“Spinner’s Lace Shawl” – Finished

Another shop sample for Lindenhof Wool Mill, this one in 100% alpaca. A lovely design, I think, and a great shawl to have slung over the back of your knitting/reading/computer chair for the times you need something over your shoulders, or for when you just want a bit of warmth when you’re propped up in bed reading. That’s the shawl slung over the back of the knitting/reading chair in my pad.

The pattern is by Evelyn Clark for Fibertrends: one of several she’s done that start with a 2-stitch provisional cast-on at centre neck-back. That is, in fact, the trickiest part of the pattern. The lace repeat is 10 stitches by 10 rows and as alternate rows are worked “knit even”, there are really only 5 rows you need to think about. Instructions are provided in both charted and row-by-row-by-word format: pick one format and stick with it, or put some time into seeing how the 2 compare and then refer back and forth as you work. Both charts and written instructions are broken into separate sections for the different pattern bands in the garment, but the sections don’t always match. Plus, the written instructions will give you ideas about how many repeats will put how many stitches on the needles; the charts don’t give you that information and you’ll want it to help with sizing.

The shawl blocked out to 84" wide on top edge by 38" deep. That’s larger than the measurements in the pattern, but then I worked more pattern repeats than their sample model. (I thought it looked a bit small on my needles.) The instructions give “specs” for a garment having 8 repeats of the main diamond pattern; I worked 12. The downside to adding the 4 repeats is that I cracked into a 3rd skein of yarn to work the last row-ana-half and the bind off. If I’d worked 11 repeats, I should have only needed 2 skeins, and the shawl would still have been generously sized.

I will be honest and say I didn’t measure gauge before starting. I worked a couple of samples using differently-sized needles. Several of us fondled them and decided which we liked the feel of. Gauge of the blocked piece: 1 pattern repeat is 2.75" wide by 3" deep. (My garter stitch fabrics don’t come out at that “2 rows to 1stitch = square” thing and, anyway, it’s lace and that changes some things about the fabric.)

Experienced lace knitters will have no problems with it; novice lace knitters will need a bit of guidance. It’s well within the skill range of most, and would be a good project for lace knitters who want to tackle something larger than a scarf.

Lindenhof has spun a lovely, lovely 100% alpaca yarn to work with. Handles beautifully, with a wonderful silky feel. It’s also a limited-edition yarn, all spun from 1 fleece. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. (That said, I’m sure they’ll spin other 100% alpaca laceweight yarns.) It’s heavier than what many of us expect a lacewieght yarn to be, but I think that makes it easier for more knitters to use. Not everybody wants to knit with really fine yarns, and this has performed very well in this shawl.

To Recap:

Pattern: Spinner’s Lace Shawl from Fibertrends, available lots of places. Ask at your LYS first. (I got mine here.)
Yarn: 2anabit skeins of Lindenhof Wool Mill’s “Alpaca Lace”. 100%  alpaca (360 yards /skein, about 100grams) See above for my comments about yarn amounts and shawl size.

Comments

[Jason]

Ted! Another wonderful shawl! Beautifully knitted! What's that on the arm of the chair???

[Jane]

That looks really lovely! I had not considered that pattern but now I've seen it made up I might have to reconsider :-) Great job on it as usual.

[Carol]

Pretty! And not very hard, you say? Hmmmmmm...

[Kiyomi]

Your lace projects are always beautifully executed and inspiring to journeyman lace knitters like me!

[Faith]

It's amazing! Mind if I link to it?

[QueerJoe]

Thanks for both the lovely eye-candy and the thoughtful step-by-step review of both pattern and yarn. I honestly think that yarn would make any lace pattern look exquisite.

[Kiira]

I see that you are a very skilled lace-knitter. I adore you!