Monday, June 25, 2007

Rowan 'River' Shawl

I started this shawl last Spring, a few days before I landed myself in the hospital with a heart attack. I was trapped in ICU for 2 weeks, and spent the majority of the time knitting on this shawl, which helped to keep me somewhat sane! Although, I did have some 'tinking' to do which I blamed squarely on the numerous meds I was taking. I really dislike mohair, and have now discovered I actually have a mild allergy to it (itchy hives & eyes/sneezy), so this will be my first and last effort with Rowan Kidsilk Haze. The whole shawl took only (not quite) 2 balls of yarn, and at $10/ball, was a steal. I added another repeat of the pattern as I wanted the shawl to be a bit longer, so it's about 72" long and 22" wide. This was my first effort at fine lace and true to form, the whole shawl bunched up, slides through my size 5 wedding band! The above lumpy mess is the result of a bath in 'Soak' wash, waiting to be blocked.
I pinned out the peaks at 3" intervals, rather than 1.5" as stated in pattern instructions. The shawl is held together by the beaded 'napkin ring' you see above, which eliminates the need for a shawl pin (or, not). There's a small 1/4" wide piece of elastic inside to help grip the shawl together. It fits nicely on my middle finger.
Here's the whole works laid out on the guest room floor, blocking (door closed to keep out big hairy dog!) I briefly considered buying the shawl blocking frame that I've seen others use, but as I have no intention of EVER doing this again, it would be a waste of money. The overwhelming boredom of the pattern repeats just about did me in. BTW, I know it looks as though there's an error going across to the right from the napkin ring, but on careful inspection, I discovered it was lying on a seam in the carpet. Whew! Yeah ... another F/O to cross off my guilty list. Three more to go :)

5 comments:

Audrey said...

Keri, your shawl is amazingly beautiful, I have been eyeing the Rowan Kid silk Haze for a while, but where did you find it at $10/ball???I've only seen it at 2x that price! The napkin ring like device is very intersting too, did you make it,or buy it? Anyway, congragulations on a gorgeous finisihed object, and so glad to know that you are feeling so much better this year!
Audrey

Sereknitty said...

Hi Audrey,
Nice to hear from you! I found the kidsilk haze here at http://search.stores.ebay.com/Jannettes-Rare-Yarns_kidsilk-haze_W0QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftsZ2QQrefidZstoreQQsaselZ1132115QQsofpZ0QQsspagenameZSTOREQ3aHTMLBUILDERQ3aSIMPLESEARCH
where it is now $11 US/ball, but keep in mind that includes shipping. You can shop with confidence with this seller as I have done so successfully for several years. Quick shipping!
The ring is part of the pattern and is knit from the kidsilk. The beads are strung on first & then brought up and placed as per pattern. Then you sew the swatch into a tunnel, insert the elastic and sew the ends together. Voila! Thanks for stopping by ... Kerry.

Sereknitty said...

Sorry, web page got covered up by comment box. Here's the address:

http://stores.ebay.com/Jannettes-Rare-Yarns

Scroll down to ITEMS WITH FREE SHIPPING and click on Kidsilk Haze and there you will see all your wonderful options!

Romi said...

That is absolutely lovely!

Gail said...

Gorgeous shawl! I have a ton of KSH waiting to be knit into special things. But it seems to bother my skin too, especially my hands. I also have some of Elann's Super Kydd (the poor cousin to KSH) that I want to try dyeing with Wilton's. Since I can't bear to part with any of this yarn I'll either be knitting with allergy pills or cotton gloves!

I agree with you about Jannette's, she never lets you down. I'm always amazed at how quickly packages arrive.