Friday, July 2, 2010

Jonesing

I really really want to knit some very fine lace. This is because I can't right now—I'm working on a big project in Shadow, related to the green swatch from before, and want to have it finished before I start anything else.

Instead I am longingly looking at some other finished projects and dreaming of what gossamer item I will make when I am able. I put some of them side by side to remember my fineness priorities, and here it is for your consideration:

comparative fineness

From left to right, they are Abuelita Yarns Merino Lace (don't be fooled by the name, it's fingering weight) in the most perfect red; Knit Picks Shadow Tonal in Golden Glow, which is a very warm collection of yellows; Gossamer Web Tribble, in Peacock; and 32/2 yak/silk that's a strange shimmery greybrown.

Three of the patterns are closely related (the leftmost three)—they're all variations or developments or uses of Mrs Montague's Pattern, which is my current favourite thing. I have sort of adopted Mrs. Montague as my knitting fairy godmother! She is purported to have given Elizabeth I a pair of silk stockings as a present, and they were great enough that Elizabeth only ever wanted to wear silk stockings from then on. In Heirloom Knitting Sharon Miller attributes this diamondy pattern to her, and I have been imagining that it was the pattern on the stockings.

Clearly this means that I must knit stockings in that pattern! But first the Shadow project and after that a cobwebby veil.

1 comment:

Soo said...

I'm the opposite! After the Wedding Ring Shawl I'm looking forward to some slightly more 'substantial' yarn for my next project. :)

Thanks for the kind words on the shawl - I can't quite believe how light and delicate it turned out.