Sunday, February 11, 2007

Black Widow Spider Queen Shawl--First Center Repeat Complete


I think it looks, well, stunning, actually (aside from the sloppy pin job). After the initial troubles with the spiders, I had no other problems beyond being unable to stop knitting it, as in....

Husband: Dinner's ready.

Me: Just one more row....

Later...

Husband: ....Dinner's cold.

Me: Well, then I can heat it up later, can't I?

In fact, this piece is zooming along so quickly it's a bit scary. But Shetland patterns are the simplest of all laces to knit because, in general, they are symmetrical and easy to memorize. And they use simple stitches too--no nupps, twists, wraps, or other fancy maneuvers.

In contrast, Estonian lace patterns can be quite complex, and oftentimes the YOs and decreases are very far apart, making it difficult (for me, at least) to memorize the repeat or visualize the final result.

I have to admit that I much prefer the sinuous and textural expression of Estonian patterns. At some point perhaps, I will design a Shetland-type shawl using Estonian patterns and confuse everyone, including myself.

Yes, I know, Dragone. The shawl body is complete and I have completed swatching for the border. I just blocked it, and will post later today when it is dry.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

ooooooh!!! it's gorgeous!

Lacefreak said...

Your shawl is coming out beautiful! What is food when you have to knit? I think a shetland style shawl with Estonian lace could be wonderful but maybe something like a stole?

Big Alice said...

Dang, that looks really nice. If you fudged it, I can't tell at all. It fits seemlessly.