A while back – I think it was late last year – I told Carol I’d like to knit something for her, and asked what colour would she like it to be.
“Teal. Green. Blue. Teal-y green-y blue-y teal.”
More teal. I’ve spun a lot of that colour these past few years. It’s an interesting colour, because you don’t know if it’s blue or green. Or both. This project, however, marks the end of my spinning teal-coloured anything for a while.
Now: dyeing, spinning and knitting for a published knitwear designer who runs a small business selling handdyed yarn and fiber was a bit daunting for me. I fretted: would my work be good enough? And then I realised “The thing is, if I don’t do it now, then when? I’m not getting younger. My eye-sight isn’t getting better. If I wait til I’m better at dyeing and spinning and knitting, I might never get it done.”
And so, I started. The plan was to give it to Carol at Rhinebeck.
Carol had no idea she was getting this, and looked completely surprised when I handed it to her and said “This is for you.” And then she wore it for the rest of Saturday. (With a really pretty shawl pin, and I have no idea where she got that.)
The Pattern
I chose Evelyn Clark’s “Baltic Blossoms Lace Shawl" as soon as I saw it. It’s closely related to “Swallowtail”: if you can knit that, you’ll have no problems with “Baltic Blossoms”. The pattern is a downloadable pdf. Charts are clear, instructions are solid.
The design is one of Evelyn’s triangular shawls that begins with a 2 stitch provisional cast-on. That is, I think, the trickiest part of the project.
The Yarn
I dyed commercial Finn top (Louet) with Jacquard brand "Teal" and "Sky Blue" dyes. The yarn was spun/plied using the fast flyer of my Lendrum upright wheel in April of 2008.
Knitting Notes
This was my project for the Men’s Spring Knitting Retreat in May 2008; I got it started before heading out on the trip. The knitting is really straight-forward once you get the pattern established. It’s also a great opportunity to get over your fear of nupps. Like “Swallowtail” this would be a suitable project for an intermediate knitter; even a novice knitter could take it on provided they had a more experienced knitter to explain a few things.
All in all, a nice satisfying project.
To Recap
Pattern: “Baltic Blossoms” by Evelyn Clark: downloadable PDF.
Yarn: Finn top (Louet), dyed and handspun by me.
In Other News
I leave for San Francisco on November 6th. There may not be a blog post until I'm back. (It's wild crazy at work...) I have a place to stay: turns out Kevin was in England and forgot to tell me he was going, but it explains why he didn't answer my emails or phone calls.
To be honest, with the $$Cdn tanking against the $$US, if I didn't have a place to stay and my plane tickets purchased back in September, I'd likely cancel the trip.
It's flat-out gorgeous - super spinning, super knitting - wow!!!
Posted by: Joy | October 25, 2008 at 04:45 PM
Believe me, for once, I was rendered speechless. It is unbelievably gorgeous in person -- no photo could ever capture it's lusciousness. (I got the shawl pin from Morgaine at Carolina Homespun.) You touched my heart, Ted, and I am forever grateful.
Posted by: Carol | October 25, 2008 at 04:53 PM
I remember you working on that at the retreat. It's absolutely stunning! Lucky Carol!
Posted by: Paul | October 25, 2008 at 04:57 PM
That shawl is lovely. Have a great time at the retreat. I'm glad the accomodations worked out.
Posted by: JoVE | October 25, 2008 at 05:27 PM
Exquisite. Thank you for knitting Evelyn's superlative concept in stunning handspun. The life in the yarn is visible in two dimensions translated across miles through electrical transmission and pixels. That's powerful.
Posted by: Deborah Robson | October 25, 2008 at 11:05 PM
no wonder they call you the lace master!
lerve the color and the design; you could not have chosen a better person to gift with your hard work!
::green (or is that teal?) with envy:: ;-)
Posted by: anne marie in philly | October 26, 2008 at 01:03 AM
How beautiful. My favourite colour and a lovely pattern, which I had completely overlooked because the photo on EC's site is so poor. I do like her designs.
Posted by: Helen | October 26, 2008 at 07:50 AM
Wowzer! I didn't know that lovely piece of lace-candy around Carol's neck was the work of your hands. I was coveting it most of the day and evening. Actually, I was coveting the lace knitting skills to produce such a stunning item.
Posted by: Fiber Ninja | October 26, 2008 at 10:42 AM
What a wonderful gift! You've chosen a lovely pattern, and your yarn is beautiful - it makes for a truly gorgeous shawl!
Posted by: Josiane | October 26, 2008 at 08:20 PM
I'm in awe -- it's gorgeous, Ted!
And can I ever sympathize with your comments about being U.S.-bound: I was thinking of applying for a residency in Illinois next fall, but with the dollar turning turtle so fast, I'm thinking that Mississauga is looking a lot better for a funding application....
Posted by: Linda Cunningham | October 28, 2008 at 01:09 PM
i am so glad you are able to travel to san francisco! i hope the nice weather we are having stays around for you.
your blog was the first knitting blog i read. your beautiful lace work has been an inspiration to me, and introduced me to sharon miller and her heirloom knitting. thank you for showing me what i could aspire to. my daughter should thank you too, since i knitted her an unst stole for her wedding.
Posted by: dana | October 29, 2008 at 01:58 PM
The shawl is really lovely and you spinning perfect! Have fun at the retreat.
Posted by: Jane | November 02, 2008 at 12:17 AM
Honey, that shawl is spectacular and Carol is one lucky lady! And on a more selfish note, I'm sooooooo jazzed that you're coming to Bay Area. I'm steaming the red carpet as we "speak".
Safe Journeys!!!
xoxoxo
Posted by: WonderMike | November 04, 2008 at 01:22 PM