Lace shawl with skulls on it.

[Susie]

I made a lace shawl (don't read this post if you are one of my blog readers because you'll be sick of me and my shawl! ;-) ). It's a circular shawl with skulls on (I followed a pattern, I didn't make it up) and I was amused by the ironic juxtaposition. Small things etc .

Apologies for flickr links!

Shawl (it's just a bit smaller than our kingsize bed),
Detail of centre,
Detail of skulls.

I'm not sure shawls are very ish, but, they are useful and very economical to knit (I spent about £14 on the yarn for it - I know that isn't cheap cheap, but knitting costs a fortune! And to buy a ready-knitted shawl would be about £300-£400). The pattern did cost quite a bit, but, I think I might knit it again.

Thank you for looking

[romie]

I think that's amazing, great work, I don't have the patience for something like that, I can crochet with big wool with lots of colours (to amuse my tiny mind...ooooooo green, oooooooo look its purple now etc etc)

Ish is exactly what it says on the tin 'ish' we're trying, but we also live in the real world, if you enjoyed making it and it won't be wasted (and you did this rather than spending) then to me it's ish

Photos of it being worn please

[Thomzo]

I think it's stunning. You are clever. I can't follow knitting patterns, they don't seem to click with my little brain so I am in awe of someone so talented. The skulls are really quite subtle, which appeals to my subversive streak.

Zoe

[MuddyWitch]

That is stunningl;y beautiful!

BTW, why arn't shawls ISH? If you pop a shawl on you can leave the thermostate down a notch or two.

So now I've cleared you conscience please will you make me one?

MW

[wigan pixie]

That is beautiful, I've been trying to knit a lace shawl for about 6 years and I'm getting nowhere, as it's impossible to concentrate with a 9 year old boy and an attention seeking cat around. I would love to see it done in a rainbow yarn but I'm not going to be tempted to try it myself :)

[Millymollymandy]

Excuse me I've received 2 shawls as swap gifts from Ishers... therefore shawls are extremely Ish ..... and I was just looking at that on your blog! I didn't see skulls but was surprised that it was knitted as it looks crocheted. It's lovely and very intricate and looks extremely complicated. Well done!

[bill1953]

That's a beautiful piece of work. You're very talented

[matowakan]

Love the shawl,maybe one day I will have the time to do something like this.Well done

[the.fee.fairy]

That is beautiful! I wish i had the patience for lace. I always end up making a mistake, getting frustrated and pulling it to bits

[Silver Ether]

Gasp ....that is beautiful .. well done on such a lot of work....

[Puddleduck]

Wow, I love it, it's so delicate and beautiful.

[Biscombe]

Wow, that's stunning! how long did it take you to make?

[Susie]

Thank you everyone

It didn't actually take that long - about a month and a bit, which included cocking it up and having to restart. It was fairly complicated but nowhere near as bad as you would think - I just used lots of stitchmarkers!

My partner thought it was going to be a blanket made of squares (I have no clue why) so when it was blocked and lying on the bed he had a bit of a shock ;-). I haven't worn it yet but I'm absolutely going to, I think it will be a good thing to wear on summer evenings!

[mrsflibble]

how the heck do you knit a circle?!
it's stunning.

[Niele da Kine]

What a beauty shawl! Or it could be a really fancy round table cloth in a pinch, too. Is the pattern available? It looks crochet yet it's knit which is way kewl. Could it be done as a half circle, do you think?

Myself, I've just started knitting triangle shawls and those are stone easy once you get the "start at the back of the neck and increase at each end and twice in the middle" concept down. To start a triangle shawl, you start with a "tab". Cast on about three to five stitches depending on how wide you want the edging to be. Knit one side, purl the other for about eight to ten rows, then knit across the row and then knit down the side (knitting into the end stitch of each row - it is sort of a mix between crochet and knitting) and then knit across the beginning end. That starts the shawl. Then do the three to five stitches for the edging, then increase once (I like yarn overs since they are way easy) and do your favorite pattern stitch across to other edge. Do an increase before doing the last three to five edge stitches. There should also be two stitch markers in the middle depending on how wide you want the "spine" in the back. Two rows is nice, or make it wider and make a cable or whatever design you want. But on the outer side of each stitch marker, you'll do an increase stitch of some sort. If you do only one increase stitch in the middle, then you'll have a longer thinner triangle shawl, two increases in the middle makes a deeper triangle.

Now to just figure out how to make a round shawl, that's a very lovely thing.