a Card Idea

Recently one of the nuns celebrated her 50th year as a monastic. I had hoped to make her a special card for the occasion, Onida, on the other hand, had other plans. She thought she would offer some help in the creative process resulting in the loss of approximately 12 rows. I keep telling her she can’t knit with her teeth. This put me a bit off schedule, but I am determined to finish the project …..belated, but offered, still, with love.

To achieve the look and size and fit the space I needed I had to modify the pattern, by knitting only the middle panel only. Lace weight yarn was too thick so I chose cobweb weight cashmere from Colourmart. Trying to find knitting needles small enough was a little more difficult. I had a size #00 pair that still did not lend well to the look I wanted so I ended up using some short blocking pins. I just glued some wood beads on one end of each to prevent the work from slipping off. Working with this small size of pins and weight yarn presented obvious visual concerns, which were resolved with good lighting and high magnified reading glasses.

Once finished I will attach this piecework to the front of a handmade card, either by tacking each corner with string, or finding an adhesive that can be easily removed from the fabric so that the knitted piece can be separated from the card itself and either displayed as a small wall or window hanging, placed on a dresser or small table as a doily, or even used as a marker of sorts. I will use a cardstock in a colour that will allow the piece to display nicely, or use a coloured mat on white cardstock. If this turns out as I hope I will knit, smaller, less ambitious lace swatches and create novelty cards to be sold at the monastery to help with their building fund.