My fiddlesticks Tina shawl is finally showing some progress. Although I try to work on it every night, it's not easy.
I now trully understand the difference between knitted lace and knitting lace. There isn't a 'rest' row and stopping mid-round is a recipe for disaster. On the plus side, I find it a bit challenging (which is good) since I actually have to pay attention when working on it (and not chatter when watching TV... it drives the husband nuts).
Each round if taking ages. Each round is close to 600 stitches. Not to exaggerate, but I have nightmares about having to rip back and have even descended to using the corks from wine bottles to make sure nothing slips off the needles when I'm not looking. This is definitely going to be a long term project.
Houston, we have more than a problem
Now, I hope that squiggly bit where I picked up the stitches actually block out straight. If you look very closely at the knitted shawl, on the right side, you see the wiggly edge as well. Of course, it'll be a *feature* if it doesn't. I read in my Barbara Walker that the center panel is fir stitch, a predecessor for the fern stitch and had a tendency for the fabric to ripple at the edge. If I'd know this earlier I would had changed to center panel. As much as I want to leave it, the rippling might drive me beserk.
Then there's the colour. The yarn is supposed to be off-white, but it looks more like beige. Making white yarn off white is pretty easy, all you need is some tea, but how does one make beige yarn more white? Bleach would be too strong, do you think a solution with hydrogen peroxide would do it? If you can bleach hair with it, surely it can bleach a little merino and cashmere?
I would like to think that I'm at the 40% mark, but reckon, I'm probably closer to 30% complete. It's not only hard to photgraph but hard to estimate as well.
Other stuff
I've been a bit loathed to post, I really wanted to keep Polly and James up longer. Funny, it's just like PJ said in the comments, this was the only way to get James wrapped around my fingers. Now I really must get a nice glove pattern.
I leave you a photo of latest residents to the ATU woolroom. As of yet unnamed, but aren't they just too cute for words? This was a Christmas present that travelled all the way from W Yorkshire.
and that little bit on Chinese culture...
Just as I was hoping that monkey year would just finish off and chicken year will start (Chinese New Year is Feb 9th), I read that couples in Beijing are rushing to tie the knot as soon as possible (i.e. before the New Year), because the year of the chicken is 'Widow's Year', due to star alignment, it'll be bad luck to get married...and many men are doomed to perish, hence widows.
I really want to see a happy year. Chinese people are soooooo superstitious. Many people rushed to have cesareans in the horse year to avoid giving birth in the sheep year. Why? Sheep are viewed as 'followers' and horses are leaders so being born in horse year is supposed to be better than sheep year.
Monkey year is also supposed to be a very auspicious sign, but this past year has been appalling. For what it's worth, it is Chicken year not rooster year and sheep year not ram year. The sequence in the zodiac means that those years are feminine, not masculine (Yin and Yang).
Posted by atu at January 5, 2005 08:32 PM | TrackBackBlocked lace is very forgiving. Wonky spots tend to be very easy to tease into place.
Posted by: Carol at January 10, 2005 07:36 PMBlocked lace is very forgiving. Wonky spots tend to be very easy to tease into place.
Posted by: Carol at January 10, 2005 07:36 PMI admire you for sticking to your shawl. I have one started - since 2001 - that has no rest row either, and it is tough to make myself work on it. I have 40 more rows (of about 200 tiny stitches) to make it to the halfway mark, then I start over and do it again, with a grafting in the middle - if it ever gets finished! It's beautiful, though, as is yours, so hang in there. Maybe set a reqired number of rows - like 2 - per day and then reward yourself with some other knitting?
Posted by: Linda at January 10, 2005 03:21 PMthat year of the monkey explains why the states elected a man who looks like a chimp; what about year of the snake?? what soes that mean, its when I was born, and every year around me seems to be year of the freak...
more power to you on the lace, you amaze me!
Posted by: stinkerbell at January 9, 2005 09:21 PMBeautiful shawl. Have you thought maybe of using a bit of lemon juice diluted in some water? Age old thing for lightening anything up, but I'd suggest trying it out on some of the yarn before I tried it on the shawl. If a Lemon water soak doesnt do it alone, lemon it, and let it rest in the sun. It's a way to lighten hair so I see no reason why it wouldn't lighten wool. Good luck!
Posted by: Bobby at January 9, 2005 05:47 AMFantastic shawl!
Posted by: General Ginger at January 9, 2005 12:19 AMSorry Polly - this is a message to Terry who doesn't seem to have a "link" - thousands available in both Australia and New Zealand - do you really want another one??? I wouldn't mind in the least.
Posted by: Lesley at January 8, 2005 07:52 AMAn absolutely beautiful piece of art / knitting! I have already looked at the pics five times. I admire you for such complex work. Hmmm, one day maybe I will try. First I'll do your Kiri shawl - thanks for gifting us fans of yours.
(Have you ever run across a lamb, that when turned over, makes a "baaaaaa" sound? I had one long ago - I think my husband may have tossed it...
Posted by: Terry at January 7, 2005 09:44 PMAn absolutely beautiful piece of art / knitting! I have already looked at the pics five times. I admire you for such complex work. Hmmm, one day maybe I will try. First I'll do your Kiri shawl - thanks for gifting us fans of yours.
(Have you ever run across a lamb, that when turned over, makes a "baaaaaa" sound? I had one long ago - I think my husband may have tossed it...
Posted by: Terry at January 7, 2005 09:44 PMAn absolutely beautiful piece of art / knitting! I have already looked at the pics five times. I admire you for such complex work. Hmmm, one day maybe I will try. First I'll do your Kiri shawl - thanks for gifting us fans of yours.
(Have you ever run across a lamb, that when turned over, makes a "baaaaaa" sound? I had one long ago - I think my husband may have tossed it...
Posted by: Terry at January 7, 2005 09:44 PMAn absolutely beautiful piece of art / knitting! I have already looked at the pics five times. I admire you for such complex work. Hmmm, one day maybe I will try. First I'll do your Kiri shawl - thanks for gifting us fans of yours.
(Have you ever run across a lamb, that when turned over, makes a "baaaaaa" sound? I had one long ago - I think my husband may have tossed it...
Posted by: Terry at January 7, 2005 09:44 PMThat lace is beautiful!
Posted by: Gaile at January 7, 2005 06:16 PMI was thinking of doing the Tina as my next project, but...no "rest" row? Egad!
Posted by: Snow at January 7, 2005 05:42 AMBaby Jamie is a sheep! I am a rat!!
Your lace knitting has me gobsmack!
Posted by: elisabeth at January 6, 2005 11:00 PMStop right now, Polly. Do not put bleach on your shawl. It will dissolve the wool.
http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/sheep.html
I do this all the time when I want to test whether an unidentified ball of yarn is wool or acrylic.
Posted by: Susan at January 6, 2005 10:06 PMPolly - rather than risking any dyeing process on this ever-so-slightly-off-white shawl, I think your best bet would be to buy some white wool and knit another one!!!
(Sorry - strange sense of humour)
Wow Polly ! I don't know whether I'd go mad or blind first working on something that intricate ! It's lovey. So delicate. :0)
Posted by: Heather at January 6, 2005 09:10 PMWow Polly ! I don't know whether I'd go mad or blind first working on something that intricate ! It's loveyl. So delicate. :0)
Posted by: Heather at January 6, 2005 09:10 PMYour shawl is a splendour
Posted by: Dominique at January 6, 2005 03:38 PMYou'll have a feeling of great accomplishment when you finish this shawl. I find doing knitted lace a great strain on my sanity, I dread to think what knitting lace would do!
Posted by: Linda at January 6, 2005 12:49 PM600 stitches!? suddenly my birch seems so small ...
Posted by: kris at January 6, 2005 08:38 AMLove the new flock for your wool room.
And with regard to Chinese astrology, somehow my sign (Tiger) was to end up with 7 years of bad luck, starting in the year 2000. After that its suppose to be prosperity all the way. The last 5 years have definitely been trying - thankfully there's only 2 more years to go!
Posted by: Susie at January 6, 2005 04:45 AMMy husband and I did't pay attention to the Chinese zodiac sign when we planned our family. We ended up with a Dragon girl and is now having trouble finding her a place in primary schools because there are just so many Dragon kids. And our second one is a Sheep girl whom we foresee would not have any trouble with school places compounded with the fact that there weren't many kids that year because of SARS.
Posted by: Siow Chin at January 6, 2005 03:13 AMWow! Your lace shawl is amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing her done.
Posted by: Eilene at January 6, 2005 03:13 AMPolly, the shawl is fabulous, you really must bring it to libertys to show it off (especially pre-blocking). it doesn't look beige at all, sort of a cream colour.
Really interesting stuff on the Chinese NYs! I'm a rat (I think) would much prefer to be a sheep!
Dawn :)
Posted by: dawn at January 6, 2005 12:44 AMPolly and James are absolutely beautiful - are they both going to be gloves? I would be Very Very Careful doing anything with the colour of that fantastic shawl, it is blended yarn which may take up the dye differently. Ask Nicky..... I used to use peroxide on my hair many years ago - it made it very brittle.....
Posted by: Jill at January 5, 2005 11:30 PMFab shawl Polly!!
I was born in the year of the Sheep!! So I am ready to 'follow' your next instructions on the sock lessons, am now up to the toe. Woo Hoo!
Your Tina shawl is absolutely fantastic and your patience is just amazing. The thought of all those stitches in one round fills me with awe.
As for lightening the colour of your shawl, I wouldn't know where to start. I think you are very brave even to consider it, I would end up with a felted mess if I tried.
Posted by: Louise at January 5, 2005 09:51 PMDitto Kay - on both counts - and I am (almost) sure those wiggly bits WILL block away. On Chinese culture. I read a day or so ago (too late! too late for me!) that one shouldn't do laundry on New Year's Day because that would be washing a family member away nor should you wash your hair, sweep etc because that is washing/sweeping away all the good luck for the next year. Hope it only applies to Chinese NY because I did do laundry on Jan 1. I'll be sure to mark Feb 9 on the calendar.
Posted by: Lesley at January 5, 2005 09:14 PMThat lace is wonderful! So beautiful. That will truly be a heirloom piece of art, Polly.
I'm thinking of adding your Kiri Shawl to my list of "must knits". Did you know that there are a group of knitters knitting it in the Townsend KnitAlong group on Yahoo? (Link on my sidebar).
Posted by: Annie at January 5, 2005 09:12 PMPolly the sheep are cute indeed but Polly the Alpaca is much more glamorous.
The shawl is amazing. I'd be terrified to try to lighten the color. xoxo Kay
Posted by: Kay at January 5, 2005 09:07 PM