I've alluded to a new big lace project several times already . . . and here it is:
Another Frost Flowers & Leaves shawl! Remember I made this already? Well, to this day I'm still in absolute AWE of it. It's almost like I can't believe I really made it! Although I do remember how painful that edging was . . . so it's not like I'm in complete denial about how much work it was and how long it took to finish.
So why am I making it again, you ask?
This one will be the chuppah at our wedding, that's why. I have until July 26th (did I mention we set a date?) to finish it, and it's already over 3 feet square, so I think I'll more than make it. I think I'm aiming for about 6 feet square in total, although I may stop earlier depending on how much yarn it takes, since I don't want it to end up too heavy.
I wanted something off-white that had great yardage for the weight and an interesting texture and wasn't too thin. I ended up with Green Mountain Spinnery's Sylvan Spirit, a wool/tencel blend that has amazing yardage (180 yds/2 oz) for its gauge (dk). I'm knitting it up on size 6 needles so the holes don't end up too big, and the yarn is yielding exactly the look I was going for. This is my first time knitting with this stuff and while I probably wouldn't want to wear a sweater knit with it, it has great stitch definition and is easy to work with, although it isn't very elastic. My hands do get tired if I work on it too long due to all the stitch manipulation.
Here's a shot of all of it on the needles:
It's gotten so big it outgrew the 47" needle and I was forced to start knitting with 2 needles at the same time -- that's a 47" and a 32" you see there, in an attempt to photograph it spread out a little. This is the one problem with knitting this pattern on thicker yarn: it's impossible to squish all those stitches onto your needle because each stitch is so thick! I've already done 3.5 repeats of the main body pattern and I think I'm going to do 7 total, so I'm getting there.
Ever since I got engaged people have been making cracks about whether I'm planning to knit my wedding dress, and I have to keep insisting that I will NOT be knitting my dress. But I did want to make something for the wedding, and this seemed like not only the perfect item but also something that will become a family heirloom and can be passed down through the generations. Now whenever someone teases me about knitting the dress I tell them about the chuppah and that seems to satisfy them!
Unbelievable!!!! by the way, wanted to come by saturday to give you big kisses but never made it…hope all goes well..good luck!~
Hi, I bounced here from the KBTH list. How lovely! Your dress could be knitted, did you see the lace dress in Lace Style (Interweave Press)? I immediately thought wedding dress for that one.
Best wishes to you! Anne in Nebraska
Oh wow! It’s beautiful!! What a great idea!
Spiritual and knitting. It will be lovely
Absolutely gorgeous!
gleek
January 26, 2008
oh my, i love it! it’s going to be the perfect handmade addition to your wedding :)