Saturday, March 29, 2008

Laminiaria Done (My. It really is very ORANGE isn't it?"





Just for the record. Mohair does not stretch much and it does not stretch easily. Brute strength is required and very sturdy pins. That said, it came out pretty nicely and will make a terrific shawl for the office. Why the office you ask? We moved our offices and the room I'm in is quite chilly for some reason. They think the air-conditioner is on all the time or something. In any case this shawl took virtually all of the 4 ounces of yarn I spun and I was fortunate I did not end up running out before the end!

To re-cap. The pattern is Laminiaria from the Spring 2008 Knitty on-line magazine. The fiber is from Black Bunny Fibers in a 50/50 Border Leicester/Mohair Top with a little Cream colored Suri Alpaca to lighten it up a little bit. The colorway is "Carnival" and was spun on the Majacraft Rose for a two ply laceweight yarn. Knit on US 6 needles, I followed the instructions for the smaller shawl because I was using such large needles and knew it would end up pretty good sized anyway.

For those not already aware, I have given away Legends of the Shetland Seas to a co-worker who is going to retire soon. The day after I got it back from the folks at Spin-Off, I gave it, and a copy of the magazine to her. It's her colors and now it will be worn and not put away in a box. Being in the magazine was great. Giving away the shawl was better :-) Good evening and good knitting!

34 comments:

Soo said...

It is beautifully orange!!

And Legends of the Shetland Seas as a gift - how incredibly generous of you. The recipient must be over the moon!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to knit Laminaria for myself. It looks so very pretty!

And I must say, the person you gave away Shetland Seas to is a very lucky person!

fleegle said...

Not orange, but a dark peach. And a beautiful dark peach it is,for sure. It looks a bit skimpy to cover a big-hearted person like you!

Dave said...

Totally gorgeous. I love how the motifs morph towards the end. Is it true that fire coloured shawls are warmer than, say, white ones? :-)

Laritza said...

Lovely!

shiguy4076 said...

amazingly beautiful. I love the color.
Shi

Unknown said...

Before it was blocked, it reminds me of a Spanish flamenco dancer. After blocking - well it's gorgeous!

Opal said...

I cannot get over how quickly you knit Laminaria up! She's gorgeous! And you have such a generous heart. I really should follow your example and gift some of my shawls.

BadCatDesigns said...

That is delicious! And it looks like it was fun to knit, too!

missalicefaye said...

I love it--fabulous color! And congratulations on your Spin-Off showcase! I'm very inspired by your beautiful spinning... :)

z's momma said...

I wasn't going to knit Laminaria, but yours is so beautiful I may just have to put it in the queue.

Anonymous said...

The Laminiaria came out well! A very good use of a wonderful color!! And I think your gifting of the Legends shawl must have made your co-worker think all her years of work was just made worth it with it! I am going to let you know when I retire :) I seriously do admire your big heart! Terry

LittleBerry said...

Looks lovely and I must confess to considering knitting this in the near future after Alpine as a quick knit.... so it's nice to see yours :O) and you're encouraging me to get back to my wheel which has been neglected since Alpine!!!!

Lacefreak said...

Dear Soo,

Glad you like the colors for Laminiaria. I have more oranges, yellows etc to spin so I guess I was really longing for sunsine LOL. My co-worker was very happy to receive the stole and I think I surprised the others at work because I don't really think they understood what I do until they actually saw it in person.

Lacefreak said...

Dear riaknits,

I'm glad to hear you will be trying out Laminiaria too! It's a little different but once you get the hang of it I think you will enjoy making it. The woman I work with deserves the stole and much much more. It makes a big difference to work with someone who is caring and reliable. Brings the whole work atmosphere up a notch for everyone :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear fleegle,

You are such a poetic woman! I like your color interpretation much better than mine. Much more praise and Laminiaria won't even be big enough to cover my inflated head but thank you!

Lacefreak said...

Dear Dave,

I like how it morphs too. It looks very different worn upside down. I like it better that way! As for the color making the shawl warmer, I must say I get warm just looking at it. The Mohair doesn't hurt either :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear Laritiza,

Thank you! I usually don't knit things that I know lots of people will also be knitting, but this was is really quite pretty once it's done so I'm glad I went with it :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear shiguy 4076m

Thank you! I thought it was pretty too. I suppose a nice cable sweater would be more practicle (I really need to knit myself a sweater), but it's not as much fun!

Lacefreak said...

Dear gailr,

I was a little wigged out by how big a ruffle it had on one edge before it was blocked but I'm happy now it's finished off. Still pretty flaming!

Lacefreak said...

Dear Opal,

I know you could also bang one out yourself. Once you get used to the pattern, it's really on 3 types of lace. that's it. I knit the small version on big needles so it really doens't take that long to knit.If I had enough yarn, I would have gone for the bigger one but I just didn't have enough. I don't know about me having a big heart. I just like to see the shawls go off to be enjoyed rather than boxed. I have NOT given away any of the Nieblings though. I think those are the ones that have to stay in my place until I am gone. Then they will have to pry them from my cold dead hands LOL.

Lacefreak said...

Dear badcatdesigns,

I'm a cranky, aging menopausal female who was not initially amused by having to learn to knit Estonian Lace. That said, once I got it through my thick skull how to do it, I found it much more enjoyable and I agree with you that it is "yummy". I really like the way it came out. It looks like a colorful Sherbert and the lace pattern really holds up to the vivid colors. What more could you ask for?

Lacefreak said...

Dear missalicefay,

I'm happy you like the shawl :-) I think your spinning is looking really great! I'm impressed you can use a spindle. Your singles look very even. I always sucked with those and I use a wheel. My sister, however, has an utterly beautiful spindle collection of which I have high envy. I hope you continue to enjoy the spinning. I find it very relaxing:-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear Z"s Momma,

Sorry to make more work for you but this is one of those times I was just too tempted! Check out the Ravelry group knitting it for yardage info, issues related to left and right slanting stitches in the "Star" section and peoples comments about what size needles to use. I found going bigger let me see the pattern better, but my yarn was not elastic. I think it would have helped a lot!

Lacefreak said...

Dear Terry,

I'm happy everyone likes how this one came out. I was lucky that I could use this bright color yarn for something. I was glad to be able to give my co-worker something I made rather than bought since, by this point in life, most people can go out and buy whatever they want for themselves. She will never see anyone else wearing her shawl :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear littleberry,

Take heart! I once neglected my wheel for YEARS, not months before starting back up. Take a good look at the instructions for Laminiaria. They are a little bit unusual but the results a really pretty nice :-)

Anonymous said...

Could we see your sister's spindles (re: your reply to missalicefay) sometime? I just feel like a bit of spindle envy eye candy is in order :) See, I'm back, drooling over your gorgeous work! Terry

Colette said...

The shawl is beautiful and you are a very generous person. Congratulations on having Legends featured in Spin-Off. Not only are you talented and generous but now we can add famous to the list.

Lacefreak said...

Dear Terry,

I will take shots of my sisters spindles for the next post along with a few boring bobbins of singles that I'm spinning now. I'm happy you are enjoying the lace knitting and even my spinning which, while not lace, is lace weight :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear collettes,

Thank you! Yes, I have now had my nano second of fame. As for giving the lace away, I think I am just looking for a way for others to see the lace. If I keep it, the lace will just end up in a box somewhere. This way, I get to show off as well as give something personal to a friend. It's a "win, win" situation :-)

Carol said...

And what a lovely orange it is! Great looking shawl.

WonderMike said...

Holy Toledo! That is positively stunning. Congratulations and BRAVA!!!! :-)

Lacefreak said...

Dear Carol

I'm glad you like how it came out. The pattern is really is a nice one and is a free pattern to boot! It's a great introduction to Estonian Lace knitting as well. What more could you ask for?

Lacefreak said...

Dear wondermike,

Thank you! I loved being able to find a lace pattern that would stand-up to all that colorful lace weight yarn I spun. It doesn't always work out that way so I was very lucky!