We all have knitworthy friends, don't we? Those nice people who don't ask for hand knitted things because they think its cheaper to get a scarf or sweater that way or that you love knitting so much you will happily spend all day for a few weeks making something that will be worn a few times then forgotten in a drawer, but friends who are always delighted to receive something and are seen wearing it - often. Lizzie is one such friend and from time to time she will wear something that I have made that attracts the attention of someone else. So much so that a scarf or pair of gloves mysteriously disappears from Lizzie's house and reappears at MB's
A couple of years ago I knitted a brioche shawl for Lizzie, in grey and black cashmere silk mix and was amused to see it appear in a very fine photograph on instagram, by @theodoraw8
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| Very much not Lizzie |
I was rather pleased, there's nothing I like better than to see my work appreciated. But it is a shame to make these two appreciative friends share, so I decided to make MB something of his own. After a bit of stash diving I found some wonderful fingering weight alpaca from Triskelion . (The yarn I had was in deep stash but they have something similar here )
A bit of searching on Ravelry and I came up with Celtic Myths by Asita Krebs. Knitted, blocked and posted - to Lizzie for onwards transmission to MB . Unfortunately I did not warn her to expect a parcel from me and over enthusuiastically opening a parcel she thought was one expected from her publisher she stabbed it rather too deeply with a sharp pair of scissors. I received a text to ask if I had any left over yarn as she needed to mend the 'teeniest nick' in the scarf - my friend is a writer of fiction...
After much begging for a proper photograph of the damage, and at MB's insistence, the scarf was sent back to me. I took a little time to work out the best way to repair it.
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| Damage limitation |
Firstly I grabbed as many stitches above and below the cut and parked them on a pair of DPNs and crocheted a chain down the cut sides
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| Pedicle |
Then I created what in plastic surgery terms would be called a pedicle graft (approximately!)
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| closure |
Matching the stitch pattern of alternating sections of stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch I kitchenered the pedicle in place at the top and stitched the sides with a sort of duplicate stitch
But it also seemed right to honour the repair, rather in the style of kintsugi (or knitsugi if you will)
The structure of the shawl-scarf is such that it can be worn with the repair on view or hidden. I gather it is usually worn on show
xx
C
