loom sitting on the table.  I began to ask more questions about weaving, and was invited back to spend some time learning how to use this loom.  I went back Wednesday, and spent several hours weaving, and getting to know the shop owners.  I found out the owner of the loom is like me, in that she loves to start projects but has trouble staying focused enough to finish them.  I can definitely relate to that feeling!  I finished up the scarf for her on Thursday.  How fun!  These are a few photos I took with my phone while I was at the store:

I took this picture to show the compact size of the loom.

I zoomed in so you could see the work in progress, and get a general idea of how the loom works.

This is simply a closeup of the woven fabric.

I had a great time learning about a new craft, but I barely scratched the surface of what weaving is about.  I must confess I've begun to like the idea of owning one of these looms and weaving scarves of my own. Then I think of the expense.  I've talked myself out of it, and back into it several times.  So will I soon add weaving to my list of hobbies?  I just don't know yet.

The Magic Of Blocking

During the latter part of last year, I discovered the most amazing thread on Ravelry.  It's called Blocking: Before and After, and it has changed my whole way of thinking.  I used to think it didn't really matter if an item was blocked if it was knit or crocheted with even tension. I also didn't knit lace.  Oh, I had tried many a lacy pattern, but I was never happy with the way they turned out.  Believing I just didn't have the talent for lace knitting, I gave up and focused on other knitting that felt I was good at.  After browsing through Ravelry's blocking thread, and ogling all the before and after pictures posted by fellow Ravelers, I became a believer (a blocking convert, if you will). This thread also renewed my interest in lace patterns, and helped me to realize that I CAN knit lace.  There was nothing wrong with the way I was knitting it, I had just left off the most important step, which is blocking.  Now, I don't even consider a lace project to be complete until it's blocked.  

I've picked out some before and after pictures of my own to illustrate just how important blocking is.  I hope you enjoy:

Big Lace Scarf:  Fresh off the needles, no matter how much I tried to smooth it down, the sides intended to roll.

Blocking helped display the simple open design of this pattern.

Windowpane Scarf fresh off the hook.  Before blocking it was all rumpled and squishy.

After blocking, my Windowpane scarf is smooth and crisp.

Haruni fresh off the needles.  Needless to say, I was underwhelmed.

Haruni open and amazing. Blocking made all the difference in the world for this shawl.

Georgiana before:  This was my first project after getting back on the lace band wagon.  I guess I still had my doubts, because, in a desperate attempt to see the lace pattern, I kept pausing my knitting to pull the points down.

Georgiana after:  I needn't have worried, because it blocked into a beautiful airy shawl.  In hindsight, I could have really  emphasized the points by pulling more aggressively during the pinning, but it was my first lace block.  Still, it's not bad for a blocking beginner.

This is one of the motifs for my Noro Puzzle Scarf.  Before blocking, it drew backward forming a U, instead of an open box shape.

The same piece after blocking:  The corners are more pronounced and the piece lays flat.

All these pieces, sewn together, became one of my most treasured hand knit scarves.

I hope this visual post helps other knitters who have yet to dive into the world of blocking.  If you've stopped knitting lace because of this, I urge you to give it another try. With blocking, you can definitely do it.  If you're a Ravelry member, don't hesitate to check out that thread.  It's in the Yarn & Fiber forum on the main board.  You'll be amazed and inspired, I promise.
For those of my readers who do not knit or crochet, I hope the photo comparisons were interesting enough to keep you tuned in.