For those still interested in making a circular shawl from a doily pattern I have a couple more suggestions. You can, of course, do what Meg Swanson did for that circular shawl she made in "A Gathering of Lace" . That would be the "Spanish Peacock Shawl". She made it on really big needles, about size US 10, added additional repeats of the pattern and finished with a lace edge from Barbara Abbey's "Knitted Lace". If you got the most recent Knit Picks Catalogue (Fall 2006) which I got today, the one with the black and white sweater and portable magnetic board on the front, you will see on page 44 that there are several circular shawls that were adapted from patterns published by Gloria Penning. I pulled out my copies and found the "Rona" pattern in my copy of "Danish Lace Treasures" which featured the work of Anna Marie Jensen and was published by Gloria Penning. The original was done with # 30 cotton and with US 0 needles and ended up 33 inches in diam. The doily had 153 rows ending with a crochet edge. The version in Knit Picks looks very much like the original but, according to the ad, is now knit on size US 5 and ends up 52" in diam using "Alpaca Cloud".
These shawls are circular, not more than 360 degrees, so block out flat. Very pretty. Check out that Knit Picks catalogue!
5 comments:
Speaking of Gloria Penning--how do you like her books? For that matter, what are some of your favorite lace books? Inquiring minds.... :)
Dear alice,
If you prefer your patterns to be charted, then Gloria Penning is not for you. She has instructions for each row. When I was new to lace, I actually preferred this type of instruction.I like the patterns too but not as doilys. I bought them long ago and used them primarily for shawls at that time. The only one that was charted was "Patterns for the Art of Lace Knitting, The Complete Works of Rachel Schnelling". However, they are charted in "the old way" ie not with the universal knitting terms were are now familier with. You would have to learn her terms to knit them. My favorite knitting books... Hmmm...
I really like "Heirloom Knitting" by Sharon Miller for Shetland Lace, "A Gathering of Lace" by Meg Swanson for multipal level projects, "Traditional Knitted Shawls & Lace" by Martha Waterman for those not familier with how to make a shawl, "Shetland Lace" by Gladys Amedro (still no charts) and "Knittting Lace, A Workshop with Patterns and Projects" by Susanna E. Lewish.
Those would be my favorites!
What are your favorites?
Believe it or not, I only have 4 lace books--Heirloom Knitting, A Gathering of Lace and Marian Kinzel's books. I love them all. :) I missed the window of opportunity for reasonable prices for the Amedro and Lewis books.
I generally don't mind line-by-line instructions too much, although I have been known to get lost in especially long lines....
Dear alice,
It always freaks me out that the Amedro and Lewis books are no longer in print, that I'm old enough to have bought them new. Just call me Granny.
Maybe if they'd been published in the 40's rather than the 90's, you could claim "granny" designation. as it is, I'd say you just had lucky timing in the realm of shetland lace knitting. :)
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