June 08, 2008
All Dressed Up
This spring I knitted several scarves from my handspun Silkworker tussah tops. I knitted them as 'allovers' using traditional Shetland lace motifs. Next week our local fiber guild is having a show. I decided to enter three of my scarves. It's the first time I've ever gone to a show, so I'm pretty excited. Here are my 'babies' blocking on the bed.
Gibson Girl scarf in Rose Lace:
Gibson Girl top is a soft mix of sweet petal pinks, apricots and rose. I spun and plied it fine and somewhat loose, to allow the colors to blend gently into one another.
Rose Lace is a delicate pattern of rosebud nosegays set into a flowing trellis.
Subtle colorplay, intricate lace. A nice match.
Gumball Machine scarf in New Shell lace:
Gumball Machine top is a perky parade of long runs of bright candy colors. I spun and plied it firmly into a fine, crisp yarn that preserved the sparlking color every step of the way.
New Shell is a simple one-row lace pattern of solid chevron ribs separated by open ladders. Its talent for showcasing stripes has made it a classic for scarves since the days of the old Shetland knitters.
The rich vibrant color of the scarf is not due to matching up the colors between the plies. Rather it comes from color clarity within each ply. At any one spot the colors in each ply are pure, even though the color combinations are constantly changing.
Darling Clementine scarf in Crest 'o the Wave lace:
Darling Clementine top is a mix of cool rose, berry blues and sweetpea pinks, highlighted with yellow. I spun it thck-and-thin, in order to give it texture and an earthy feel to match its garden colors.
Crest 'o the Wave lace, like its famous cousins Old Shale and Feather and Fan, is an undulating pattern that brings out the charming colorplay in handpainted fiber.
Darling Clementine and Crest 'o the Wave come together in a scarf that is graceful, spontaneous, and fresh.
Three new scarves ready to go out on the town. All dressed up, they look pretty good. I couldn't be happier.
Wow Jan those are beautiful! I'm sure you will receive lots of praise for your spinning and knitting!
Posted by: CarolineF on June 8, 2008 01:13 PMBeautiful, I d'ont know which I prefer :-)
Posted by: fleur on June 8, 2008 02:00 PMThey are beautiful scarves and such lovely spinning, I hope you get a ribbon or 2 for them.
Posted by: Lin on June 8, 2008 03:34 PMPretty good? They're gorgeous! You have definitely captured what you were after in the spinning and designs!
Congratulations on your beautiful projects!
Posted by: Kerry on June 8, 2008 06:06 PMYour scarves are stunning! Good luck at the fair! Both the spinning and the knitting look like blue-ribbon winners to me!
Posted by: Kate/Massachusetts on June 8, 2008 07:22 PMBeautiful scarves! both in the spinning/spindling and knitting. Looks like a meticulous blocking job, too. Well done!
Posted by: Vicki on June 8, 2008 08:53 PMAbsolutely stunning work. The fiber is beautiful, the spinning is excellent and the patterns are amazing!!
Posted by: ldsvenus on June 8, 2008 11:59 PMopps, my link was wrong in the previous comment, sorry.
Posted by: ldsvenus on June 9, 2008 12:14 AMBeautiful work and beautiful colourways.
Posted by: knitman on June 9, 2008 07:07 AMThe yarns and scarves are really lovely. The rose trellis pattern is one of my favorites. I've never seen it in a scarf before but I just might have to knit one myself after seeing yours!
After I retire in September I just might have to learn to spin...
Posted by: Maureen in Fargo on June 9, 2008 09:24 AMDelicious! Your work is always so lovely. I love the thought process you shared about the relationships between the colour, the spin and the lace pattern.
Posted by: Melanie on June 9, 2008 10:22 AMWow. Those are just sumptuous! I hope you win a few ribbons, but even if you don't? I'm darn impressed. That lace is stunning! And, you spun things so perfectly, too... Wow.
Posted by: Joanne on June 9, 2008 11:08 AMAll of them are beautiful! I'm especially in love with the rainbow scarf.
Posted by: Lisa on June 9, 2008 05:57 PMOh my Jan! These are simply gorgeous!! I think I'm favoring Gumball Machine. What a work of art!
Posted by: June on June 9, 2008 08:15 PMHi Jan - all are so beautifully spun and knit. Good luck at the 'show'. It's like moving up to the big leagues! So exciting to enter your own work.
Peggy ;}
Oh, Jan - these are simply stunning! Such a coup to spin such beautiful yarn and then have the vision to knit it into such lovelies. Woo hoo, times infinity!
Posted by: Melissa on June 10, 2008 06:53 PMJan these are absolute works of art! Just beautiful...
Posted by: Rosanne on June 11, 2008 12:19 PMJan, these are just spectacular. You do such amazingly precise and beautiful work - an inspiration to us all! :-)
Posted by: Sam on June 14, 2008 07:01 PMOh, such inspiring beauty! Gorgeous, stunningly lovely scarves!
Posted by: meg on June 14, 2008 08:23 PMI love your choices of patterns for each yarn. That is something I am working on enhancing in my own knitting. My ability to visualize is not good (that's actually an understatement. I can't even reverse directions!)but for some reason I can usually find just the right pattern for a particular yarn. In cases where my first choice was not good I am not hesistant to rip and try again.
Good luck in the competition and enjoy the chance to show off your hard work.