What better way to shake off the Chevron wip doldrums that to cast on for another project, one that promises not the instant gratification of the cowl (Grassy: you will be mine, but all in due time) nor the mindless round-and-round of the stockinette sweater (Wicked, I've got your number and you're on deck), but rather the extreme intricacy and high cognitive demand of lace? Hey, I'm nothing if not utterly impractical, but terrible predictable (check the name of the blog, people).
I want to make a shawl for a very important person, and am asking for some recommendations. I have made one lace project, the Shetland Triangle, a project that real lace knitters might potentially dismiss as not really a lace project at all. But it was a gas, and I was happy with it. Above you seen three skeins of Malabrigo lace weight (470 yards each) that are each just itching to become a shawl, and so I am asking you all for your shawl suggestions. Please weigh in on this important matter.
MDS&W alert: Peeper-lou and I will once again be hitting Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, this time with Purlfriend in tow. So. Excited. Remember last year's hi jinx, when the little miss was featured on Let'sknit2gether with her "I only knit with corn" schtick? We're hoping for more fun this year, which will certainly include Brooks Farm and Tess yarn, funnel cakes and NOT going to the Fold booth and getting elbowed by craven shoppers. We'll be there on Sunday, and hope to see some of you there!
25 comments:
Oooh, I am jealous that you are going to MDS&W! I could probably go if I wanted to, but it's a big no-no for the wallet right now (did you know houses are expensive?).
As to the shawl, I'd recommend anything written by Evelyn Clark. Her patterns are always well written and easy to understand. I also like Miriam Felton's patterns a lot. There are several lace pieces by both designers in my Ravelry notebook, if you need to see pictures. Those are some beautiful colors, so I'm sure whatever you choose will be spectacular!
Oh...I so want to go! But I suspect my family might object to my dropping everything to fly 3000 (3500? 4000?) miles for wool.
Oh, MDS&W. Next year, my pretty.
Not sure whether you're looking for a triangular shawl or a rectangular stole, but:
Triangulars are hard with just one hank of the Malabrigo, unless you explicitly set out to make a scarf-sized version. (Ene's scarf, Icarus, and Leaf Lace, which are all totally lovely, would typically each take 2 hanks of the stuff.) I do note you could do Swallowtail, and Evelyn Clark is just a fantastic designer, but you really need to think long and hard about how you feel about nupps. :)
Evelyn Clark has done some completely gorgeous stoles, too, which can often be done in under 500 yards. I'd check out Trellis, a narrower version of Madli's Shawl, the Estonian Garden Scarf, or any of the *several* lace and lace-edged scarves in Victorian Lace Today. (A truly excellent book for lace; I'm sure the library will have it if you don't.)
Hope this helps! Those colors are phenomenal.
I wanna go to MDS&W too!!! (pout) I hope you have a great time with the Peeps.
Hmm... Can't really think of a shawl that only uses 1 skein... Well, except for the Shetland, which in my humble opinion is TOTALLY a lace project. A nice, easy, beginner lace project, but lace nonetheless. Lace scarves abound however. What about the Raspberry Rhapsody Scarf from "The Knitter's Book of Yarn"?
Why are you implying that the Shetland triangle is not "real" lace? It's hard work counting all those yos and decreases!
I agree with Amy: most lace triangle shawl necessitate more than 500 yds... So the Swallowtail shawl would be perfect!
I have no lace recommendations. I am still dipping my toe in the lace pool and haven't taken the plunge yet. Good luck! Have fun at MDSW on Sunday. I'll be there Saturday.
Ooool, I LOVE the color of that Tuareg! No help on the lace part, though, as my inner maven-ness has yet to emerge.
I think one hank give you enough yardage for the Swallowtail shawl. Malabrigo lace....pretty. Want some.
MDSW!!!! Hurray for you!! Have a fabulous time, and you really need to bring back lots of yarn for future blog posts. Wouldn't want to run out of topics, after all.
If you want beautiful lace, go look at anything from KnitSpot. Her patterns are so well written, she practically does the knitting for you!!
The Pagoda has long been one of my favorite colors. Love the Grassy pattern as well. I look forward to seeing what the rest of your readers suggest for shawl patterns. And I'm so jealous about the MS&W!
Crappers! I'm going to be there Saturday only. :( I would have loved to have met you in person. At Rhinebeck in the fall perhaps. . .
I love Swallowtail & Kiri both take small amounts of yarn. In the case of Kiri, she shows the pattern in three sizes. Icarus is a beauty, but it took two skeins of Malabrigo lace when I made mine.
Funnel cakes? Everything went blurry after I read that - damn, love me a funnel cake! Enjoy them! I think the Swallowtail is a nice shawl and one skein would be enough:) Don't let the nupps scare you (purl like a zillion stitches together) - you'll be the boss for sure!
I'm ignoring the whole MD S&W festival thing this weekend b/c I really thought I'd be able to go this year and can't. Wahhhh.
I liked the Forest Canopy shawl--I used less than a skein of sock yarn for it...not sure how that would translate into laceweight, though.
I'm positively GRASSY with envy, but maybe next year! I expect you to learn how to drop spindle, get some BFL and a couple of spindles.
For a rectangular shawl (stole?) I'm thinking about the Hanami. I may do mine with snow on both ends or the lattice end just plain. Anyway, I think it is darn cool and you might too.
Not that I really know anything about knitting lace (at least enough lace to make a shawl/stole/whatever), but since the Malabrigo is a single, perhaps you'd want to steer away from stockinette-based lace? Singles yarns tend to go tilt-y--I think the technical term for that is bias...
Have a fantastic time!!
Swallowtail is available free right now and takes about 400 yards. If you do the K1 YOs loosely the nupps aren't that bad. It looks really easy to wear with just about anything, I'm about to start a beaded one for a wedding this summer.
I knit Adamas (it's a knitpicks pattern) and it wasn't hard at all. Harder than the Shetland Triangle but still managable... and it's knit from the center out like the Shetland Triangle so you can stop at any time if you're concerned about yardage.
btw I am SO jealous of your going to the sheep and wool festival! Can't wait to see what you come home with.
oh, i so wish i was going. keana and i tossed the idea around, but it wasn't going to work for us this weekend. and i am SO bummed about that!!!
have a fantastic time!
I wish I could suggest a shawl. Most the shawl patterns I am familiar with don't use laceweight. I have some laceweight that is just dying to become something but I've never found a pattern for it. Good luck with that AND MDS&W!
Have fun at MDS&W. I can't give suggestions for a lace shawl... I continue to fear lace knitting.
Swallowtail is about the only shawl I can think of with just one skein, it's small, but incredibly pretty.
Hope you're having fun at MDS&W - I'm suitably jealous.
I am as far as you can get from a lace maven but what the heck. How about Swallowtail, I'll do it if you will...
Have a blast at MDS&W sounds like so much fun. I have months to go before my little outing in the Rockies but I'm already counting the days.
Mmmmmmmmmm I too just bought some Tuareg for some lace knitting of my own. You reminded me that I didn't record it in my stash on Ravelry yet. Mmmmm delicious hauls!
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