Saturday, February 05, 2011
Mimi
The first pattern in the Opera Season II Collection has just been released. It's Mimi from La Boheme.
Puccini's opera is a moving story of a young woman in love with a poor Parisian poet. They live in a garret in the Latin Quarter where they are barely able to pay the rent. She is ill with tuberculosis and in the heart-breaking final act, Mimi dies in the arms of her lover.
As in all operas, there are other charcaters and layers of plot development. But the central theme of love until death is gripping and, when coupled with Puccini's beautiful music, one cannot help but be moved.
In designing in the Mimi shawl, I was reminded how, in almost every scene of the opera, Mimi is wearing a shawl. She is trying desperately to keep warm in the cold winter. But I also wanted to reflect something of her delicate beauty, too.
That is why I chose the romantic colours of pinky mauve and purple.
The shawl is constructed in several sections, helping to keep the knitting interesting. The central part is a Garter Stitch section, worked on the bias to form a wide triangular shape. The lower border is picked up and knit downwards and the lacy edging is knitted on afterwards.
To give the shawl shape and verstaility, I added a border along the top edge. By adding short rows across the central portion, I was able to form a fold-back collar that hugs the neck.
I like to think that Mimi would have benefited from the warmth of this shawl, which also reflected her own loveliness.
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