Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Charlene's Sea Shawl by the Sea Shore


Charlene christma 2010 shawl finished

This is my original design “Miranda's Sea Shawl by the Sea Shore”, inspired by the 1912 J.W. Waterhouse painting “Miranda” which was inspired by Shakespeare's “Tempest”. I created the pattern for a fiber cooperative - Phat Fiber Sample Box - I've joined to promote my designs. This pattern is available at garilynn.etsy.com, ravelry.com and patternfish.com - Search under Miranda's Sea Shawl by the Sea Shore.


MIL seemed to like it, so I contacted my fiber partner - flyngmunky.etsy.com - to see if she had more of the yarn. Sadly, she was not working with that blend anymore. I decided to make it from dyeing the fiber, to spinning, plying and knitting the shawl.


I started with unspun, undyed fiber (called roving). The fiber blend is Superwash Merino and Seacell. The seacell is purported to have special properties (text from paradisefibers.com):


SeaCell®pure is a cellulose fiber containing seaweed (e.g. ascophyllum
nodosum).
The idea behind SeaCell®pure is actually quite simple: The natural raw
materials cellulose and seaweed represent the basis for the manufacture
of the SeaCell®pure fiber, employing the "Lyocell Process". The cellulose
fibers act as functional substrate for the seaweed.

– Breathable
– Soft
– Supports skin blood flow
– Stimulates skin cell regeneration
– Pleasant touch, comfortable feel

Seaweed is added as the active substance for a good reason. The fact that
this marine plant is rich in various minerals, trace elements,
carbohydrates, fats and vitamins, has been well-known since the times of
Chinese medicine. Moreover, seaweed has been proved to protect the
skin and exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, which also unfold in the
SeaCell®pure fiber.

The SeaCell®pure fiber offers the manifold properties of seaweed and its
health-promoting substances. The structure of SeaCell®pure facilitates an
active exchange of substances between fiber and skin. The natural body
moisture releases the constituents when the fabric is worn.
The effect of SeaCell®pure remains unchanged even after numerous
washing cycles.

Numerous tests, carried out by various institutes and organizations,
examined the fiber properties and confirmed the durability of the
SeaCell®pure effect.
In cooperation with the Fresenius Institute in Berlin, it was demonstrated
that, in the humid environment of the skin surface, the SeaCell®pure fiber
is able to release its active ingredients as required..

The colors I used reminded me of 2 gifts that we'd given MIL in the past that she liked. One was the Star Ruby Sapphire ring, the other was the quilt. I also like the combination of colors in Pink and Purple Crazy Lace Agate (picture from titisjewelry.etsy.com) :

Crazy lace agate from titisjewelry dot etsy dot com

Picture of wet dyed roving:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl dyeing picture of right side of roving

Roving dried and fluffed up:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl roving dry and fluffed up on form as neck ruff

Corner of russet and gold Miranda shawl of Miranda yarn by flyngmunky.etsy.com with swatch of dyed yarn for Charlene's shawl:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl swatch of straight dyed roving singles being spun of dyed and undyed roving and Miranda shawl of Miranda yarn

This was darker than I envisioned the shawl, so I added 50% undyed fiber when drafting and spinning to lighten the color. This also made it more interesting:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl  picture more shaded spun singles in ball with tape measure 3 3  8  oz 96 grams

I Navajo plied the singles:
Charlene christma 2010 shawl Plate of plies in light

And used a makeshift lazy kate Genvalia Box to hold my Magic Wand spinning stick while I rolled the yarn into a ball:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl spun singles in Gevalia lazy kate

Two more views:

Charlene christma 2010 shawl finished back

Charlene christma 2010 shawl finished front

The package is out for delivery today. I won't know until Christmas if she likes it or not.