Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Sucker for attention

Thank you all so much for your complements on Faina. I hadn't posted the pictures because, well, I went outside, took a billion pictures of Faina, worn and unworn, and once I uploaded them I didn't like any of them. So I tried again, with the same results. I went ahead and posted them anyway. I need a model on demand.

Thanks to La for the Knit-A-Long! I wait with heady anticipation of seeing other finished Fainas (HINT HINT).

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I knit like a madwoman on Saturday (Sunday involved GRASS and ITS EXCESSIVE LENGTH and HOW IT INVADES EVERYTHING, as well as other catch-up-on-the-yardwork stuff), as I have been doing all other free nights, since I need to be finished with a certain lace stole sample by the end of April for my first (hopefully) to-be-published pattern (does this make me a lace professional then? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA).

And here's the LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!! part that the title warned you about. Purlescence has posted up pictures of the winners & runners-up, so if you'd like a peek at my stole swatch, you can look at part of my entry. I was idiotic enough to choose to knit this in laceweight silk. Shoot me now.

Has anyone ever messed with beads and lace? I'm thinking of beading the center of each inner motif, but I'm worried that the bead edges will be too sharp and cut the silk thread. I once made my Mom a beaded necklace using fishing line, and it later fell apart because the beads cut the line. Has anyone else ran into this problem? Is lace loose enough that it won't matter?

Also, is adding beads to this a Bad Idea (tm)? As I'm working this I'm consumed with worry that I'm making a lace Folly, in the sense of it's more interesting to design than beautiful to wear. It sure was fun coming up with the story. Alice while in Wonderland tries to recite her school poems and they come out all wrong, yet still obeying the same meter and rhyme. I wanted to make a stole that looks like you screwed it up by forgetting some decreases or increases somewhere, yet it's still following symmetrical rules. A pattern that has been transformed unexpectedly into another. I didn't realize until the end of the swatch it reminded me of cats: tails swishing, cheshire grins, cats' eyes. Ha.

Hmmm, I probably should just thread a beed onto a fake stitch and worry at it and see if it breaks. Argh, I do NOT have time for more swatches.

4 comments:

pacalaga said...

Stop hinting at me, self!
I think small glass seed beads might be okay on silk. Silk is super strong, and seed beads (not bugle beads or anything cut) should be okay. If they're in the center of the motif, they shouldn't have much motion to them anyway. I would think you'd be able to feel the beads with rough edges and avoid them. Check out Sivia Harding's stuff - she does lots-o-beads and I love them all.

Anonymous said...

Beads on lace are great. I've done a couple of things with beads. I prefer the technique were you pull the stitch through the bead with a crochet hook. Go for it!

Carol said...

I've where others are beading their lace and haven't heard any complaints. And you know how fast a complaint can get around blogland ;) Have fun!

Gale Bulkley said...

Well, I did not comment on the original post. But it IS very, very pretty....

As for beading lace, I really think it depends a lot on the placement of the beads in the work and how it is worn. I have made at least 6 beaded items and they are all fine. Hats, sock cuffs, scarves and th like. Never anything that could be sat on or rolled over while sitting in a wheelie type chair. My 2 cents.