Charting Aquila
Submitted by spinningleaves on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 15:54
I knitted this shawl after a Finnish-language pattern, called "Aquila," published online in 2008. I don't speak or read the language and (ironically for this exhibit and why I chose to submit this piece) there were no translations available. Luckily the pattern had charts. The yarn is a commercially spun, kettle-dyed, merino/silk blend worked on US size 4 needles over the course of a month (July to August, 2009). I knit a great deal of lace, mostly for myself. I love the result a bit more than the process, as reading charts and counting stitches is not the most relaxing form of knitting for me. I taught myself to knit in 2006 in order to use the massive amouts of yarn I was spinning. Now I spend every free moment I have with needles in my hands.
I think my challenge as a lace knitter is not only to work through the process of translating a traditional art form into pieces I can wear today but also to cross barriers using the language of textiles.
