minor adjustments

1) I made a mistake in my last blog post. Lorna's Laces dyes nearly solids, not "almost solids". These colorways will have a "ns" with the color number on the label.

2) The yarn used for the shell and the shawl has been discontinued. Most DK weight yarns are suitable for the shell. You'll need chunky weight for the shawl.

I have some chocolate brown Rowan wool cotton / color: coffee rich in my stash, and I am seriously considering giving this a try for the shell.

3) I tried a bit of gardening on Sunday, and promptly hurt my back. I'll be going to the chiropractor tomorrow morning for some adjustments....I've been all tight and crooked since the surgery, anyway, and I am hoping that I can be straightened out at least some! Yes I'm inpain today, hence the choppy blog post.

Dear Husband and Tall Son did a LOT of yard work the last two days, and I am thankful.

4) Had more bloodwork done last week, and the thyroid hormones need some minor adjusting. This was to be expected. I'll be getting my new dose at the end of the week.

5) I'm sorry my etsy shop needs to be closed for another week or so.

6) It's a good year for roses. I can easily adjust to that!

Pink?!

Barbara from the comments after the last post asked me if I'll ever get to wear the set I made for the book.

Indeed I will receive it back this summer, and it is for me to keep and wear as I like. Which is kind of nice! The shell needed to be made in a certain size specified by the publisher, for their model. I'm lucky I'm the same size, though probably considerably shorter. :)

Thing is, ever since I've received the book and posted about the project, I've been wondering whether I would really really wear the ensemble! Anyone who's ever met me, people who know me: have you ever seen me in pink?

Nope. I am not a pale pink and pearls kind of person at ALL. In the summer I'll wear lighter colors, linen and whatever goes with that. But in general I like solids, deep and rich colors, black, and chocolate brown. I've only recently started to augment that with some brights like turquoise and orange (not together, of course!!)

Then there's the lace. I love knitting it, but when I look at my wardrobe, I barely own a single lace garment. Scarves and shawls are the exception, of course. Lace in small doses, that's more my thing.

So why the heck did I knit a lace garment and stole in a color called Antique Rose??

The answer is fairly simple: I designed them not for me, but to the best advantage of the pattern and the yarn.

I was given a selection of Dorothy Reade's stitch patterns. I was hoping there'd be a diamond one, and there was! Lucky me! In two variations!! That meant I could play. One I used for the shawl, the other I used for the shell.

When I saw the yarns we could choose from, I wanted a yarn that would match the stitch pattern: a soft color that would be interesting, but also not obscure the stitch pattern. Sometimes you don't know until you swatch, but in this instant I was sure from the get go it would work. Lorna's Laces dyes Almost Solids, and it's what I requested.

I also knew I wanted to edge the lace pattern of the shell in seed stitch, which would again work well in the pale pink. (There's almost nothing seed stitch doesn't work with, really.) It would look like small pearls along the neckline. Diamonds, pearls, what could go wrong?? Funny thing is, I don't wear a lot of jewelry, either, I usually save it for special occasions.

So there you have it. A pink lace shawl and shell, and all I wanted was to do the pattern and its inventor justice. I hope I've done that.

Successful Lace Knitting

Two and a half years ago, Donna Druchunas was talking to my friend Alison Hyde about how she is planning to write a lace knitting book, honoring the work of Dorothy Reade. Donna wanted Alison to contribute, as they had just collaborated on Alison's book, Wrapped in Comfort.

Alison in her kindness referred Donna to me, who in turn graciously asked me whether I'd be interested in participating in a project that would involve 24 different lace patterns and just as many designers. We would all be able to pick a stitch pattern from a list, and then submit a design. I gratefully said yes.

I was very much inspired by a pattern that had 2 versions, and submitted designs for a shell knit in DK weight yarn, and a matching shawl, knit from chunky weight. Lorna's Laces was one of the companies that gave yarn support - and THAT inspired me even more. When a yarn and a pattern come together, it's a beautiful thing indeed.

Two years ago, I finished the pattern writing and the pieces and took a million pictures, before sending them off. Finally I am able to reveal:

Thank you for taking a first look. I am sure that I will be talking about this book and the projects in it a lot more....consider yourselves warned!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. It's Memorial Day weekend here, the weather is beautiful and summery, and tomorrow I get to go to the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft fair in Cummington. My dear friend Anna is driving, and I reserve the right to take a nap in the middle of the day.