Thursday, April 18, 2013

More Lace Shawls

Here are a few more that I finished last year, but I sold most of them before I got pictures. From what I can see in photos of my set up, I stitched 2 dozen of these 'shawlettes,' from April through October.

This was done with Hobby Lobby's I Love this Yarn -Wool worsted/aran weight and Size 8 (usa) needles.  I think this is just 1 skein, appox 200 yds.
The photos don't do it justice, since the color way is Black, Brown, Steel Blue and Navy blue, and those dark colors don't show up.


If I do any more photo editing on this, you still won't be able to see the lace patterns.  They are much more visible in reality.  This was done with one hank of FibraNatura Yummy- merino wool sock yarn and Size 8 (usa) needles- appox 370 yds.

I still have both of these shawls, so I just may keep them.  Perhaps if I wear them to supper, someone will buy them off my back... like my green cotton shawl.


This was stitched with 3 skeins of Zara Plus Merino Wool- worsted/aran weight... but I might have used a size 9 (usa) needles, because this is a heavier weight yarn.  There is appox 230 yards of yarn.  This is the yarn I traded the Fishes Shawl for.

What I did last year

These are all my Migraine Shawls, and like Jane Eyre, I stitched most of them with migraines or brain fog from my other health issues.  Yes, I stitched all of these with a migraine.

And in the days to come, I'll post my explaination on how I was able to do this.

I called this one Eagle Wings, for obvious reasons.  It was done with one skein of Pattons Lace, and Size 8 (usa) needles. (roughly 500 yds of a lace/sock weight yarn)


I sold this at Christmas at Old Fort Concho.


This one was labled Fishes, since a lady at my stitching group noticed how the 'falling leaves' pattern looked like Fishes.  This took 3 skeins of Ella Rae Extra Fine Heathers, a merino wool yarn... and Size 8 (usa) needles. (appox 200 yd of a worsted/aran weight yarn)



I traded this one for more merino wool yarn at our stitching group.  A lady brought the yarn to our yarn swap.



This was to be MY shawl.  It was stitched with 2 hanks of Aracunia Pima cotton (worsted/aran weight) and Size 8 (usa) needles. 
As you can see, this lovely lady corrected me, that this was HER shawl.  She graciously let me get photos of her and the shawl (inside my tent at Ft Concho), since I never got photos... why would I need photos if this was MY shawl?

A new day...

As I recover my health, I'm trying to increase my activity a little bit at a time.  So, I'm going to work on my blogs more.  Today, I'm posting pics of some of the lace shawls I knitted last year.

This is a story I posted in facebook, but it is worthy of posting in a public venue.

...so give me a sec while I channel one of the Bronte Sisters....


It was a day dawning miserable, with the overwhelming sunshine made offensive by the migraine that awoken me. It was not unknown to me why this affliction should be present, mother nature has elected, with great humor, to bestow upon us unseasonably hot days (triple digits in April?!), that descend into seasonably cool nights. It is this unbearably diverse temperature swings that affect me so grievously.

I struggled long hours trying to calm the stomach, cope with the fog that permeated my thoughts and still find some small project which with to be productive. I gleaned on a lace shawl that, despite my brain struggling against the migraine, the instructions seemed easy enough. I bravely started stitching, but soon was forced to abandon the pattern.

I gave in to defeat, and heartless perused the internet for some tiny moment's distraction... and found a YT account with several great works of fiction read aloud with subtitles, as well.

The quite strains of Jane Eyre calmed my frustrations, and the lace shawl once again beckoned. However, this time, my needles forsook the words of others, and mysteriously followed a path all their own.

I had just finished chapter 15, when I clipped the thread, and fed the blocking wire through the finished product.  
I called this Shawl Jane Eyre, and I sold it at a living history event just short of one year after I finished it.  It was knitted with 1 skein of Caron Simply Soft and size 8(usa) needles.