Tuesday 1 June 2010

TUESDAY, 1 JUNE 2010

Are you "Knitworthy"?

I'm not a one-trick pony. I can do more than bake.

Some of my other passions include crocheting, reading, listening to music, finding spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in other people's work, and generally being creative.

The "other passion" I've most recently indulged in is knitting.

Mr B's German/Austrian Aunt recently celebrated her 60th birthday and since she's an avid crocheter I was hoping to make her something she'd wear and enjoy. I didn't want to make her something she could have made herself as I wanted it to be just that little bit more special.

I decided to knit the item and I decided it had to be lace. I know the wonderful "E" is fond of scarves so I set off in search of The Perfect Lace pattern that would fit her personality and agonised over colour choice for a bit.

I finally settled on Lace Shawl by Alice Halbeisen. I had "recently" been on a yarn shopping spree* at my LYS (Local Yarn Store(s)) so had 7 tonnes (not literally) of new, pretty yarn to play with. I had a gorgeousRowan Lenpur Linen in the "Sol" colourway in the hopes that it would compliment E's colouring.

Pardon the dim picture.
This was taken at night under a single "Daylight" lightbulb.

Knowing that E is a fan of scarves does not necessarily dictate that she's a fan of shawls so I decided to do fewer repeats of the pattern thus creating the scarf-rather-than-shawl effect.

As D-Day approached and I didn't have the scarf done and the day came closer and the scarf still wasn't done I began to worry that I might not have it done in time and that I'd have to wrack my brain to try to think of something else she might possibly like (not making - totally buying). Then I got sick. This may or may not be a good thing but it meant that I was under doctor's orders to be off of work for about three days just before Mr B and I were to leave for Germany and the party.

The first day or so that I was off I was too sick to knit. (Too sick to sit and knit? Don't ask it's all rather depressing but I assure you that had I even attempted the simple YOs and SSKs, etc. the scarf would have been disastrous!) But, luckily, I was able to get some knitting done two days before we were set to leave which meant that I could wash and block the scarf on the day before (and hope that it dried) so it could be taken with.

I had put so much love and attention into the scarf (my first knitted lace item and first knitted gift of any size) that I made Mr B carry it in his carry-on luggage because I couldn't have been held accountable for my actions should it have been lost or misdirected during our travels. I'm too pretty for prison.



And the adorable E wearing her scarf

After seeing E's eyes light up when she opened her gift and put it on it was all so worth it. E is definitely knitworthy and my decision to knit for her because she'd appreciate it was concretely affirmed.

So, knowing a -bit- of what goes into a knitted gift; Are -you- knitworthy? Do you know someone who is? Who would you knit for and what would you knit them?




*It was the January sales at Liberty and John Lewis Oxford Street. Not recent but it was certainly a "spree" as all told I spent about £400 in yarn all told

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