Sunday, February 04, 2007

The Shawl

I know that you were all just sitting on the edge of your seats when I mentioned shawl knitting in "Transparent", and are wondering if perhaps I finished it. Right. Well, regardless of your level of interest, I'm going to show it to you anyway, because I've never knit anything this intricate, and I'm terribly pleased with myself.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
You must excuse the excess of photo evidence here; it is my first shawl, after all.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
The most interesting thing to me about shawls is that they were originally created and designed by plain, hardworking women who were making every effort to stretch their meager resources for themselves and their families.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
They often used yarn spun as finely as possible, in order to get the most out of the wool (that they probably sheared themselves, then washed, carded and spun).
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
After all of that, they designed these incredibly intricate patterns and shaped the shawl to suit their own regions and tastes. There are circular ones, triangular, faroese (sp?) (has cupped shoulders so that it won't fall off), rectangular, and more. The sheer artistry and skill of these women amazes me.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
And yes, I've actually worn it quite a bit. I wore it to Greg's ceremony the other day, and although no one asked me about it, I felt rather proud of myself the whole day.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting




All photos by Hannah, my new photographer.

3 comments:

Mom2Zoey said...

That came out beautiful! You are really talented. ~A

Anonymous said...

oh- you look so beautiful. your hair looks good, too. =)

Tim of Thee said...

Well, i had only one question for you at first, then a slew of others came flooding in, so i'll throw out a few. First, i'm sure the last thing you want to do is take more pictures of your shawl, but could you post some pics showing the detail of the work closeup? Second, do you have a midwife in Germany or any kind of midwifing community with which to interact? Third,... shoot, i forgot the third. i mean, i forgot the third? And while trying to remember the third question, i forgot all the rest.