I am Lily - stitcher and part time bookseller. Mother to my gorgeous girl, Abigail and wife to Julian. I make time each day to let my imagination potter and add quirky prettiness and handmade comfort to our home and lives. You can email me at lily(at)blockaday(dot)com
mrs. weasley pretty
I took your kind advice today, found a warm place in the sun, snuggled up under the dandelion stole, and let the day potter by quietly and peacefully whilst I worked at finishing my replacement shawl (the first one ended up around Nanny’s shoulders).
It’s a combination of Laura Chau’s Simple yet Effective Shawl - I really enjoyed knitting this shawl so followed her instructions for the increasing - and Orlane’s Recipe for a Textured Shawl. I just love the stitch she uses in this shawl - and then added some more texture on top.
Some textured stocking stitch, and two bands of a very wide basket weave which I then popped buttons on. The button idea was inspired by the cape in here (check out the back cover!). And then I added a Cinnarbar edge to the Malabrigo kettle dyed worsted … oh dear! I don’t know what shade of pink it is! I threw away all the tags! Is it Pagoda, Damask or Dusty? Hmph.
This is glorious wool - it has an almost felted quality and a lovely subtle variegation to the the colour and texture. Oh and the pink in the fringe is a Debbie Bliss Tweed. So pretty. So delicate.
And the Mrs. Weasley bit - w-e-e-e-e-ll - I have to confess, I secretly love Mrs. Weasley’s sense of style and home decorating. I adore layers of colour and pattern and clutter and prettiness and eccentricity. I would love to live in the Burrow and have my needles knitting away in the corner. :-)
And if I cannot be Mrs. Weasley, I would be happy to take up Professor Sybil Trelawney’s position! I even went dressed as her to the last Harry Potter Book Launch - teacup and all - and even got to read our esteemed Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s, tea leaves. All very funny! Of course, the funniest bit is, I didn’t have to buy anything new or visit the thrift store for my costume - much to my mother’s dismay, my own everyday clothes were just perfect! :-)
So now I have a bona-fide Mrs. Weasley shawl. Only someone else is wearing it.
She says she will return it when her poncho is done. Huh! I’ll just wait till she goes to bed.
9 July, 2009 at 2:09 pm
It is GORGEOUS! Will you make me one????? :-)
9 July, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Your new shawl is BEAUTIFUL, Lily! I’m also sure it’s just what the doctor ordered! I love the texture and the buttons–truly makes it a Lily creation. Don’t you love the malabrigo? I have a bit of it stashed away and made myself a one-skein buttonhole scarf that feels so nice next to the neck on a cold day. Hmm…be sure you get that back… :-)
9 July, 2009 at 2:37 pm
How funny! I just went over to Ravelry to see Orlane’s shawl and found that I already had it in my favorites. heehee
9 July, 2009 at 2:54 pm
How can I love EVERYthing that you do? But I certainly do. This shawl (swoon over the colors) is just wonderfully perfect.
9 July, 2009 at 10:37 pm
It seems we both have the knitting bug at the moment :) I love the shawl, textures and buttons give knitting so much more personality. I have been wondering where you are finding all this gorgeous wool? I have been tempted to drive over to Threads and More, but haven’t got the cash for it at the moment. Ah well!
9 July, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Also: I don’t remember if Abbey is a fan of the Deltora Quest books, but Emily Rodda will be at Riverbend later this month. Christopher adores her books, so I have bought tickets for my family to go see her. He is so excited.
10 July, 2009 at 1:21 am
Absolutely gorgeous!
Hugs - Lurline?
10 July, 2009 at 5:09 am
Hi Lily, Your shawl looks so lovely and warm! I hope you can have it this time… Nice weekend to all the family!
10 July, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Love the shawl! I hope you got it back. (If I were her, I would have slept in it…)
11 July, 2009 at 12:31 am
What a magical little world you weave - Mrs. Weasley shawls and moon widget. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
14 July, 2009 at 12:22 am
You are very creative and an inspiration — it almost doesn’t look like the original at all, but its own design.