This post will be about two finished objects – one knit object and the wedding shower it was for. Don’t know if I have mentioned it before but I will be the maid of honor at my friends wedding in less than 4 weeks, with only 2 weeks of dieting in vain before the dress fitting. That depressing thought aside, I was privilegded to be a bridesmaid with one of the most crafty people I know. She puts Martha to shame. We worked very hard to pull off one of the best wedding showers I could think of, if I do say so myself. But first for the knitting details…
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk
Inspiration: Swallowtail Shawl
Needles: Size 4
Yardage: 600 yards or less
Modifications: I used almost all the modifications given at Pepperknit, you can see her post for details. (1) increased budding lace by 5 repeats (2) did mods for Lily of the Valley border, (3) used different size needles for the last few rows and for bind off
Enjoyment Factor: 7 due to the fact that I am not a lace knitter
Knit Time: 7/21 – 8/21/07
The Good:
- Buying the yarn from Sarah’s Yarn was a blessing. They have a complimentary yarn sample program where they will send you samples of almost any yarn they carry and all you pay is the shipping charge. Since I was looking for a particular white (i.e. white white or bridal white) this was truly a wonderful discovery. Their service was wonderful and fast. This made buying the yarn online that much better.
- The advice from Pepperknit. This write up was as indispensable as the pattern itself. I loved the detail and it just made the whole thing that much better
- The size worked out to about 64″ x 29″ which is not super long. It laid over my shoulders nicely but was not quite long enough to tie or anything.
- I loved pinning this out. Pinning out lace is soooo satisfying. I love the result and the super taunt feeling of the fibers being shaped into such a beautiful garment. I used the instruction from this Yarn Harlot post. The string idea was a life saver.
- The nupps were not nearly as hard as I had thought. In fact the two lace sections that included the nupps were probably the fastest of the entire garment.
The Bad:
- I am not a lace knitter right now. I will not say that I will never be a lace knitter but the concentration needed to complete the intricate lace is pretty intense. I had to reduce all outside knitting stimuli to just listening to an audio book. One of the things I like about knitting is the ability to multitask and lace definitely hinders that.
- This shawl took quite a long time despite the fact that others have done this in days. I had the audacity to think that I too could finish this shawl fairly fast. Well, without the ability to bend the space time continuum this was not the case, which resulted in a complete sequestering of self to complete this in time.
The Ugly:
- Absolutely nothing. It came out perfectly!
Now on to the shower, which went off spectacularly despite the wedding. We definitely had some wedding showers as well as wedding heat, humidity, cold, and intense wind. I think the weather ran the gamut while we were there. But ultimately it definitely worked in our favor. Here are some pictures of the wonderful decorations thought up by my crafty partner in crime and bridesmaidship, Mrs. B.
The decorated gazebo. I just love those pink and orange pompoms ala Martha Stewart
Future bride with the Swallowtail Shawl. Here matching dress was totally unplanned as she did not know the color. What a cowinkidink!
Lovely Butterfly topped cupcakes
The floral table decorations with the stamped patterning and fan party favor
It was quite a bit of work but well worth it for such a lovely bride. Next up…finding a chub constraint (a.k.a girdle or spanks) 😯 and some gold colored shoe boxes shoes for my boats 😦 Wish me luck!
Wow! That really is so lovely. And that party, too cool!
Beautiful shawl!!!
wow thats beautiful.
Oh my goodness, it’s beautiful! Fabulous work! The party looks like it was pretty fantastic, too. I’m impressed!
Gorgeous shawl!
The shawl is gorgeous. I *wish* I had the free time to cast on for this one. Your’s is simply beautiful.
And that shower looks like it was amazing, too.
As far as gold shoes, I’m almost positive that Urban Outfitters and H&M both carry gold flats for under $20. I have flats from both places that I wear nearly every day without foot pain. (I did put some insoles in the ones from Urban because they have, like, zero sole)
Incredible eye candy in this post. The shawl, the shower — gorgeous!
Wow! The shawl is beautiful! The photography made it look ethereal and floaty. Lovely!
And I agree–the shower looked like a lot of fun! What awesome cupcakes! Hope you had a good time.
Looks like a fantastic day was had by all. I love the color scheme at the shower, and the shawl is just phenomenal!
The shawl is just beautiful! All the pictures are great — and what a fun looking shower.
Absolutely gorgeous. It is a lovely gift that I’m sure your friend will treasure.
You did a wonderful job on that shawl and it is stunning! Lace might not be your favorite thing to knit but you did an outstanding bit of knitting! Bravo!
It is gorgeous!!! I love white shawls. And the rest of your pics are so fun–they look really alive. I like it.
Beautiful! I love the photos with it on the bench!
LOVE the party colors, and the shawl is beautiful, Mo… I wanted to invite you to be a part of Special Swap…are you interested?
SO beautiful! Congrats on finishing the shawl in spite of not enjoying lace so much. You’re a true friend. 🙂
the color contrast makes for a pretty picture!
Whoa! 2 things: that shawl is mad gorgeous and the shower is so pretty and classy! Thanks for commenting on my blog!
I’m also thinking of making a wedding shawl for a friend – I love the way yours turned out! Beautiful!