I wanted to make a Birch for a friend of mine for Christmas. She got to chose the colour as it stemmed from a conversation that we were having about how she was cold at her office and needed a shawl to throw over her shoulders but none of them matched the particular outfit that she wanted to wear on that day. Methinks I need a shawl to match each of my outfits too.
So I cast on in the Hurricane shade of Kidsilk Haze from Rowan as requested.
I didn’t make the fast progress that I would have liked, mostly because I couldn’t really knit it on the bus (lace knitting in Kidsilk haze on a bumpy bus is an experience that I have tried once but shan’t be repeating any time soon). You can see me knitting it here on our trip to Get Knitted which wasn’t the best of ideas either but I was really enjoying it and Christmas was fast disappearing over the horizon and I was keen to send this to its intended recipient.
My tension must be quite lose seeing how it took me 3 and a bit balls to finish it – I ran out on the Get Knitted trip but they’d run out of that colour too. But I finally tracked one down and cast off earlier this week. I was a bit confused about blocking it seeing as I was expecting mine to be bigger than the dimensions in the pattern. But somehow it wasn’t. As far as I can tell, knitting is an art sometimes and closer to the dark arts the rest of the time.
Anyway, here’s Birch blocking on the living room floor.
And here she is showing off her gorgeous floatiness.
Finally, all folded up and ready to be wrapped and sent on her way.
I have to admit that I fell so in love with Birch and that particular colour that I decided to make one for me. After all, I already had half a ball left over and so, so many people have commented on how pretty it is. So I now have an additional 3 balls and have just cast on for my own birch.
And then I saw this on the back of the copy of Simply Knitting that arrived this weekend while I was away at the knitting retreat. And now I want one of those too.
It’s all want, want, want with me.
Beautiful, gorgeous, fabulous shawl!!!
Posted by: craftydramaqueen at February 6, 2007 07:31 PMHi Amelia
Birch looks fantastic. The latest Sharon Miller temptation in the new rowan magazine has ben added to my list of things to knit when Luke starts playschool!
Sarah
Posted by: Sarah at February 6, 2007 10:46 AMIt's a gorgeous shawl and such a lovely shade. What a lucky friend!
I could definitely stand to knit another Birch, it's quite an addictive pattern!
Posted by: Anita at February 5, 2007 07:36 PMWhat a gorgeous shawl. You must be so proud to create such a beautiful gift for a friend, and I love the color too.
Posted by: Sue at February 4, 2007 10:36 PMGorgeous! The color and the pattern are fantastic.
Posted by: Shirra at February 4, 2007 08:11 PMBirch is gorgeous Amelia! Your friend must be absolutely thrilled! I love the Hurricane shade of the kidsilk haze too. How beautiful!
Posted by: Maggie at February 2, 2007 02:36 PMBeautiful. I want one too!
Posted by: susan at January 31, 2007 11:41 PMIts gorgeous and the one in the advert looks like it might be too.
Posted by: yvette at January 31, 2007 09:04 AMJust like a book that's so good you have to start reading it all over again the moment you finish it the first time!
I do like that Hurricane shade an awful lot...
It is beautiful!!! Actually, I think you are a saint for not keeping it for yourself!
Posted by: francoise at January 30, 2007 10:01 PMas always... impressed with you :)
Posted by: stinkerbell at January 30, 2007 08:52 AMYour Birch is beautiful, I can see why you want to make one for yourself!
I love Birch too, I currently have mine hanging on the front of my closet door just to look at :)
That Birch looks really beautiful.
Posted by: Kathleen at January 29, 2007 09:10 PMI loove that color, just beautiful!
Posted by: Steph at January 29, 2007 07:47 PMJust gorgeous!
Posted by: Amy at January 29, 2007 06:26 PMOhhh, the color is gorgeous. I just happen to have three ball of KSH in a the color Grace just sitting around begging me to begin!
Posted by: Allyson at January 29, 2007 02:19 PMDon't get me wrong, I love my friends and they are good to me. But oh my goodness. . . . none of them, NOT ONE, has EVER given me anything half, one tenth, as lovely as that shawl. WOW. And you're so off-hand. Are you rentable so I could casually mention MY chilliness and lack of coordination in wardrobe colors?
It's gorgeous.
Oooh, I like the look of the one in the advert. Does that mean we can expect that to be in the new Rowan mag, I wonder? I think I need some more KSH...
Posted by: Mary at January 29, 2007 09:44 AMIt's beautiful. Yvonne's right, it's very tempting to hunt down the ksh in stash at the moment!
Posted by: dawn at January 29, 2007 09:16 AMNow you know why some people refer to that yarn as "crack"!
I've resisted the lure of KSH for a while but I must admit that that advert had me digging in my stash to see how much of each colour I had left and I think Imight be in danger of having to buy some more in the new yarn department at Liberty's
Posted by: Yvonne at January 29, 2007 07:53 AMBeautiful shawl! I haven't seen that colorway of HSK before, it's simply gorgeous!
Posted by: brooke at January 29, 2007 12:35 AM