This is the Agate Shawl that I started last year in Friday Harbor. The yarn is handspun, from a bundle of merino top that I won from Panda Bonzai, and spun last May. I started knitting in July, did the bulk of it in Friday Harbor, then mostly ignored it all winter because I couldn't decide how to finish the edge. Knitting paralysis at its best. This is such delicious yarn, and I wanted to use as much of it as possible. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do.
Last Friday, I just sat down and did it. I charted out a simple lace pattern that fit the stitch count and continued out from the body (rather than being a knit-on edging) and just started knitting. It was time to turn this UFO into a FO.
And you know? I love it. It's simple, doesn't detract from the handspun, and I think it actually complements it very well.
I particularly like the transition from the body to the edging. It was random chance that a lighter stripe came up in the yarn just where I started the edging, and it highlights the points of the lace beautifully.
The lace is a very basic 2-row repeat, just a centered double decrease and yarn-overs at the ends of the repeat unit, with a purl return row. I didn't know exactly how many rows of lace I was going to get out of the remains of the ball of yarn, but the simple pattern meant that I could knit until I nearly ran out of yarn. I wanted at least 5 lace repeats, and anything longer would be great. I ended up with 8 repeats, and after the bind-off I had two and a half yards of yarn left over. Perfect.
It measures 24" x 48", and it's a nice smaller shawl on me. Emma has other ideas.
I'm not sure she's going to get it, though. This is some of my favorite handspun, yummy yummy handspun, and I don't think I can sacrifice it to the dress-up box.
5 comments:
You got lucky there, not only with the light band hitting the transition like that but also with the light line on the bind off. It looks fantastic.
Maybe the two of you could share (yes, I know what junior sharing amounts to!)
Oh I love how you said, I just did it...that is what I need to do with some of my projects..and look! A wonderful outcome...again, as always, great work and color!
Ah, beautiful. Perfect harmony of pattern and yarn. And your owls are ultra-kawaii! Who'd have thought that motif would get a second run? I predict from the voracious bidding I saw on eBay this weekend that red-and-white mushrooms are on the way back, too.
Happiness is:
"random chance that a lighter stripe came up in the yarn just where I started the edging"
Lovely! And 2 & 1/2 yards left over! D#%* you're good!
That is just lovely. Congrats on the finish :)
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