It is a triangular kerchief or shawlette, and is worn with either the point in front or back. The pattern is 198 Yds. of Heaven by Christy Verity and I have long admired it. I tried to knit it over a year ago and could not get past the first four rows; while she designed a lovely kerchief, Ms. Verity does not write instructions as well as she could. When I started the pattern three times and failed each time, I set it aside. Who am I kidding? I probably threw the pattern across the room.
Last summer, several members of the Motherhood Later group on Ravelry worked on the pattern as a knit along (KAL). I was knee deep in other knitting projects at the time (like the dreaded vest I made for my mother) and did not participate, but realized that if I chose to try again, their discussion of the pattern would be helpful.
About a month ago when James and Aidan were on a Cub Scout camping trip, I decided to try the pattern. I read through the posts on the Motherhood Later discussion board, asked one of the members, Karina, a few clarifying questions, and set to work. I did end up restarting once or twice but soon I found myself past the first four rows and almost to the end of the first lace repeat. And I loved what I saw on the needles.
I finished the kerchief on Wednesday and blocked it yesterday, using the handy dandy blocking mats from Knit Picks that Aidan and James gave me for my birthday. The pattern instructions say to block "aggressively", which led my friend Jennifer to say that I should grit my teeth and snarl while blocking it. I think I oohed and ahhed more than I snarled, because this was the first time that I really saw the difference between an unblocked project and a blocked project. Here is a before blocking photo:
And here is the after:
Blocking made the lace really pop:
The yarn is Malabrigo Merino Worsted and the color is Rhodesian. When I was admiring the completed projects from the Motherhood Later KAL, I noticed that Andrea had used a lovely shade of orange; she is one of the few people I know who likes orange about as much as I do. Her choice made quite an impact on me because I realized on Wednesday that I inadvertently chose the exact same Malabrigo yarn and color as Andrea!
I can't stop looking at the kerchief - it may be the prettiest item I have ever knit. Sometimes I amaze myself.
4 comments:
Beautiful job, MaryAnne. I LOVE how the blob of knitted lace transforms into such a beautiful lace fabric with wet blocking. Nicely done!
Very nice shawlette MaryAnne. I too started this pattern and was befuddled with the directions. I have not been knitting shawls as of late, but have a hank of Berocco Ultra Alpaca in an Apple Green color which I have earmarked for this pattern. I will try yet again until I figure it out!
I love the color you used for your shawlette! I too have unsuccessfully tried a few times to start this pattern. I can't get past the setup rows and am not following the directions the way they are written. I will try yet again!
Roseann, thank you for the kind words! If you are on Ravelry, PM me (RowdyGirl) and I'll pass along the advice that was given to me that helped me to conquer the poorly written directions!
Post a Comment