Friday, May 19, 2006

The Amazing Lace: Challenge #1

Meet the Team
I intend to have at least two and perhaps three teammates this summer. I will be starting the summer with The Poor Neglected Barbie Shawl. Barbie and I have had a long history together, which is quite surprising because I am normally driven by the need to finish projects before starting a new one. Not so with Poor Barbie. But let me start at the beginning.

Poor Neglected Barbie Shawl!Barbie and I first met in January. Monkee introduced us and I was immediately enamored with her. At that time, her name was Dayflower Daydream but because the yarn's colorway is Barbie Rose, I quickly renamed her the Barbie Shawl. At first Barbie and I were constant companions. She was, I decided, to be a long-term lace project that I would work on diligently without succumbing to my usual I-must-finish-now-or-else! attitude. I wanted to savor and enjoy her.

After a few weeks of doing exactly as I intended, I began to be unfaithful to Barbie. I cast her aside, leaving her at the bottom of my knitting bag as new projects lured my fickle attentions and were unceremoniously plopped on top of her. Occasionally, I would pull her out to knit a few rounds but then I would return her to her place in the bag, preferring to give my precious knitting time to garments and gifts. How I used Barbie as a mere "filler" project! It's a wonder that she kept taking me back allowing me to enjoy her pinkness, even if only for an evening.

But this summer, I vow to be a better partner to Barbie. I hope we can patch up the wonderful relationship that we enjoyed early in our relationship. I am committed to making our partnership work. I am looking to the Amazing Lace KAL to bring us closer together and help us fully understand each other. If all works out as planned, I hope to have her finished and blocked by the end of June.

The pink and purple temptress!For the last part of the summer, I plan to team up with the Shaped Triangle Shawl from a Gathering of Lace. This is a controversial partnership between me, a rather repetitive pattern, and some handpainted lace-weight yarn. The formation of this team is the result of a rather impulsive purchase. I always admire the pretty color combinations of handpainted yarns, but as a knitter who likes cables and lace, I rarely buy handpainted yarns because variegated yarns are not compatible with either cables or lace. But one day, during a 20% off sale, I couldn't resist the pull of a lovely hank of Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Iris Garden. Pink! Purple! It had to be mine. So I bought it without any pattern in mind. Shame on me.

Over the next few months, I paid the price for my impulsive buy. I searched and searched for an appropriate pattern for the yarn. The search was difficult as I learned what I already knew: variegated yarns and lace are not compatible. I thought I had to give up on my pretty-but-possibly-useless hank of yarn. That is, until Rachel gave me an inspiration. She mentioned that, like a couple of her Knitting Olympics teammates, she hoped to make Ene's Scarf with some handpainted sock yarn. I studied the photos of her teammates and decided that Ene's Scarf DID look wonderful in handpainted yarn! I Googled and found Ene made with Helen's Lace--perfect! Except...the Helen's Lace Ene was knit with two strands and used more than one hank of yarn. So the search was on again, but this time I knew what I was looking for: A lace pattern with very small motifs and a lot of "air" between the motifs. From there, I didn't need much more to decide on the Shaped Triangle Shawl from a Gathering of Lace.

And finally, depending on how all the lacing goes this summer, I may also make a Flower Basket Shawl using the luscious lavender Texas mohair that I bought last year. So here we are: Team Purplely Pink!

Team Purplely Pink

12 comments:

Karen said...

Damn you. I love that Helen's Lace colorway. Now I'm going to have to go look for it. Again, damn you.

(And I look forward to seeing your lace relationships blossom this summer... :) )

Anonymous said...

Okay, I know this is a family-friendly blog, but does the sentence "she kept taking me back allowing me to enjoy her pinkness, even if only for an evening" sound exceedingly dirty to anyone else?

By the way, I've figured out your secret. Your cat is not actually alive. You got it from the taxidermist and you pose it with your yarn and then take credit for how freakin' photogenic it is.

Anonymous said...

Bring it on, Team Purply-Pink!!!
(Oh. Hm. Maybe I shouldn't be trash-talking before I've even posted my entry...)
I love the shot of Barbie-shawl-as-cat-blankie.

Jennifer said...

Go team Purply-Pink! As these are my favorite colors as well, I will be your ever faithful supporter and cheer section! You go Laura!

Stephanie said...

Go team! I'm looking forward to the Barbie shawl. That's probably at pattern I'd like to do...someday!

Meredith said...

You all look so happy together!

amylovie said...

That is such a pretty picture of you Laura (and the yarn isn't bad either!)_

Amy

Terby said...

That is a really pretty photo of you. My hank of Helen's Lace is hiding in the stash. I'm looking forward to seeing the shaped triangle, as I have no idea what to do with my single hank, and the pattern on the label didn't really appeal.
Me? I knit socks. At least this summer. Lace will happen in the fall.

April said...

What a wonderful picture of you and your yarn! I absolutely love the colors you've chosen. And that kitty of yours? TOO cute. Good luck in the race!

lobstah said...

I love your projects and the fabulous colors. And your kitty is so cute I just want to give him a big mwah!

Helen said...

http://scarfstyle.blogspot.com/2006/05/yet-another-ene.html

Rebecca said...

Love your pictures!

http://socks-for-mum.blogspot.com