am I mad?

[annacruachan]

Lovely idea to knit as a gift, Shirl, but to sell? In my experience people are not willing to pay for the time and skill required to make a thing of beauty if they feel that they could do it themselves. 'Anyone can knit', or in my case 'Anyone can string a few beads together'. If you enjoy doing it and are willing to take a loss with regard to your time then you'd be right to go ahead. It takes ages to design and put together a piece of jewellery, but I love doing it anyway whether I get a return on my time or not.

[shirlthegirl43]

Well, the kit arrived today. Now I need to find somewhere that sells sharp pointed knitting needles

[kirsty b]

Wow Shirley - I'd love to have a skill like that. One of those shawls would be such a beautiful gift. There would be a market for brides wanting something different too.

[shirlthegirl43]

now I know I am mad

I have started the project and attach a couple of pics in case anyone is interested. The pattern starts with the outer border (from this you pick up the stitches and knit inwards). I need to do 96 repeats of a 16 row pattern and so far I have done 9 repeats. The pics show the mess that results from the knitting and then what it looks like when you pin it out to around the final dimensions...

[kirsty b]

Wow, thats going to be beautiful when finished.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thank you Kirsty - I will post regular updates for anyone interested to follow.

[maytreefrannie]

I never heard of this but it sounds like a lovely idea - not a knitter myself but have seen some beautiful work done by my sister and others. I'll be passing on the idea of the wedding ring shawl, she may look it up herself. All good wishes with it.

[Jeanied]

How lovely Shirl - it is going to be a gorgeous thing when you finish it! I bet it feels nice to work with the wool!

[Nicos]

Thank you Kirsty - I will post regular updates for anyone interested to follow.

yes- please do!!!!

....have to say that what you have done so far looks lovely !

[ginger ninger]

What a beautiful gift Shirl, your friend's are very lucky. I'd never heard of these shawls before I read your post, the shear amount of work and hours that go into knitting one is amazing, this is so obviously a very special gift and one to treasure.

[moggssue]

wow Shirl! As someone who dabbled with a few jumpers in my younger years, I bow to you. How fabulous - cant wait to see how it progresses. What a fantastic skill to have. Yes, many people could maybe turn out a plain jumper or scarf, as I could once upon a time, but to embark on something so precious and delicate as that is a different league, I wouldnt know where to begin! More pics as and when please?!

[shirlthegirl43]

I have bought a lovely pattern for a lace stole. I also know where to buy some gorgeous pure silk yarn. Anyone fancy treating themself?

I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I am enjoying knitting again. I confess to having become a little bored with knitting after so many years of doing Aran (more challenging than most things) and the lace has rekindled my love of the hobby.

[bramble]

Shirl, I have been knitting for many years but wouldn't even try to do something as delicate as that.
I think its just beautiful and will follow it with interest.
In my mothers family they had a full christening set with a lovely shawl. It was'nt anything as fine as yours but was lovely all the same.
It was'nt stored properly and became discoloured. When I had my first child my mother bought me my baby's christening robes and shawl and that will be an heirloom in my family now.
If I were able to afford something like that I would certainly buy it.
If I were capable of knitting it I would give it to my own kids and keep it in your own family. What a lovely gift to pass down to your future grand kids.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thank you Bramble. I have every intention of making shawls as and when the boys become parents. This one is a 'trial run' but I am really getting into it and enjoying it immensely.

[Jeanied]

Correct me if I'm wrong, here Shirl - but the nice part about lace knitting is it grows comparatively fast as it is not as dense as ordinary one row knit, one row purl knitting. The laciness is created by tricks like yarn forward, yarn wrapped twice round the needle and knitting in the back of the stitch. What is nicest of all is the feel of the yarn as it threads through your fingers - and because the needles are relatively large it seems to go really quickly. I always think it is a bit more like spinning than knitting.