Monday, April 23, 2007

spider's-web shawl



Pattern: Spider’s-web shawl
Size: Half hexagon
Finished Measurements: approx. 75” across top, 24” from middle center down to bottom of shawl
Yarn: silk merino hand painted lace from Yarn Ahoy etsy store in color chocolate cinnamon, 1 skein
Needles: 4.5 mm, 5mm and 5.5 mm circular addi turbo needles
Modifications: ended shawl after working Chart C once using 5.5 mm needles (the pattern calls for this chart to be worked 4 more times in 6 mm needles, resulting in a completed half hexagon 84” x 36”), single crochet bind off

I’m not sure what drives me to knit lace. A burst of passion for the delicate yarn and interesting stitches carries me through the bulk of a lace project. What is it that calls you to gather lace weight yarn and needles and find a seat next to good light? In this case I was drawn to the shawl featured on page 42 of VLT – the idea of strolling in a lush garden draped in hand knitted lace, the simple Barège pattern highlighted by the surrounding greenery. It speaks of leisure and elegance, a feeling that I wanted to try to recreate with my needles. This is the first time I used variegated lace weight yarn and I think it worked well in this pattern, but in general it’s a risky endeavor, no? The blocking process didn’t go as smoothly as usual: the yarn bled a lot in the sink, I really could have used blocking wires to get the hexagon shape perfect. I didn’t knit the last four repeats of Chart C – I had my fill of the Barège pattern and realized that the finished size (84”) would mean coming up with a creative blocking surface plan.



Layers of lace & tissue, ready to be mailed to its recipient.

Cross posted at The Daily Purl.

4 comments:

Rina said...

What drives me into lace is because the feminine look, the challenge, the surprise element (after blocking), the satisfaction, and the hard work.

The recipient will be more than pleased to get that shawl. I would.

Lori H said...

Your shawl is beautiful. I like the subtle varigation of the yarn you chose.

Stitchcounter said...

Its gorgeous--that's what gets me, something as simple as using knitting needles and yarn, things that are so common, can create something so delicate and beautiful. I hope your recipient enjoys it.

Ruth said...

It's just lovely ... the person you're sending it to will love it, I'm sure.