I think I haven't told you that I have a flatmate now. Her name is Hanna Birna and she's here in Helsinki as an exchange student for the spring semester. She studies fine arts (visual arts?) and since her main medium happens to be photography I thought Hah! I'll get her to take photos of the shawls and sweaters I finish, since they look nicer with someone wearing them. Very handy indeed.
Well, yesterday evening I unpinned my new stole and I had an almost religious experience. It's so freaking beautiful I can't believe it! Of course I was so excited to show it to you that I needed pictures preferably a week ago. Except Hanna is in Stockholm on a school trip and I'm here all alone with my tripod. So, no artsy pictures this time, although I'm sure there will be at some point.
Specs:
Pattern: Arctic Diamonds Stole by Donna Druchunas, from Interweave Knits winter 2006.
Yarn: Kambgarn from Ístex (150 m/50 g, 5 skeins).
Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4).
Start-finish: 17 days.
Modifications: Did 4 pattern repeats instead of 5 (widthwise).
I started this stole when I realized that I didn't have an appropriate project for my flight to Helsinki. I had 5 skeins of kambgarn that I wanted to use for a stole, and when frantically flipping through pattern books and magazines to look for a project, I came across the pattern for the Arctic Diamonds Stole, which uses a similar yarn. Lovely!
Since it was initially a travel project, I had this feeling that I needed to finish it as fast as possible. During the past two weeks, I've spent a big part of my free time on it. I was anxious to finish, which happens to me rather often, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. Quite the contrary. In fact, it's one of the very few patterns that I can imagine myself knitting more than once.
Through this project I have discovered that stoles are something I really like wearing, and from now on I shall knit many many more of them. I've never been much into scarves and I have a hard time figuring out how to wear triangular shawls. Stoles on the other hand are My Thing!
24 comments:
It's gorgeous! I've given away almost all of my triangular shawls – maybe I am a stole person too? I have to test this theory at once. :-D
The size and shape of that stole are excellent. It's beautiful!
It's absolutely gorgeous -- well done!
It is beautiful!
Fabulous, Sigga! Beautifully done. I, too, prefer stoles over triangular shawls.
Geggjað. Virkilega fallegt langsjal.
I've thought about stoles myself, but I keep thinking that they are like scarves to knit, only more tedious.
Hmm.... Should I reconsider?
I love this one, and your first photograph. As sometimes happens, I didn't care for this stole when I saw it in a magazine, but now that someone else has knit it I really like the results.
Is kambgarn basically a fingering weight? I looked it up and wasn't sure if it was fingering (7-8 spi) or sport (6-7 spi)...
I agree with you that stoles are very useful and actually wearable. I have knit two of them so far and I wear them frequently, which surprised me. I didn't know whether I was just knitting them for show. Fortunately not!
To clarify, I like all the photographs, I just especially like the first one!
Sonja, if you are still reading the comments, definitely try a shawl. I have only recently knit my first scarf, and the stoles were far more fun.
I too, didn't think I cared for this one in the magazine, but you've transformed it for me. Great job!
Very elegant. And the colour is great!
It is really very pretty! Actually, I think yours looks better than the one in the magazine. ;)
ofboðslega fallegt, Sigga! og augu mín eru að opnast fyrir því hvað Kambgarnið er í raun virkilega fallegt garn, alveg í heimsklassa. hef verið að gefa það í gjafir til prjónakvenna erlendis og þær falla allar alveg í stafi yfir því.
kv.Fríða
this is gorgeous! i am definitely a stole person and yours is stunning. i keep looking at your pics and mentally scanning my stash to try and work out if i have anyting suitable.
Your stole is GORGEOUS! I found you when when I googled the pattern, wanting to find some FO's. That is definitely on my to-knit list. I agree that stoles are easier to wear... although I did get to wear one of my triangular shawls to church this morning.
oh yes this is lovely and i did one myself just in red. i gave mine to my sister who is experiencing difficulties right now. i have this wild idea that stoles easens problems.... if you wish you can see it blocking at my blog.
omg! absolutely gorgeous. the colour is so beautiful and i love the geometric patterning. i want one, too! ;-)
i never saw myself as a triangular shawl wearing person, but i find myself wearing them a lot - i wrap them around my neck like a scarf and the point down my back give an extra bit of warmth. lovely.
The thing I like best about Kambgarn are the gorgeous colors it comes in. It's also softer than it's cousins, Lopi and Léttlopi (Lopi Light).
I think it's a sportweight yarn Valerie.
I've knit a shawl before, but I can't really see myself wear one. But I can see myself wear a stole though. I guess I'll have to give it a try then :)
Oh, it is lovely! Nice job. :-)
Wow, how beautiful! I've never considered a rectangular shawl until now, but, I agree with some of the others -- you make it look really tempting!
lovely, great job, it is beautiful.
Vá, this looks amazingly good! And by the way, the photos do too. Thought you were too busy with the thesis to write a post to the blog. But of course I should have known it was knitting that overtook your life the last half month. Something else has overtaking mine, and I don't get as much knitting done as I thought I would. Silly, silly me;-)
Oh! It is just a beautiful shawl. Lovely work. I know you'll enjoy wearing it.
Sigga, thanks for sharing the pictures and story about knitting the Arctic Diamond Stole. I hope you don't mind that I wrote about it and put a few of your photos on my own blog: http://sheeptoshawl.com/blog/index.php?itemid=42
Donna Druchunas
That is just so absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!
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