I’ve been up in Vermont quite a bit these last few weeks, although this past weekend was my little sister’s graduation, so I was too distracted to bother with traveling sock pictures. (Sorry!) On my last visit, though, I dragged my traveling companion (Mom) to yarn shops, because that’s how I roll.
Mom doesn’t knit but she gets a kick out of the different fibers and colors — and as a quilter, she has a crafter’s appreciation for raw material. I react much the same way when I go to quilting shops. We’re like a team. So when I noticed her peeking over my shoulder as I examined a shelf full of Malabrigo Lace, I stepped aside and told her to pick a color.
She did: Cactus Flower. “What are you making with it?” she asked me, and I just shrugged, which she took to mean I didn’t know yet.
That was not a lie, really. More like a sin of omission. I totally had a plan:
Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark, from Wrap Style
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Cactus Flower
Needles: US 5/3.75 mm
Notes: Wow, was this a fast knit! I cast this on on a Saturday and had it finished by the following Friday. The pattern is easy and has a nice meditative repetition to it.
I picked this pattern mostly for the name — Shetland is a region in Scotland, and as I have mentioned previously in these pages, my mom is of Scottish descent and fiercely proud of it. Something in the traditional fir cone pattern seemed to be just the ticket. I’ve also seen this project beautifully knit up by Rebecca, so I knew what to expect — and I wasn’t disappointed.
The pattern calls for a fingering weight, so I threw in a couple of extra repeats before starting the edging. I had plenty of yarn leftover and could have easily continued on if not for the Mother’s Day deadline looming. It came out beautifully in the laceweight and blocked into a light, airy wrap.
I decided not to block this before presenting it: partially because I knew Mom would get a kick out of seeing the transformation from unblocked lump to crisp lace, but mostly because Mom and I live together and the only good surface to pin this out on… is the room she uses for her quilting. There’s no way to keep a blocking shawl hidden, so I didn’t try. My plan worked, and it’s now blocked and beautiful.
In fact, I’m so taken with it…I think I’ll make myself one.
Its beautiful!