Over my recent vacation I finally got a chance to knit a Mariposa Shawl for myself. The original was give to my Matron of Honor to wear in my wedding. I started knitting the original long before we had even found a dress for her to wear. It was sheer luck that not only did we find the perfect dress (at Nordstrom Rack no less!) but it also was the exact same shade of yellow as my yarn. Barbara looked great in it, don't you think?
After my wedding I decided I really wanted a Mariposa Shawl for myself. I wanted it to be yellow, but sadly I didn't have enough leftover yarn to make myself one. And what fun is it to knit the exact same pattern again in the exact same yarn? So, I decided to spin the yarn myself. I dug through my fiber stash and found 2 oz of merino I dyed in the crock pot in shades of yellow and lavender. I spun it long draw as thin as I possibly could. I spent most of Memorial Day glued to my chair and spinning wheel. In fact, I was visiting my family who left for a few hours and found me in the same position when they came back. "You're still doing that??" Yes, still spinning. I had to get the yarn finished before I left for vacation. I still consider myself a pretty novice spinner, and I really had no idea how much yardage I would be able to get out of 2 oz. I just spun and spun until all the fiber was on my bobbins. Then plied for what seemed to be an eternity. Final result? Over 600 yards. I really only needed about half that amount. Oops. Well, enough extra for swatching and a few mishaps.
Happily on vacation I went, bringing my project along whenever there was a long car ride. I was able to get almost all of the knitting done in the car, except for the beaded border. Adding beads into my knitting proved far too difficult on the twisty turns and bumps of the mountain roads. In the few days that I have been at home after my trip I had the chance to finish up my shawl. Yesterday I had the satisfaction of washing the wrinkly heap and watching it turn into a delicate piece of lace.
No comments:
Post a Comment