Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Daphne


Happy Valentines Day!!! I saw this cute little card and thought of all of the different hat's we each wear. We may wear knitting hats, quilting hat's, sewing hat's. Some of us also love to wear gardening hat's, chef hat's. I could keep typing on and on. I'm wishing you a day of love and lots of fun. Keep those hat's coming!

Today I thought I would show you my first lace project. The pattern is by French Girl and is called "Daphne". I first saw this shawl at Stitches Midwest. Susi and I attended our very first fiber show. We decided to find a project that we could both knit together. As soon as we saw Daphne we knew we found the perfect project for our skill level. I picked out Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb. It is 50% silk and 50% wool. The color is Tuscany. I purchased 3 hanks. This was probably the most money I had spend on a knitting project. It took me about 3 to 4 weeks to finish the shawl. Knitting it really tested my experience. All you have to do is draped it across yourself and instantly you can feel the warmth of the fiber. The shawl is truly gorgeous!




Susi finished her Daphne before I did. She went down needle size because she prefers a finer stitch. Hers turned out fantastic! It was just too small for the vision I had for mine. I cast on more stitches and followed the pattern. As I knitted along I was loving the way the shawl was working up. It was hard to tell how big it really was. The night I finished I showed my DH before I cast off. I draped it around my neck while it was still on the circular needles. Man, did it look great. My DH was impressed! He went to bed and I started the process of casting off. I thought I would never get it off the needles. Can you tell where I'm going with this? My shawl turned out to be a whopping 130". Yes, that's right, over 10 feet tall. The average ceiling in ones home is only 8 feet. This sucker is huge! It's gigantic! Enormous I must say! Then I had to add the fringe.





Here is a better shot of the stitch pattern. Isn't it pretty? I did not block this shawl. First because I'm not sure where I could have a space to do it. Second, I don't need it any bigger!!! Well, I did wear the shawl once out in public. I wore it to fiber show. I got lots of looks and compliments! I had to fold it in half and then cross it over my shoulders. I still had to be careful not to let it slide off and step on it! So now it sits on top of my knitting cabinet. I have it draped on top and it hangs over each side.
So tell me, what do you think?

5 comments:

Lisa Boyer said...

Wow, Cinnamon, that's gorgeous! I've heard so much about that Lion and Lamb-you're right, it's pricey! Glad to see and hear it's worth it! Beautiful shawl. You ought to make a point of wearing it more...but don't pull and Isadora Duncan on us, okay?

I'm loving the diet, believe it or not. I feel really good. It's easier than I thought as far as sugar goes...but the bread...ah, the bread. I miss the bread.

NH Knitting Mama said...

Wow, your shawl is beautiful! The yarn choice is perfect, too!

Anonymous said...

I think it is gorgeous. That yard must feel wonderful with the silk/wool blend. The Valentines Day card is too cute for words. I wish I had seen it at the store. I would have bought it too. Reminds me of the D. Seuss book "Do you like my hat?" Looks like you got hammered with snow too. Keep warm. :-)

Tracy Batchelder said...

I love the way the yarn looks in this stitch pattern. Very pretty! You might want to shorten it so you can wear it more often.

Debbie said...

I think it's beautiful. I also think you have far more patience than I :-D