I have one more project that got the silent treatment during my months of blog silence, but it/they are so close to completion that I don't want to show them to you until we can put an actual photo shoot together. In the meantime, this is what I cast on immediately upon posting about my new-found commitment to artistic freedom, and what I've been knitting feverishly ever since; I've decided to call it Gilberte.
Gilberte is a gleefully non-commercial design, something I never would have devoted time to before The Epiphany, for the simple reason that one casts on over 300 stitches to begin, and, due to the way the lace pattern gains and loses stitches throughout, most of the rows are actually longer than that. (When finished, it should be a very generously-sized rectangular wrap, perfect for cozying up with.) Add to that the complexity of the lace and the lack of any shaping to liven things up, and I don't imagine it will be the next runaway hit. However, I? Am loving every moment of it.
If you're very observant, you may have noticed that the lace motif in Gilberte is the same one I used for the edging of Ántonia. I loved the effect of multiple vertical repeats of the pattern, and in fact experimented with a way to incorporate multiple tiers into a triangular shawl, but it wasn't to be for that design. For this one, it occurred to me that adding in a stripe of a different color might create a cool, slightly scalloped effect, and I love the look of these wide, Edwardian-looking stripes. The color change also keeps things interesting while the knitting is in progress, and creates those cool little pineapple-tops where the color below peeks out from behind the wrap of the color above.
Basically, I'm spending every spare knitting moment with Gilberte right now, and like the coquette she is, she shows no compunction about keeping me from my other, languishing projects. It doesn't hurt that she is made out of Malabrigo Lace, whose luscious softness is just perfect for warming one's hands during this frigid time of year. I've just hit the halfway-point with my yarn, however, so the honeymoon can't last forever.
Don't forget you have one more day to take advantage of my 20% off sale: just enter coupon code EXPERIMENT! at checkout, and have a lovely and safe New Years, everyone!
Ah, but this is beautiful! I'm itching to knit it too!
Thanks, Jesse!
Gilberte est très belle! I love the Antoniá edging and am very curious to see what the whole thing looks like. A very happy 2011 to you, Emily!
A very happy New Year to you too, Christine! And Gilberte is batting her eyelashes at you alluringly in appreciation of the compliment. :-)
Commercial or not, I would knit that in a heartbeat. I'm so glad you're back! Happy new year!
Thanks, Shanon! Glad to be back, and glad you like Gilberte. And hey, maybe I'm totally off base about what's "commercial" or not. Wouldn't that be ironic. :-)
This is so. Beautiful. Wow!
I think the universe is conspiring against me right now, tempting me back toward knitting after a pathetically long hiatus. I promised myself not to start any projects until after I move, but as soon as I made the resolution, all these gorgeous patterns started popping up in my life.
Worlds collide, Nicole! You knit, too - that's awesome. It sounds like your knitting ban may go the way of your book-acquisition ban if this conspiracy keeps up... :-)
Ooh, she is lovely! And cozy looking! And I did recognize those scallops immediately. I love me my Antonia!
Yay, Jessica, glad you love your Antonia! :-) It's fun to be spending a more extended period with this motif, seeing how it looks as an all-over pattern rather than an edging. And yes, I'm really looking forward to the cozy factor!
WOW! The detail, unbelievable. You make me want to knit again!
Do it! You know you want to. :-)
I've always loved that scalloped shaped lace pattern, I think it looks beautiful the way you've stacked them vertically!
Thanks, Becky. I was curious to see how it would look big-scale, as a larger pattern, and I think it's working out well!
Hi Emily! thanks for stopping over.
I just caught up on your latest projects and am, of course, blown away by gilberte! I'd love to knit that for myself. I recently made a scarf with malabrigo lace and it was divine knitting.
can't wait to see what's new for you.
Isn't Malabrigo Lace lovely? Especially for these cold, gray days - a little bit of luxury running through our hands. Glad to be reconnecting to my knit-bloggy friends, & thanks for the nice words, Jennifer. :-)