Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Citron

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This FO is a funny combination of selfishness and generosity. Seeing the Citron pattern on Knitty, I thought that it would be the perfect kind of project to make for the silent auction coming up at Bran's school. It is simple, elegant - but has pizzazz, and it would appeal to a variety of people. DSC_0045
So, with my good intentions intact, I went to Shuttles, Needles and Hooks in search of yarn to make the shawl. The choice of yarn was easy since the store had a number of small cones of Jaggerspun's Zephyr Wool-Silk, a yarn that I had wanted to try out for quite some time. The color choice was another matter. There was a beautiful garnet red, and if the shawl had been for me, I would have immediately chosen it, hands down. But I knew, even though I was there in the spirit of giving, that if I made the shawl in that red, it would be a lot more challenging to give it away. So I looked at the other available colors, and decided on a light pink called Ladyslipper for three reasons: 1) I thought it would be a good color for the design. 2) A lot of women I know like the color. 3) There was no way that I would want it.
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That choice turned out to be an even better one than I expected. As I struggled with the tediousness of the many long stockinette rows with the lace yarn, I felt even more strongly that if I had used the red, it would be even more difficult to give my work away, especially because I have never been to one of the auctions at this school, and have no idea what the shawl will actually sell for. It is hard to put a price on this kind of work, but I would feel pretty bad if it sold for only $20, and even worse if it were something I would have happily added to my own wardrobe.
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I'll admit that even in its pinkness I won't be thrilled if it only sells for $20 because I could also gift it to someone who would know the value of the work I put into it. But I still want to take the risk in hopes that a shawl like this will make more money for the school than G and I could give in cash out of our pockets. And, since I am new to the area, I also hope that seeing the shawl might get people interested in knitting, perhaps giving me an opportunity to pass on the hobby as I have always loved to do.
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Regarding the pattern, the result is lovely enough that I would do it again, stockinette and all. Next time, I may add a repeat or two to make it larger, and it will most likely be red.

2 comments:

Aimee said...

Getting ready to cast-on citron. Actually, have cast on twice but am having a hard time getting started. Yours turned out so beautiful!! Inspiring...

Anonymous said...

It's just so beautiful! My MIL tried to teach me how to knit, but my brain just doesn't seem wired for it. -- Lis