St. Lucia Day
Today, December 13, is St. Lucia Day. I was planning on writing something about St. Lucia and her importance in Swedish culture, but this morning I discovered that Kristi had already done so. Go read her beautiful blog post on St. Lucia. Her lovely photos of the saffransbullar she baked brought back some memories for me. I can almost taste ‘em, tender and warm from the oven, with the delicious perfume of saffron. Sigh.
If you’d like to read my account of my own brush with St. Lucia fame, read this blog post from December 13, 2002. Heh.
Thank you for all your lovely comments about the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl. *blush*
I unpinned it this morning. (Lucy really enjoyed this part. She flopped down on the floor next to me and rolled around joyously. “Momma’s playing with me at 4:00am! Ooooh, this is so fun!”) On a whim, I took it to the office with me. I pinned it up on a cubicle wall and photographed it, albeit in a somewhat blurry manner.
Then I draped it artistically over some packing boxes for another (somewhat less blurry) shot.
What’s On the Needles Now?
Pat guessed correctly. It’s another Susan Lawrence design, the Mountain Stream Scarf. Here’s the description of the scarf, shamelessly lifted from Susan’s site:
This lace scarf is knit using techniques from traditional Orenberg shawls. It is a small but challenging project and a nice introduction to the Orenberg construction.
The pattern calls for one skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze (229 yards), with the warning that you will use almost the entire skein. I am using a skein of fingering/laceweight cashmere that L-B gave me earlier this year, and it has 300 yards. So I figure I can make a longer scarf by adding a few extra repeats of the lace.
The cashmere came from Holly Spring Homespun and is American-grown. I understand that they are expecting another shipment of it soon.
My scarf so far:
I’ve done the provisional cast-on, knitted the bottom border, down the short row corners, and have started in on the pattern. This is a somewhat complex construction, but Susan’s instructions are impeccable — if you follow them exactly, you’ll have no problems.
So now I have quite a stretch of fun lace knitting with no complex construction issues. This will keep me happy for a while!
Lucy Sez
“Look at the current total for the Heifer Project! Let’s party!!”
Listen to this post 
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Happy St.Lucia Day! And leave the candles off of Lucy’s head!
My ragdolls love to wear lampshades too!
St. Lucia is Lucy’s saint’s day. Was she name for St. Lucia?
Woo hoo! Go Wendy and the Heifer Project!
Happy St. Lucia Day!
My daughter, Hannah, used to dress up as St. Lucia. Happy St. Lucia Day, Wendye!
Gorgeous new scarf. Lucy doesn’t need a scarf - she has her lamp to keep her warm.
Is Lucy hinting to purchase her mugs from Cafe Press? The picture with her under the lamp shade is great. I have mine on my kitchen counter.
Your Forest Canopy Shawl is lovely. I have 2 skeins of Koigu that are just too beautiful to use for socks. Do you think Koigu would be a good choice for the Forest Shawl. I’ve never knit lace and would like to give it a try.
The Heifer total is great, so close to $25K!!!
Happy St. Lucia
Sherry (Twyla Twinkle Berry’s mom)
Happy Santa Lucia day! I also posted a similar post. :)! I always wanted to be the Lucia but with the candles on the head…I would be a fire hazard!
And for videos of THIS year’s Lucia festival, check out the YouTube links in this entry: http://psybrrr.typepad.com/kingofallremotecontrols/2006/12/four_new_videos.html
I’m seeing a trip out to Powhatan in my future! Nice yarn, nice pattern, nice lace!
The next issue of SIMPLY KNITTING (which they get in England early in December) has a pattern for a Lucia doll with the white dress and the candle wreath on her head. I don’t want to miss that issue!
God Jul!
I’m late to the party I think–I didn’t realize the shawl was truly multicolored until seeing the pic of it on the boxes! And the shawl in your office–well, why not have a “knitting show” and hang something new every week or two? Does Lucy like to hang under the lamp? For the heat? My geriatric cat used to like sleeping under a lamp on an extended arm–it was the only lamp with a regular light bulb so she could could that warmth (cat owners are usually so well trained, aren’t we?)
Aww Lucy looks so dainty sitting there like that. The shawl is just gorgeous! Love the way it stripes so perfectly. I did go back and read your prior St. Lucia post and it’s the first time I ever saw Izzy, how sweet.
I really like that picture of Lucy. I look forward to seeing the progress of this shawl. The construction sounds interesting.
Love the Forest Canopy Shawl!!
Do you sleep?
Lucy does “the chipmunk pose” too! My kitties do it when they want to know what’s on the table without actually touching the table. Since they know that they are being bad, they figure that it doesn’t count if you don’t touch.
Beautiful shawl!
I have a question for you (if you have time).
Do you have any suggestions for selecting substitute yarns — both with regards to the thickness (sport versus fingerling) and the material? I’m wondering if there are any guidelines out there about what the impact is of switching from 100% wool to a blend or to something totally different like bamboo, for example, with regards to the drape of the material, etc.
Is it a matter of swatch and see?
Thanks!!
My brother was a star boy when he was about 5-6. I never got to be Lucia, though.
I used to read the American Girl books and one the girls was a Swedish immigrant and there’s a whole storyline about Saint Lucia in one of her books…I loved that book. Also, I know that look on Lucy’s face…my cat gets that same look: she’s spotted a fly. or a moth, same difference. lol
Mmmmm, the American cashmere looks very interesting. I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration. Suffering from a miserable cold, and am going to bed with a Kleenex shoved up each nostril. No photos will be forthcoming.
Looks like another lovely scarf is on the way.
Thanks for pointing us to your friend who told the tale of St. Lucia so beautifully.
~firefly
So Lucy’s given up on the chicks?
The post-blocking shawl is lovely! Thanks for the link too!
Do you have any tips for doing short-row lace corners? I’ve been trying to figure out the Orenburg method for a few months now, but I just can’t seem to get them right.
Oh that cashmere will be SO YUMMY for Mt. Stream! I bet you’ll have it finished in no time. Mine has been languishing in the WIP basket for entirely too long.
The scarf is gorgeous! I would like to make it myself but I’m a little intimidated by the “provisional” cast on. Perhaps I’ll give it a go.
WendyT
Congratulations on the gorgeous shawl! As a complete newbie to lace knitting, I am already hooked and looking forward to my own shawl projects.
And Lucy is, as always, adorable. Has she received any baby chicks yet?
Happy St. Lucia day one day late. I was never a lucia but our lutheran church did it and my sister was lucia one year. And in college my Swedish teacher always had a holiday party that ended with a lucia procession. I really miss doing that. And we’d drink glogg, yum!
I made a batch of lussekatter (saffransbullar) yesterday so now it feels like christmas. Thanks for a wonderful knitting blog, a friend who is a longtime fan of yours ( hi Tammy in Columbus, IN) told me about your blog and I got hooked! I moved from Sweden to Indiana two years ago and started knitting again last year after a break for 17 years. Your blog opened a new world to me with “nutty knitters” like me. Onskar dig en god jul och ett gott nytt ar!