This is the Summer Stonington Shawl which I designed sometime around May/June of last year.
I was asked to review my Summer Leaves design. Problem was, I don't usually care for knitting the same pattern more than once. I began knitting it and then I decided I'd just keep on doing it and try some new (to me) ideas while knitting it.
I will, eventually, gather all my notes and posts about this shawl and publish it as one file. For now, if you want to knit it and have access to Ravelry, I created a series of posts, with charts, schematics and answered a few questions here.
Now, those are old news and you might be wondering why I'm talking about it now. Well, this shawl was made from my handspun. I bought some merino/silk roving, dyed it and then spun.
I spun short draw, so the yarn is a true worsted one (not as in worsted weight), yet, by the time I was knitting the border I began to see piling. I wasn't happy with my discovery, but was getting closer to finishing and had people waiting for it, so I kept on going.
The second disappointment with the shawl came a few weeks after the knitting was done. I took it with me in a week long trip and when we came back, the blocking job was all but gone.
I give away almost 99% of everything I knit, this shawl is one of the few exceptions. I kept it because it's too small for almost anyone else, there are huge design flaws in it and I wasn't really pleased with the dye job, how the colors came out, how the yarn behaved...What can I say? I'm a perfectionist.
Anyway, I kept the shawl and even though I love to block (yeah, I'm crazy), never bother to try it again on this one, because I thought it wouldn't hold the blocking - maybe because merino fibers have too much crimp.
The other day I was really bored and looking for something to do so I wouldn't have to do the things I needed to do ;). I finally picked up the SSS, washed it and blocked it again.
I usually block something and let it sit pinned down from one day to the next. This time, though, I kept it on the blocking board for almost a week. I just took the pins out and have a feeling this time the blocking will hold. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.
I was asked to review my Summer Leaves design. Problem was, I don't usually care for knitting the same pattern more than once. I began knitting it and then I decided I'd just keep on doing it and try some new (to me) ideas while knitting it.
I will, eventually, gather all my notes and posts about this shawl and publish it as one file. For now, if you want to knit it and have access to Ravelry, I created a series of posts, with charts, schematics and answered a few questions here.
Now, those are old news and you might be wondering why I'm talking about it now. Well, this shawl was made from my handspun. I bought some merino/silk roving, dyed it and then spun.
I spun short draw, so the yarn is a true worsted one (not as in worsted weight), yet, by the time I was knitting the border I began to see piling. I wasn't happy with my discovery, but was getting closer to finishing and had people waiting for it, so I kept on going.
The second disappointment with the shawl came a few weeks after the knitting was done. I took it with me in a week long trip and when we came back, the blocking job was all but gone.
I give away almost 99% of everything I knit, this shawl is one of the few exceptions. I kept it because it's too small for almost anyone else, there are huge design flaws in it and I wasn't really pleased with the dye job, how the colors came out, how the yarn behaved...What can I say? I'm a perfectionist.
Anyway, I kept the shawl and even though I love to block (yeah, I'm crazy), never bother to try it again on this one, because I thought it wouldn't hold the blocking - maybe because merino fibers have too much crimp.
The other day I was really bored and looking for something to do so I wouldn't have to do the things I needed to do ;). I finally picked up the SSS, washed it and blocked it again.
I usually block something and let it sit pinned down from one day to the next. This time, though, I kept it on the blocking board for almost a week. I just took the pins out and have a feeling this time the blocking will hold. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.
No comments:
Post a Comment