Tuesday, June 25, 2019


I felt very weak today, but a certain amount was accomplished. I made an appt to have my hair done, in order to be beautiful for the wedding – that involved walking up to the hairdresser’s, as I had forgotten their name. And I did several rows of the Spring Shawl and have reached the fifth, the antepenultimate, row of lace triangles. I learned that big word from Miss Taylor in her Latin class at Asbury Park High School and have loved it ever since. I don’t often get a chance to use it.

When I started knitting today, I found that the yarn had slipped off its cardboard cylinder altogether in the course of its recent travels. There wasn’t all that much of it. I could just have broken it off and attached the next ball. But I felt that I couldn’t present myself to the world – that means, to you – with the claim that I had knit a ball of Jamieson & Smith’s cobweb weight if I had, in fact, thrown away yards of it.

Fortunately the yarn didn’t tangle, and I knit it down to the end. Here’s where I am:



It occurred to me to wonder, as I was lying in bed this morning, whether I might put in two rows of a bright red, no more. Perhaps at the point where I pick up stitches for the borders. Would that be too eccentric? It is the Hindu colour of joy, the colour that brides wear. Hindu widows wear white. I don’t even know whether Jamieson & Smith offer red in that yarn. (No, they don't -- but they do have it in lace-weight.)

Speaking of cobweb: when I was on Unst with my Shetland Wool Adventure, the woman who showed us the lace collection there also showed us a twist of handspun which her auntie had given her, “for encouragement”, when she first started spinning. It was almost invisible. Compared to that, Jamieson & Smith cobweb weight is like knitting with ship’s cable.

Fruity Knitting today! The main interview-ee is Carol Feller. She talked about using gradations of yarn – I took a class on that subject from her  at the EYF once. While she was talking today, I remembered an old, old VK pattern:



I think those stripes are too wide for the mini-skeins in a usual assortment, but – having launched myself down this path – it might be the perfect pattern for that armload of related colours which I bought on Shetland.

13 comments:

  1. I wouldn't risk the red. If it bled into the white it would be heartbreaking.

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    1. I’m sure you’re right. It was a moment of madness.

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    2. Phew!I was about to say the same as Hat. Your progress is impressive!

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  2. I did not know that about Hindus and read. I once had a Sikh colleague who married in a red dress, so perhaps it has the same meaning for them?

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  3. Anonymous2:52 AM

    I love the idea of the red, but share the concern about bleeding.

    Beverly in NJ

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  4. I love the idea of the red, but as this is to be an heirloom, the stability of the color in the future as well as threat of bleeding gives me pause. I have some mini skein sets that I bought and have never used, I have to figure something out for them, but yes, too small for the sweater. I hope you didn’t get your hair done like the model...

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  5. Anonymous1:18 PM

    It's beautiful. Such a precious gift, Jean. Love the 'ship's cable' comment. Is gossamer the next weight finer than cobweb? Am equally puzzled about that hair. Chloe

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  7. The shawl is indeed quite beautiful and I am very impressed but I came to the comments because "antepenultimate" put a smile in a morning which badly needed one. Thanks!

    SamKD
    (previous comment deleted for typos)

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  8. Red must be a general wedding color in much of Asia as it was traditionally used in Korea too, where white is not considered a color per se but the lack thereof.

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  9. Anonymous3:51 PM

    Which issue is that VK? Late '60s, early '70s?
    -- Gretchen (aka stashdragon)

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  10. Carol Feller, not Fuller.

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