Thursday, August 16, 2012

Batik Shawl

I've heard so many stories about knitters/crafters who work hours and hours on projects only to give them to the recipient and have a less than enthusiastic reception.  Let me tell you...there's another problem you need to be just as aware of...too many people wanting complicated projects that take so much time you can't knit anything you want to make.

It all started when we went to visit my husband's grandmother for her birthday.  She likes to crochet, so I talked to her about some of my recent projects and showed her a shawl I was taking to my knitting meet-up right after our visit.  She liked it...a lot.  She asked me how much I would charge to make her one...sigh...that shawl took HOURS.  HOURS!  I could never charge what I would need to.  So I told her I would make her one.  She requested baby blue because it would go with everything, said she could wear it to church since it's chilly with the air conditioning.  I ordered the yarn.  I knit, and knit, and knit and knit.  My husband actually suggested that if I never gave it to her she'd just forget.  That felt wrong, so I knit some more.  And more after that.  Finally, it was done.  After it was blocked, that shawl was longer than the full-size bed was long.




It really came out beautiful.  The pattern is called Batik, and the cables really stand out.  A great shawl, not too complicated, but seriously beautiful.  It's knit up with 3 skeins of Knit Picks Gloss Fingering.

About 6 weeks after the request was made I delivered the shawl to Mama.  She liked it.  Can't say she loved it...she didn't gush over it, but she seemed happy.  She put it back in the bag and told me she hadn't been going to church.  I was happy to have it behind me to work on something else.

We got ready to leave, Hubby and Little Man headed to the car while I used the bathroom quickly...I came out and the woman who also lives with my in-laws, she's apparently a relative that no one knows how's she's related, called for me.  I was surprised because usually I cannot understand her speech as she is a stroke-survivor.  


And for the first time since I've known the woman she spoke clearly....

and asked me how much I would charge her to knit her a shawl...

...the same one, in the same color...

SIIIGGGHHHHHHHHH

1 comment:

Sinéad said...

Sorry I haven't been around for a while, I hadn't forgotten you! Poor you with the shawl requests. It is beautiful though, I can see why people would want one. I think you may be a victim of your own success!