Now that the Flower Basket Shawl is done, I needed another "simple" project I could rotate with Wedding Ring Shawl (I'm on row 17 of the endless border). I am knitting again on Peacock Feathers after neglecting it for months and months. I guess my snit over having to pick back is over. And I'm knitting on the Shetland Tea Shawl and on Boundary Waters as well but I needed one more. I like to have five or six projects going so I always have something at different levels to knit. I don't know about everyone else, but when I don't have something to knit, I tend to read . Once I get on a reading jag, no knitting gets done. I do spin, but it's more like 30 minutes or so of spinning laceweight singles and that takes forever to get done so it hardly counts as an activity. I decided that I needed to use that 55/45 cashmere silk yarn I dyed rather than go for another gossamer weight shawl so I'm using it to knit The Spider Queen shawl by Hazel Carter. Knit on US 2 needles. I decided on the heavier weight yarn so that the shawl can take a little wear. If you check out fleegles blog you can see her "Spider King" shawl which her version of this shawl using a different border. It's really beautiful and she's decided on a finer yarn than what I'm using. For anyone considering a first effort into Shetland Lace types of knitting, this would not be a bad choice at all. You would have to have some experience with knitting other lace first but it's really a nice and easy knit so far. After looking at the changes that fleegle has made to her version of the shawl, I have started to wonder if I should also change mine. There is always something to be said for knitting a pattern as given. It's another "notch" in the knitting belt so to speak, but when I look at that border, I do admit it's a little odd. Oh well. I have time to consider it. I have Hazel Carters book on Shetland Lace Knitting From Charts and maybe I can do something a little different using that. Hope everyone's knitting is going well !
11 comments:
It' really gorgeous! I love the color of the yarn you picked and the knitting is exquisite, of course. You are such a fast knitter that you will probably finish yours first.
Are you going to pounce on the Princess shawl next?
oh, hooray--another Spidery shawl for me to gaze at! :) Is it the crown motif you find terribly odd--they look kind of like aliens to me (I could be making this up, but I think Sharon Miller found them so unappealing that she decided not to include them in her book). Anyway, I blush to say that I knit the pattern Exactly as written, sewing the seams and everything. It was a learning experience! :)
The color is amazing. I think the pattern shows it off wonderfully. I love it.
Dear fleegle,
I don't think I'll finish before you because I tend to rotate my projects. I'm not really into it for the "speed" or I'd stick to just one project at a time. I totally want to buy the Princess Shawl. That one I think I'll do in a different yarn. I'm tired of singles that are so fragile. Something with a little silk in it for strength this time!
Dear blaggdama,
Thank you! Considering the yarn was dyed poorly then "overdyed" so it wouldn't be a total loss, I think it's pretty as well.
Dear missalicefaye,
I looked up another crown in a Lacis publication on Shetland Lace and I will swatch it to see if I could replace the one in the pattern with that one. I also don't really like that zig-zag thing in the border either. I looked at the instructions for putting that border on and I'm not sure I'll do it that way even for the benefit of "learning". Even though I say that the original border is odd, I still have admired every Spider Queen shawl that I have seen knit-up including the one that you compleated. I still have time to decide on what to do!
Dear rosa,
Thank you! I love the color too. I'm a sucker for varigated yarns but I'm now trying to keep the colors in the same general range when knitting lace. It doesn't fight so much with the pattern that way!
Hi Jane,
Your knitting is so beautiful. I read your blog regularly but this will be the first time commenting. I also have that pattern and plan to make it. I was also planning to replace the crown with a different one found in The Art of Shetland Lace. I'm actually planning on recharting the entire border then playing with the different elements. I have Heirloom Knitting and The Art of Shetland Lace but I'm not sure if Hazel Carter's book is work getting. Do you think this book would be a useful addition?
Thanks,
Colette
Dear Colette AKA Knitsanity,
Thank you for commenting on the blog! I just went to look at your site and your lace work is just beautiful. I also own The Art of Shetland Lace and saw that same crown alternative. I let my copy to my sister-in-law Melinda along with the Sharon Miller and the Hazel Carter as she has suddenly become interested in knitting lace too. The Hazel Carter booklet has a little information on designing but nothing that you can't read about in the Sharon Miller book so it's not in the "must buy" catagory. It looks like alot of us out there may change this border to our own tastes. I think it's really exciting! Thank you again for posting. It give me a way to go see other blogs that have some of the same interests as I do.
Wowzers! You have some mad lace knitting skills! Better than excellent! (found you from the getstitchy.com blogroll)
dear t.
Thanks for checking in! I forgot that getstich.com has me on their blogroll. Lace is really addicting once you start doing it. Check out our simple lace suggestions in the sidebar if you want to try some :-)
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