WRS RIP
The Wedding Ring Shawl - Suddenly, at home, on 1st November 2007, aged 16 months. Dearly missed by her many friends. The Memorial Service has already taken place.
Yes, the WRS is no more. She developed a fatal break in the silk thread, right in the middle, quite a long way down. I have no idea how this came about, as she was kept in a safe place, wrapped in a cotton pillow case. I spent hours trying to revive her but she was beyond help. I tried to frog her but the delicate nature of the yarn really didn't allow for this so the whole thing was consigned to the bin.
So she has gone. From the initial swatches:
to the first few rows:
to the delicate tracery of the centre:
to the intricate two ring motif:
RIP
I started again, immediately and actually felt much better about the pattern. I felt as though I had a little bit more of a grip of the yarn and the skinny (tt) needles.
However, ten rows in, the same thing happened. I didn't notice the silk being thin or damaged in any way but suddenly on the next row - there was the break and nothing I could do about it. I've been reeling from this blow ever since. I've put it aside for now. I may make another attempt. I may purchase more silk, or possibly some other yarn entirely. I don't want to be beaten by a shawl but at the moment I need to take a rest from the WRS.
There has been other knitting - mostly little "fill-in" pieces. There's been some yarn buying (some great bargains), some book buying (ditto) and a lot of casting about on Ravelry for another lace pattern that might capture the imagination. No luck so far, though.
My computer has turned to treacle (or maybe it's just Blogger) so pictures are difficult at the moment. The promise of Broadband has been held out and is promised very shortly, so we should see a significant improvement in the next few weeks. Can't wait.
In the meantime, I have nothing but praise for those who have completed the Wedding Ring Shawl:
Laritza
Miss Alice Faye
Martha
and those who have it in progress:
Jane (aka LaceFreak)
and all the others out there.
Good Luck!
11 comments:
I think you're bearing up very well. I wonder what on earth happened to the silk. I've nearly severed a finger trying to snap silk in my hands so it's usually tough enough. I hope you solve the mystery and can get started again soon.
Meanwhile, Broadband should be a great consolation.
I want to cry on your behalf!
You must be so upset! Is there any way you can salvage it?
I once made a shawl out of cobweb Shetland. I survived, the shawl survived, but it nearly drove me crazy. Now I have some cobweb in my stash, and I'm scared to knit it.
Hi, Kate, I gor your comment on my blog, but I'm such a newbie at this that I don't know how to answer you directly. So, you get another comment from me.
My Ravely name is ruth.
Brilliant no?
Thanks for the lovely comments on my yarns. I have a lot of fun dyeing them.
Oh, my gosh! How well-adjusted you sound in light of this great knitting tragedy. Silk is usually so strong, it's strange.
Oh dear! I am sorry to hear that!
I am more sorry than I can possibly say! It is a recurring nightmare of mine that threads will give out on my own WRS and to have it actually happen to anyone is really heartbreaking.I salute your second attempt but I'm thinking you might need a different yarn? New Year, New Yarn, New Start? I'm rooting for you!
oh, how heartbreaking! traitorous yarn. :(
Oh. My. Goodness!! My heart is breaking for you. I have the pattern and so far haven't gotten much further than gazing at it. I'm on the cusp of ordering the yarn for Princess, however. I'm planning on using Cash-silk, hope it's strong!
Oh, that is so awful, Kate. I am so sorry! It brought tears to my eyes. In the meantime, perhaps you can work on something else and come back to it later with some kevlar and steel thread.
Happy Turkey, anyway.
Horrible!
If you decide to start over, I recommend the Gossamer Merino from Heirloom Knitting. I made my WRS from that, and I had no problems whatsoever with the yarn.
Good Luck!
Anna
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