Saturday, July 23, 2011
Antonia
The fifth and final pattern in the Opera Season II Collection has just been released: Antonia.
This delicate, lacy shawl is named for one of the women in Offenbach's opera, Les Contes d'Hoffmann (the Tales of Hoffmann). One of the four women with whom Hoffmann falls in love, Antonia is the fragile singer who is too ill to be able to pursure a career on stage. But her beauty and the loveliness of her voice cannot be denied.
The Antonia shawl is worked from the bottom up, with stepped increases that create the triangular shape. Because of this construction, it can be easily sized and adapted to your preference--or to the amount of yarn you have available.
I created the Antonia shawl because I wanted an excuse to work with a new yarn from Handmaiden Fine Yarn called Silk Twist . This fingering weight yarn has a lustrous strand of mulberry silk plied together wiith its merino wool base. It has a shine all its own and is perfect for a lacy piece like this.
I added a top border with short rows so that it sits easily on the shoulders. You can wear it pinned in a formal way or tie it at the front for a more casual look.
Once you understand the construction of the Antonia shawl and have a few repeats of the stitch pattern under your hands, you will be able to relax into this knit easily.
Which colour will you choose for your Antonia?
The "Alabaster Pink" version was knit by Dianna Paterson.
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