The Holiday Season is a time to treat yourself to something really yummy, something that you have been looking at for sometime, but could not justify to spend money on, right? So, here is my splurge: I have bought three new knitting books ( Lace knitting of course!). They are: Wrapped in Lace, The Haapsalu Shawl: A Knitted Lace Tradition from Estonia, Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls.
Today I would like to show you some stunning lace projects from Wrapped in Lace by Margaret Stove.
Just to get you started - look at that:
This last one has a very interesting story written by Margaret Stove herself. This is how the story starts:
"An unexpected phone call in 2005 from the owner of an antique Shetland shawl opened up an opportunity to use the skills I had acquired over the years.
The owner of a damaged but complex shawl asked me to fix a family heirloom by restoring it as closely as possible to to its original state. According to the family, the shawl was likely more than 100 years old and was knitted by Mrs. Cheyne.
Mrs. Cheyne's family records show that she arrived in New Zealand with other family members, landing at Port Chalmers, Dunedin, in 1874. The yarn used for the original shawl was handspun using a fine local New Zealand-grown fleece that closely resembled wool the spinner used when she lived in the Shetland Islands. Read more of the story"
By the way, if you are curious to try a sample project from this book you can find a "New Zealand Tribute to Orenburg" pattern for free.
Today I would like to show you some stunning lace projects from Wrapped in Lace by Margaret Stove.
Just to get you started - look at that:
Kowhai and Fern Shawl
Lace Medallion Shawl
Granny Cheynes Shetland
"An unexpected phone call in 2005 from the owner of an antique Shetland shawl opened up an opportunity to use the skills I had acquired over the years.
The owner of a damaged but complex shawl asked me to fix a family heirloom by restoring it as closely as possible to to its original state. According to the family, the shawl was likely more than 100 years old and was knitted by Mrs. Cheyne.
Mrs. Cheyne's family records show that she arrived in New Zealand with other family members, landing at Port Chalmers, Dunedin, in 1874. The yarn used for the original shawl was handspun using a fine local New Zealand-grown fleece that closely resembled wool the spinner used when she lived in the Shetland Islands. Read more of the story"
What do I like about this book?
The book is not about "Shetland Lace", or "Orenburg Lace", or "Faerose Lace", or "Estonian Lace" - no. This book is about a journey of the designer who takes the tradition and preserves it by mixing the styles and by adding new construction elements to a traditional pattern that makes the item (shawl, scarf, stole) looking contemporary and stunning!
These are not your Grandma's shawls (even the Granny Cheynes Shetland one above), but yet they convey that heirloom quality that we associate with a lace-weight hand-knitted shawl. My problem now is to decide which one will be first in my knitting queue.
By the way, if you are curious to try a sample project from this book you can find a "New Zealand Tribute to Orenburg" pattern for free.
Happy knitting everyone
and
Happy and Healthy New Year!
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