Successful Lace Knitting

I wanted to announce that a new book, featuring one of my designs, is expected out in May of this year. Successful Lace Knitting: Celebrating the Work of Dorothy Reade by Donna Druchunas features more than 25 lace designs by several designers. We've all chosen a stitch pattern from Dorothy Reade to use for our designs. Dorothy's work is timeless and inspirational.

My pattern "Copper Queen" is a lace stole with beaded accents; picots added around the edge give a little more visual appeal then a plain garter stitch border. After choosing the yarn color and beads, I decided to name the project “Copper Queen”, inspired by the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, Arizona which is not far from Tucson where I grew up.

The reason I chose the stitch pattern I used was because I thought that the Victorian-style design would make a beautiful shawl. Since my project is a stole, I wanted a pattern that looks the same no matter which way you view it and this one fit the bill.

The yarn I used was Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper. I picked this one mostly because I have never worked with it and this was a great opportunity for me to try it. Since it has been used quite a bit for lace projects I knew it would be an excellent choice for this one.

I feel like Laceknitting is such a wonderful way to produce something extravagant and intricate, that looks impossible to make and can potentially become an heirloom piece, something that can be passed down from generation to generation. With endless combinations of just a few simple stitches, a finished lace piece can give you a great sense of accomplishment.

Almost every time I finish a shawl and pin it out to block I am amazed, “wow, did I really make that?”. Although sometimes it can be a bit challenging to follow more complicated patterns, it is usually well worth the time invested to create something you, or a giftee, can cherish for years to come.

Successful Lace Knitting by Donna Druchunas will be released in May on the Musk Ox & Glaciers Knitting Cruise, where Donna will be teaching along with Lucy Neatby. The audio book edition of Arctic Lace (http://sheeptoshawl.com/arcticlace.html) will also be published at the same time, so cruise participants will be among the first to have a chance to see (and hear!) these two new releases.

To enter to win 2 balls of laceweight qiviut yarn, sign up for thecruise mailing list here: http://tinyurl.com/ybv6jqm