soaring

Posted on Posted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

raven is off the needles but was almost immediately grounded . . . not for long though—as soon as it is dry we will get some modeling shots.

and while it is pinned down, i am soaring. it’s beautiful.

the patterns look lovely next to each other and the textures are defined

the length worked out perfectly; trust in mathematics is restored. here you can see that it blocked out to have a back length of 30.5 inches, though i am sure it will spring back a bit, as i did pull tightly while blocking this one.

the span across the shoulders and top edge is approximately 74 inches.
i love how the yarn colors evoke a deep night sky with some pretty horizontal clouds across it.

you can see that the shoulder shaping adds an interesting line to the top edge while it is flattened here; once it is on the body, this will translate into a graceful drape from a fitted neck/shoulder to a full hem.

when at first it came off the needles it was MUCH smaller and the fabric compressed quite a bit. the edges looked ruffled enough to be real feathers.

and while it was tempting to leave it as is, the fit was a little skimpy that way

so i set to work and did some stretching. and some pinning

transformation, indeed.

148 thoughts on “soaring

  1. That is absolutely stunning… I have great admiration for all of your designs but this one has about knocked me backwards! Wonderful work. I can’t wait to get better at lace so I can try my hand at it one day 🙂

  2. Looks like you’ve named this beautiful shawl, but if not – how about Fiachra? One of the children of Lir – princes and a princess who were turned into swans for 900 years. It looks like the wings of a beautiful black swan!!! The gaelic from which Fiachra comes is fiach meaning raven.So it all ties together! When can we get the pattern, hmmmm????

  3. The Raven really looks hot Anne. You did a great job. As always. It really is beautiful!! You are an awesome designer!

  4. You are soaring. I am thinking a book has to come soon. You already have a variety of patterns both in skill level and in pattern types to fill a book. I am ready to order my copy.

  5. Gorgeous! Can’t wait to see the modeled shots, as you always come up with great ideas for wonderful pictures!
    Thanks for your answer to my last comment. I’m a bit busy, but I should be able to look up a few more Persian words for you in the coming days. That’s just too bad I can’t share the way these words sound with you: the musicality of that language is lovely. And I think it somehow fits the shawl well. The shawl also evokes some aspects of Iranian culture to me; that is quite interesting.

  6. I second what Karen said. It is unworldly beautiful. The yarn, the stitch patterns. Its lace, but the depth of it…I’m in awe. (And completely lusting after it. Knitting faster…get the socks off the needles…I want wings!) Thank you for all the wonderful yarn pr0n!

  7. Even more beautiful than I hoped. The shaping makes it a divine finished silhouette. I love the patterns and they go together so perfectly. I just wish I was a faster knitter :[ How does anyone keep up with you?

  8. So beautiful… I know what I want for Christmas. 😀 Just what I needed after a crappy day of work. You may now rest after a job done exceptionally well!!!!

  9. I completely agree with all the other comments ! It’s stunning ! The shoulders shaping resembles the shape of a wing so well I can hardly believe it.
    I love the picture of the unblocked shawl, it seems so feathery and real there 🙂 Be careful when you unpin it, it might just fly away !

  10. Absolutely gorgeous. As the Italians say, “Sono senza parole” (I don’t have words)!

  11. Good job! Your work is so inspiring, thank you for the great photos. I’d love to see this in Interweave Knits!

  12. Congratulations on another absolutely gorgeous masterpiece Anne. You’re a truly amazingly talented designer and my knitting inspiration! I have really enjoyed reading about your design and knitting journey with this project. Thanks so much for sharing. Hugs from Aust.

  13. Ditto the above. I have liked other shawl patterns, but this one is to lust after. Will be waiting to know when the pattern is available. Wings of Lir.

  14. Oh gosh, it is just stunning, Anne. Another heirloom, indeed. Ok, where and when? Is BMFA going to be offering this as a kit? Can’t pass this one up, that’s for sure.

  15. Since my last shawl earlier this fall, I have been focusing on wintery mittens/hats and not even interested in lace, but after a glimpse of this spectacular shawl, I am VERY interested again – what a true inspiration!!

  16. Wow! Fantastic! Truly stunning! And the shoulder shaping ….blocked it truly looks like birds wings! Awesome job! Can’t wait to see it modeled.

  17. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!! !
    Here, just take my credit card. You can keep it.
    I have run out of adjectives, so I give up.

  18. Anne, this shawl is amazing. You have taken the most beautiful elements of the wing and translated them into a masterpiece. If there was any doubt left anywhere as to your design status, this piece puts you clearly at the top. Congratulations!

  19. Sigh……so beautiful!! You must be so proud of this shawl…it is stunning!

    Tell me about your blocking wires. What kind are they that they would bend like they did for this shawl?

  20. That is beautiful. It really is a raven’s wing, in fact I do think you should call it the Raven’s Wing! What a spectacular example of knitting at its best!

  21. It’s stunning! Was it difficult to work in black? Years ago I made a shawl out of black yarn and I found it hard to work on. But, for your shawl I’d be willing to try again.

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