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Dear Kay,

There’s a leap of faith that goes with starting a lace project. You have to assume certain things:

Thing No. 1: I will get the hang of the lace pattern.

Thing No. 2: I will keep knitting on this piece of knitting even though it looks sort of bunched up and lumpy.

I’m here to report that I have quickly hit a massive groove on Jeanette Sloan’s Clerestory Shawl from Field Guide No. 15: Open.

Here’s the dream:

Here’s the reality at the moment:

Despite the lumpy, misshapen appearance of this thing, I am operating at a high level of optimism. Here’s how.

Thing No. 1: Getting the Hang of It

It was a good move for me to try out the Rib Lace pattern at a small scale before jumping into this shawl.

Our Field Guide provides a simple scarf pattern, Rib Lace Scarf, that let me practice. This stitch pattern appears in the Clerestory Shawl as well, so it’s a good appetizer. And Jen Arnall-Culliford’s superb video tutorials for Rib Lace and Tumbling Block Lace are right here.

I haven’t knit lace in a long time, so this felt like a whole new kind of knitting for me. The yarn is so fine! I took it slow and let myself be a poky knitter for a change. Each stitch an event, a triumph. Almost like learning to knit all over again.

I blocked my scarfy swatch, and it was great to see how the yarn behaves. It behaves well! It wants to be openwork!

Thing No. 2: Remaining Optimistic

I am constantly spreading out my work to see the amazing twists and turns that happen with only a few yarnovers, increases, and decreases. I feel like a genius when I see what is happening with this pattern.

One aspect of this Clerestory Shawl that gives me life is the yarn I’m using.

This is Gleem Lace, the first true laceweight I’ve worked with in ages. I think Jeni Hewlett’s color sense is so smart—she dyes these supersubtle colorways that knit up into beautiful finished fabrics. She’s thinking about how the yarn will be used. She’s keeping in mind the fact that a unified color can come from colors that are cousins of each other, that rhyme.

You can see what I’m talking about in the gallery up top.

Also: this blend of Bluefaced Leicester and silk has a low luster to it. The twist makes all these little pebbly moments in the fabric, adding life to the whole thing.

Having knit lace in the past, I know what will happen when I’m done with this project. It will be one of the most delightful moments in all knitting: that day when a lumpy, misshapen, giant piece of knitting spreads out.

It’s going to be a glorious day of celebration, let me tell you.

I hope you’ll give this design a try. Something about knitting a lustrous cobweb has such appeal right now. This shawl feels special and ornamental. It’s not functional; it’s beautiful, that’s all.

Love,

Ann

12 Comments

  • As each day passes it is evident we need all the beauty we can get our hands on. As our friend Patty Lyons says, “Knit on!”

    • Beauty is its own excuse for being. I wish every human being a BIG dose of beauty, now and always!♡

  • That coppery-brown in the gallery is breathtaking.

  • I love this fabric! Yes, we need beautiful things right now. You say it’s not functional. Well, perhaps for you. It would be for me since I can only use very light, not warm items and this would fit the bill.

  • I received my Aperture Stole kit from you and wow, the yarn exceeded my expectations! That Gleem lace is like no other I’ve seen: shiny, soft but 2 ply with a good twist. I’m trying so hard to finish up even one of my projects on the needles before I start this one but it’s hard. I want to knit everything at once, right now!

  • It’s stunning, and the colour!

  • As a new knitter, I’m learning just as much about myself as I am about knitting lace, which is really interesting. I was prompted to dig out a crocheted lace scarf I made three years ago with an entire skein of Juniper Moon Farm Findley (this scarf is ten feet long) and take a fresh look at it. This is easily the best thing I’ve ever made, it took me four months, and I actually enjoyed the process. I’m not sure I’m going to be a lace knitter, but I definitely have a whole new appreciation for that crocheted scarf and I’m going to start wearing it regularly as soon as summer is over. There is some saying about “looking at old things with new eyes” that is coming in handy here!

    Could you tell me about the needles you’re using for the shawl, I don’t recognize them.

    • Hi Dawn, I totally hear you about seeing things with new eyes–especially something that you made a while ago and looks impossible. Lace is especially like that for me. The needles I’m using are Addi Lace needles. They’re brass, with a slightly more grippy texture which is nice when knitting slippery lace yarn. I am having a tender moment because I won these needles as a door prize at one of Cat Bordhi’s knitting retreats years ago. I think of her every time I use them.

  • I almost knit nothing but leave. The first time I knit a lace shawl I didn’t really think of it as lace until I blocked it. The transformation!!! I I’ve knit perhaps 10 lace shawls since them. Still one of my favorite things to knit. Need to finish the one currently on needles before diving into the latest MDK book!

  • Indeed it is beautiful. Thanks for sharing Ann. Can’t wait to see the moment when you get to spread it out into it’s full glory. I love the colour you’ve chosen too.

    • So enjoyed your column. Knitting lace is something special, working slowly and thoughtfully, feeling the glorious lace yarn slipping through your fingers, and all along, anticipating the transformation at the end! The Gleem Lace looks absolutely gorgeous.

  • Ann, I SWEAR I followed the directions BUT I’ve done 12 repeats of the first bit, and I only have 127 sts, not the 137 the pattern says I should have. WTH. Do I need another repeat of the pattern?

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