One Size Fits All............

 

Following my little preview a few days ago, I can now share what has been keeping me busy for the last three weeks!!  I am still not certain I will fly through the next graphed knitting project, but am confident enough to give it a red hot go again some time soon.  I am not even sure I'll wear this shawl, despite how beautifully soft and drapey it feels.

The back is very appealing, and I'm sure this shawl would prove quite a head turner.  In all honesty, I don't think I'd be comfortable wearing this.  I plan to wrap it up carefully, with mothproofing, and hope it will adorn some precious baby in the near future. 

The completed shawl, shown here, measures 48 inches square, now that it has been pinned out and pressed.  It started life as three stitches!!  The inner garter stitch square was knitted diagonally, increasing and then decreasing.  The 'first' border was then picked up on a circular needle and worked [and worked] until it was time to finish with the outer border.

A few years ago I purchased three x 100g balls of handspun wool from The Fibre Hut, near Gatton, Queensland.  I know nothing more than what is on the label, ie 100g, 2/22 pure wool.  I can't seem to contact the lady again, so perhaps her business has folded.  The needles I used were 4.00mm, which gave a light, open effect to the knitting, yet there is still a lot of solid ground to offer warmth. 

This shawl pattern was taken from an ANNA magazine dated 1983.  I was stabbing in the dark at times with the instructions, but after a few failed attempts, things finally fell into place.  For the technically minded, I have to tell you the last four rows of the first border contained just over 860 stitches.  It took me seven days of constant knitting to knit off those stitches with the outer border!!

In this grouping I've included the shawl as it appears in ANNA, as well as two different versions of the same design, taken from a small Patons & Baldwins book from yesteryear [price 2/6d].  The view on the right has been knitted with the garter stitch on the 'straight', and the b&w view shows a shawl which in fact is circular, knitted on two needles, with a slightly different border than the ANNA version.  This is indeed a tried and true design, standing the test of time.  I have always enjoyed the thrill of lace knitting, making numerous matinee jackets when we were all having babies.  It has been a number of years since I have actually knitted a garment that is supposed to fit someone, so I thought I might satisfy my urges with this, and worry about the size later.  I must say too that I did not have the corrrect wool as stated in ANNA, nor did I wish to spend time waiting on something to arrive, so I forged ahead with what I had, using a needle size which felt comfortable for the wool being used.  I had to add more rows to the original inside square, and adapt the lace pattern instructions from there on, as my wool was obviously much finer.  I think the finished article would have only been useful for a premmie baby had I followed the pattern.  

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding lace knitting these days, with some spectacular projects being made.  I still have more than enough of this wool to do something else.  The whole project took a little over 100grams, and is honestly as light as a feather.

Thank you all again for your continued interest in the things I make, and the life I have here.  Your support is wonderful.