It's the Swallowtail Shawl from the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits. I knit it from my own spindle spun BFL yarn. I liked it but it felt "granny-ish" to me. Although I'm a Grandma and quite happy to be one, I wasn't ready to stoop over and walk with a cane --- which is the image it conveyed to me.
Nope. Natural cream colour just wouldn't do. I had to jazz it up a little.
Three packages of Kool-Aid drink mix later (Tropical Punch flavour) and my ho-hum, natural coloured granny-shawl is now a dazzling, scarlet scarf.
Okay, worn like this it is still pretty granny-ish,
--- but I'm thinking maybe I'll wear it like this, with a cowl/scarf effect under my black jacket in the winter. Just the thing to brighten a drizzly and grey winter day.
And here's a little detail shot because lace is just so darn worthy of close-up, detail shots.
22 comments:
Well done! I love lace close ups!
I love the colour & think it will certainly look great with the black. Just smashing.
Gillian
Ooh, pretty! What a gorgeous red!
Beautiful! Amazing what can be done with a few packets of Kool Aid!
At first I liked it, but in red I LOVE it!
I actually have "proper" dyes but I think the Tropical Punch Kool-Aid gives a nicer red (less orange) than any of the procion dyes I have seen.
Lovely!
the red sure does make it look sharp and takes at least 20 yrs off ;)
ooooo lala!
i'm assuming you had to reblock it after dyeing? i think koolaid so rocks!
very, very nice
Yes, Minnie, it had to be reblocked. It had returned to it's former, rumpled self in the dye bath of course. It wasn't a big deal though. I used blocking wires for most of it.
Wow! What a difference that made. The red is *so* un-grannyish. Especially worn in front like that. You'll have a lot of fun with it this winter. :-)
Marlene, you look fabulous in your eye popping red lace shawl/scarf. I haven't been bitten by the lace bug but do consider something small like scarves. Thanks for great photos. Love the close up details being shown off.
Gorgeous! You got such an amazing red out of the Kool Aid.
WOW!!! What a difference colour makes. It looked super au natural, but in red, your shawl looks sensational! You never cease to amaze me!
Thanks Laura. I was a bit worried that people would think it looks weird like that. But really it is so small that it is more of a scarf than a shawl anyway. I don't think I would ever use a tiny shoulder shawl, but I would likely use a triangular scarf all winter. My coat has a rather wide deep neckline that needs filling when the weather turns chilly.
Gorgeous! I love the bright color. And I always wear shawls that way; I'm not ready to look like a granny either! :)
WAAAAAAY to go Marlene!! Never knew Tropical Punch was so colorful! And I love the shawlette the way you folded it to make the cowl/scarf combo - excellent color on you too!!!
Simply gorgeous! Red is hot and esp. with your own yarn ;)
I love both the Before & the After! BFL is probably my favorite wool. How were all those nupps?
Joan, I'm always on the lookout for suppliers of BFL. It's my favorite too.
The nupps, as written, were impossible. I went with the "slip 3 p2tog psso" option I found on someone else's blog.
Don't you look fab? I love the way the lace drapes as a scarf! Just beautiful...and the color is so rich too! :)
Fab what the color change and the style of wearing it has done to your image here...no more granny...
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