Arctic Diamonds Stole: So close, so very close

[msmcknittington]

I am very near to finishing my sister's Christmas present. I have only 60 rows left to do by tomorrow night, so I have time to block it thoroughly.



It's spread across my twin-sized bed, so it's just slightly too long to fit across it at this point. The two white liens near the top are lifelines; the distance between them is one pattern repeat. Each repeat is a whopping 63 rows long -- interminable when it comes to lace knitting.

It feels like it's never going to end. I know it will -- I've knit over 20 rows today, and I'll probably finish the last pattern repeat tonight. That means I'll have only 30 rows to knit tomorrow. Totally achievable. But I am so tired of dark purple alpaca/silk AND size 4 needles. Christ himself would be ready to ask Peter to finish this project. (Peter, naturally, would deny him three times.)

I know my sister will love it, though, and I know precisely what she'll do when she opens the box. She'll gasp, take it out of the issue paper, hug it, and then wrap it around her neck or drape it over her shoulders. And then she'll do something silly like drape it over her head or pretend to be a vampire. That's why I love my sister, folks: She's always looking for a good excuse to pretend she's Dracula.

Is it wrong that I'm already thinking about what shawl I can knit her for her wedding next September? I think it might be a good reason to buy "Victorian Lace Today." Or knit something in cobweb weight yarn! This is the dress she likes*. Any suggestions for a suitable lace shawl?

_{*I'm not saying she won't end up with something totally different. Probably not meringue-y, but there might be some empire-waist action going on.}

Comments

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

Very pretty! 30 rows isn't much--you can do it!

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It really is amazing to touch and handle in person. And very heavy. It's starting to drag on my wrists when I knit, so I'm glad the end is near.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Pretties!

As for the lace shawl, maybe an embroidered net instead?

[bexi.livejournal.com]

1. Your shawl is turning out to be gorgeous.

2. If I were to ever accidentally have a wedding, I would wear that dress.

3. If you do knit a shawl, make sure that the yarn you pick matches the dress - even if it's white, there are a bazillion shades of white out there, and some have the unfortunate effect of making another look dirty.

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

1. Thank you! I'm having trouble letting it go, but I think the sewn bind-off might fix that problem. It's fiddly.

2. Hee hee! Accidentally have a wedding? "Surprise! We're getting married!"

3. I'm thinking of knitting the shawl in the same color as the bridesmaids' dresses. Rachel has chosen truffle/espresso/very dark brown as her wedding color, and the dresses she's leaning toward all have chiffon overlayers, so the color doesn't haven't match too closely. I think she'd get more wear out of a colored shawl after the wedding, too.

[quincy134.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! I'm trying desperately to finish a shawl too. It's annoying how the last few rows can stretch on forever.

I think you will find some great options for a wedding shawl in Victorian Lace Today. I haven't knit anything from it yet, but the photos are just lovely. Are you thinking a triangular one or a long rectangle?

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I actually ran out of yarn two rows from the end. I could have wept, thinking of all the ends I need to weave in.

Are there any geometric lace patterns in Victorian Lace Today? I knit this stole for Rachel because she doesn't really like floral lace designs, and she loved that this one wasn't floral.

I was thinking a square or circular shawl, actually. I think the draping that happens when you wear those would be really attractive with the dress.

[quincy134.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I'm sorry you ran out of yarn so close to the end! The last shawl I knit was off of a cone, so I wouldn't have the yarn-ends problem. But then there were a series of knots in the middle, so I ended up having to splice a bunch of times anyway. I guess sometimes you can't win.

I don't have VLT with me right now, but there were some interesting geometric patterns, if I remember right. There were a couple diamond ones, and one more with circles. One of my friends made a large circular shawl that was just a simple spiral pattern, and that came out really nice. It was from A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen.