And so I pick up my knitting needles for the first time in months and months. I don’t think I’ve knitted anything since finishing a Ticuna scarf for Dan last summer. I bought two hanks of Berrocco Ultra Alpaca Fine in a beautiful shade of rich peacock blue, which I’m going to knit up into a Swallowtail Shawl (design by Evelyn Clark) for my mother. I think she’s going to love this color. My camera phone does not do it justice:
Here’s the swatch from the Berrocco site, which is a smidge greener than the yarn I actually have in front of me:
As with sewing, my knitting skills are decidedly intermediate. But the Swallowtail is a relatively easy knit as far as lace shawls go. And it has added benefits for other members of the household as well. As you can see, Sasa was very much on board the last time I knit a Swallowtail for my sister. She especially enjoyed the blocking process:
I expect that things will go similarly this time. Fortunately, my mother is used to living with a certain amount of cat hair, and I do not think a little more will deter her from wearing it.
22 comments
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June 5, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Stephanie
That’s so beautiful. You’re very close to inspiring me to make a lace shawl. Alpaca is gorgeous stuff to work with. I also like the ever-popular Icarus lace shawl. Soon, soon.
June 5, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Stephanie
My darling grandmother taught me the basics of knitting, too. Every time I cast on I think of her. She lived in a hot place too, her hands always flew knitting little baby things for poor children.
June 5, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Fourth Daughter
Hope your knitting will cheer you up! That cat scene looks so familiar (although my cat doesn’t get to sleep on anything that beautiful). They seem to have a radar for whatever project you least want them to get involved with (ie, sleep on). I’m sure your mum won’t mind the cat fur… if I worried about cat fur on everything I’d have to go around naked all the time! Even when we went to yum cha (where I don’t *think* there are any cats) my sister managed to find a cat hair in her teacup. Aggh.
June 5, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Maria
Your pink shawl is beautiful! I wish I could knit something so lovely, but I’ve never had the knack. I can’t wait to see what it looks like with that lovely green yarn.
June 5, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Weaverbec
What a wonderful way to honor your Grandmother. I hope your knitting will bring you comfort and good memories.
June 5, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Shannon
Wow, that is a pretty shawl. I’ll bet your mom will love it in the peacock color, and because you made it for her.
June 5, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Sherry
Beautiful!
As you knit too, have you visited Ravelry? I warn you, it’s addictive!
June 5, 2010 at 10:22 pm
trudy callan
So very gorgeous.
June 6, 2010 at 6:10 am
Farah
That is lovely. I made a swallowtail shawl years ago (the only shawl I have ever knit) and it was surprisingly simple, but looks gorgeous. Now you have inspired me to maybe make another one.
June 6, 2010 at 6:56 am
Diane
I love that yarn (its so soft and warm) and that color. I’m sure the finished shawl will be beautiful.
June 6, 2010 at 7:26 am
Jan
What a great age your grandmother lived to. Although you didn’t see her often, you are privileged to have such happy memories of her. What a wonderful way to perpetuate her influence by doing some knitting in her honour. From the photo that you posted you can see that she was a lovely, wise lady.
June 6, 2010 at 9:19 am
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
Your first red swallowtail is lovely. I started one with a yarn that contained mohair and didn’t like the results, to fuzzy, so it is sitting in a bag somewhere waiting to be ripped out.
June 6, 2010 at 10:40 am
Meredith P
Wow, you really can knit! And of course the puss would help with the blocking at the very least. I don’t knit very much, or to the caliber that you do (talk about hiding your light under a bushel), but I find it very difficult on the (luckily) rare occasion when the cats are actually interested in what’s on the needles, and what’s traveling to the needles.
That will be a beautiful shawl and I’m sure your mother will love it.
June 6, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Emmy
I can’t knit at all, so bow down in the face of your prowess. The red shawl is lovely and that peacock blue is a beautiful colour, so I have no doubt that your mother will love it both for itself and for the memories of your grandmother it represents.
June 6, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Jessica
Hi Just wanted to let you know I made a version of you Coffee Date dress, thanks for the great pattern. I’ve blogged it here http://www.oneforyouoneforme.blogspot.com.
Thanks – good luck with the knitting!
June 7, 2010 at 7:14 am
Karin
I’m so sorry to hear your grandmother passed away. My grandmother died a year ago, age 94, and I could never have imagined it would make me as sad as it did (I should have known though since the very thought of her death made me cry when she was still alive).
Even though you can be happy that you got to meet and know loved ones, and happy that they got to live a long life, loosing them is very sad.
Knitting is such a great way of honouring her, I hope she’s watching you from up above (or where-ever souls go after death)!
I love the yarn, it’s a gorgeous colour, and I envy that you have such a beautiful cat!
June 7, 2010 at 9:34 am
Jo @ To a Pretty LIfe
That’s a really pretty pattern! I can only knit rectangles, and I’m really slow. So I don’t knit much ;-)
June 7, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Katy
I am very sorry about your grandmother — I lost my own grandfather a couple weeks ago. I hope the knitting brings back many happy memories!
June 7, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Angela
Sorry to hear about your grandmother! Great way to rekindle happy memories of her!
June 7, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Susannah (the other one - from Australia)
Oh Elaine, have you revealled yourself as a fraud? Under that snarky selfish exterior, is seems that there is a warm, sensitive and generous soul trying to escape.
Sorry to read about your grandmother – and nice to think about how you have honoured her by pursuing your creativity with both fabric and yarn.
Your blog is lovely to read, for so many reasons.
warm regards
Sue
June 13, 2010 at 8:47 am
Blocking the Swallowtail Shawl feels familiar « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] at about 1AM, after a grueling day of flying during which I managed to put the final stitches on my Swallowtail Shawl. This morning, I woke up bright and early, eager to block it. I find blocking lace very satisfying […]
July 5, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Project 6: Swallowtail Shawl | Something Beautiful: A Daily Appreciation
[…] also knits, and her Swallowtail shawls inspired fits of envy and desire. She kindly provided a link to the free pattern at Evelyn Clark […]