8pm, Lemon Tree, PearceTwins are twice the love and twice the knitting deadlines for garments that have to be the same but different. These shawls are 12th birthday presents for the lights of my life, my nieces.
They need blocking but there are 7 weeks until the birthday so I'm further ahead than usual.
Yarn: 2 x 100g skeins of hand-dyed boucle mohair from Australian independent producer Colored Jules (one skein per shawl)
Pattern: Simple garter stitch triangular shawl pattern printed on the back of the card which came with the wool.
Needles: How cross-making. I had to buy 15mm needles to make these shawls. El cheapo Pony needles from Big W, but in a very nice symmetery I bought them on the last day of 2006 with the remaining 2005 Christmas gift voucher from the twins' parents .
Lessons learned:
- Knitting with large needles is awful.
- Garter stitch can be meditative. It can also be dull.
- Knitting the same but different is still the same when you aren't having fun.
- Non-knitters think you're really clever knitting "lace" in striking yarn.
- Mothers never forget and knitting mothers are not as easily fooled as muggles. Mum reminded me that at age 10 or 11, a very simple triangular shawl knitted on "rocket" needles from cream loopy mohair (so 1976) was the very first project I ever completed. She began this reminder with the comment "Are you learning to knit again?"
- With a bit of luck, this will be the last Barbie SpewTM colourway the girls will want now they are almost teenagers.
6 comments:
Barbie spew!! LOL!
they're beautiful Taph. I personally hate working on large needles. It just doesn't feel right to me.
ah but can your mother flick the wand and have the shawls knit themselves? given the vast amount you are capable of producing i am thinking you are like the hermione of the knitting world!
15mm needles are HIDJUS!!! I have knitted some of those Coloured Jules shawls - more like neck scarves on me - in proper colours, and I love them to death. I don't mind the tedium of garter stitch, in the right frame of mind it can be soothing and Zen. (Though not, admittedly, with 15mm needles).
Beware, though - the 13yo DD still likes pink. Though in many ways her clothing and colour choices are becoming more interesting and sophisticated.
Some people don't get over it. I've just done some pastel Barbie spew socks for a dear friend who's certainly old enough to know better!
Thanks for the link to Coloured Jules - what a wonderful site! :)
I had to laugh reading your comments and thanks heavons I don't have any nieces (close enough anyway) who would want one these in that colour!
You did well to get them done!!!!
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