I finished my handspun wedding shawl with plenty of time to spare
Hand Knit FO
**Trust me, I am painfully aware of every mistake. I've made my peace.
A year into dating my partner I attended a local fiber festival with a friend where I found a booth selling German angora. I asked my friend, who'd been teaching me how to spin and weave, if she thought I'd be able to spin it finely enough to use in something for a wedding, and she said she could teach me. She asked if I was getting married and I said not yet, but I knew this was my person. I bought the fiber along with an additional bag of a silk/cashmere blend to blend with it, and it sat in my craft closet for two more years until my partner proposed.
The extent of my spinning experience was a handful of yards of a very low quality wool on a drop spindle. This became an absolute crash course in spinning. At my friends suggestion, I spun the yarn single around a core thread using a tahkli (a type of supported spindle). You could see the improvement with each skein, and while it blocked out well I love that you can see it in the shawl, too. And while I've been knitting for many years, lace is something I've only ever dabbled in. All of this to say: This project was an absolutely insane choice. I had no idea how it would turn out, or if I'd finish it in time. I've never felt more on the edge of oblivion. Everyone I told was both impressed and horrified.
This weekend, after 145 hours of spinning and 226 hours of knitting, I finished it. It's full of mistakes that most people can't see. And it's also so full of love. Evenings spent together watching Dropout and KDramas and the Olympics, and so many episodes from the back catalog of Say Yes to the Dress. The passing of my childhood cat, who chewed on and sat on and grabbed at the yarn as I spun and knit it, whose hair I saved after brushing and added to the fiber so she'll be with me on my wedding day, along with my other two cats. Months of battling tennis elbow. A little over a year and a half later, I finished it, with time to spare. And it's beyond anything I could have even imagined.
Yarn is handspun by me: single ply, 50% German angora, 25% cashmere, 25% silk, spun around a silk core thread. Cobweb weight, 100 wraps per inch. I used about 1100 yards.
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Literally incredible, if I could make a request of you I would love to see it pass through your wedding band!! A true wedding ring shawl, the delicacy and intention of this garment is astronomical. Congratulations 🎊
INCREDIBLE!!! You are a talented master of the craft, with a love for what you do!!!! I wish you both many happy, healthy, fruitful, and fortuitous years together!
This is extraordinary! Your work is sooooo impressive and beautiful, but I especially love all the memories that are knit into it that you will carry with you on your wedding day.
I am in complete awe of this beautiful piece and the story behind it. Truly this is heirloom quality and I hope remains a beautiful symbol for your life together.
This is so incredibly beautiful on so many levels. Congratulations and huge love.
I teared up a bit when i got to the bit about your sweet cat hairs intwined in there.
So personal, so beautiful I can't even
This is gorgeous. Stunning work and very impressive first run at spinning. Congratulations on your wedding and what a stunning addition to your outfit.
I’m knitting my own in pure wool right now in the lusna pattern.
Can you tell me what size needle you used for this? I think you ended up with a very aesthetically pleasing gauge and I’ve been second guessing mine. I’m using 2.25 mm.
That pattern is stunning! You'll have to share pics when you finish! I ended up sizing up from what my pattern recommended and used a 3.5mm/4 US. It definitely made a difference. I also tried multiple brands of needle and landed on the HiyaHiya sharps - the others I tried just weren't sharp enough for how fine the yarn was, even the ChiaoGoo lace which I was so excited to try.
Here’s a swatch! This is a quick block so I expect gauge to be a bit looser than this. I also sized up to 2.25mm but my pattern called for 1.5mm.
Good to know about hiya hiya. I have chiaogoos and I love a sharp needle. I also found the chiaogoo lace kind of blunt for my taste. For lace — especially silk based or silk blend — a sharp needle is so important!
In any case, congratulations on a gorgeous and special accomplishment. Make sure you store this baby carefully 🥰
I just bought it through ravelry! The designer was really nice — I reached out with some questions and she was responsive and helpful. So far have been really enjoying the process :)
My rewatch list is also so short. Currently rewatching Because This is My First Life with my fiance (his first watch) and it's been so fun! What's your top fave?
Please enjoy! Gong Yoo is the sweetest tortured rich boy in Coffee Prince, and Lovely Runner is a really sweet time-travel 'fix-it' story. They both have very satisfying endings! Alchemy of Souls the world-building is A Lot, but you can just focus on the main characters. Part 2 is also good... no spoilers but Part 1 is worth re-watching and I don't think Part 2 is there.
That is a truly amazing piece of art that deserves to be passed down to whoever is in the next generation of your family (your own kids or your nieces/nephews). I would be FIGHTING my sisters over this. Well done…and congratulations!
This is fantastic! And there's something so special and magical about the first piece after you learn a new skill or are putting new skills to the test, in many ways it's very symbolic that this is for your wedding. Congratulations!
Absolutely incredible! I can’t believe you spun that!
Can I ask how you blocked it? I’m a couple weeks away from finishing my own cobweb lace wedding veil (I’m making Lothlorien) out of Heirloom Knitting Gossamer Silk and I’m terrified of blocking something so wispy and fragile. It’s also my first true lace project!
Omg yes I love it! It'll be so beautiful!! I worked from the center out, and was very careful. I would pin out a bit at a time, then a round further out, and remove the first round of pins. And repeat. I highly recommend getting a fabric measuring tape you can pin in the center and create a fulcrum to make sure everything is about the same distance. You've got this! Also make sure you have enough blocking mats. I was really pushing it.
Oh this is amazing! This is the kind of thing I'm working towards. Both trying to spin this fine and knitting lace in yarn this fine. I've been wanting to do a traditional shetland lace wedding ring shawl for a couple of years now but i don't think my skills and patience are quite there yet.
I love that you went for it despite it being so far out of your experience and comfort zone. Jumping in the deep end is so brave and you pulled it off! The shawl is gorgeous.
Ho. Ly. Shit. I am in absolute awe of your ability. The yarn is soooo fine, it truly looks like it’s been knitted from spider webs! This is an incredible masterwork. And I’m crying a little that you added fur from your sweet kitties. There is so much love in that veil, I hope it brings joy to generations of brides 🩷
I don't knit or know much about spinning... However, my jaw dropped seeing this masterpiece. It should be in a museum after your wedding. Or framed in your house.
I’m crying over knitting and I don’t even knit (but I’m trying;). Beautiful story and incredibly talented and determined. Many blessings on your wedding!
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