Surly is enjoying a nice little road trip with family, so I thought I would launch into the story of the Tapestry Wrap.
The Tapestry Wrap is a Marie Wallin design. It is part of her fair isle club collection, so its official name is Fair Isle Club Six (or #6). This was our first foray into the “club scene.” We saw the design and were intrigued, but thought it might be a bit “out there!” Plus, the colors seemed kind of bright and a bit “out there!” (The colors are far more muted IRL.) We decided to go for it. So on the allotted day at 10am, we logged in and bought our kits. All 500 kits were sold within 2 hours!! Uh, we were shocked and very glad we got there first!! The kits were expensive, but to me well worth the price.
The kit included Marie’s British Breeds yarn (all 20 colors!), a high-quality hard copy of your chosen pattern size, a cute fabric project bag, and a sterling silver shawl pin. The yarn is gorgeous. She uses a unique mix of wools that give it a luster and almost alpaca quality. It is softer than Shetland wool, and maybe a little thicker? You also received a pdf of ALL sizes, and video support/zoom meetings with Marie.
I knew right away that I would need to lengthen mine. The unusual construction gave me a pause, but I figured out what to do and forged ahead. We started our sweaters in mid-December. Many days I knit on this for 8-10 hours!! Sally and I were on a roll, and I had a lot more knitting to do than she did!
This video shows the day I finally cut the steeks:
The visual interest to this sweater is in the back.
This shows what the back looked like after cutting:
The big “U” in the picture above is the back after cutting. There were full steeks on either side and a partial steek in the center. You needed to pick up and knit the center back panel and side panels, using flat fair isle, and then graft those sts to the other side.
Bad photo before grafting:
After grafting:
The sleeves each had a flat panel and the sides were knit flat (and had short rows).
What I am trying to say is, the construction truly was unusual and kind of pieced together!! The sleeves run a little short and I have super long arms, so I added 40 (gulp!) rows to the sleeves. I used a number of splicing and weaving techniques to avoid ends and had very few considering that Marie changes both colors quite often!! I love the sleeves because they almost look like they belong to a different sweater!
The good news is that once you join the club, you can buy any previous kit, which Sally actually did. Fair Isle Club 7 is called the Kilim Jacket and will launch December 1. To sign up for emails about the club, register here. I will not be doing the next one — it is kind of similar to the Tapestry Wrap. One was enough for me!! A true labor of love!
PS — I just got a $10 check from the state fair for my sweepstakes!! They didn’t give out prize money with ribbons this year because last year was such a loss. This was so unexpected!! 🙂
PS to Chloe: Shawl Pins
It is a true labor of love but it is so worth it. Yours is absolutely gorgeous.
Comment by Anne — September 10, 2021 @ 1:25 pm
It’s fabulous! Fingers crossed that I snag one this December!
Comment by Susan Fahning — September 10, 2021 @ 3:55 pm
I can’t believe I was away and I missed all of these recent magical posts. Congratulations for all of your fair ribbons— no surprise to me, as your work is superlative.
The Marie Wallin sweater is a masterpiece— kudos to you. It definitely deserved the blue ribbon, and I would be willing to bet that the judges had no idea how persnickety the construction was : steeking!flat and round gauge matching! grafting in the center of a piece! All absolutely worth the effort. It is a gorgeous sweater.
Comment by Pat — September 10, 2021 @ 4:06 pm
Absolutely fabulous!
Comment by Denise Bell — September 10, 2021 @ 4:55 pm
Thanks for showing us how that sweater is constructed.
Amazing indeed.
Cute that you received a $10 cheque from the fair!
Comment by Lisa RR — September 10, 2021 @ 9:09 pm
Oh my, what a work of art! And 8-10 hours per day, thats a workout! Good going!
Comment by Penny Halverson — September 10, 2021 @ 11:02 pm
Susan, I have been knitting for many years now (54). This has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of knitting I have seen. You did such a wonderful job. It isn’t something I would attempt. It should have taken 1st place. I hope that Sally posts the new project when she finishes it. I really enjoy your postings. Linda
Comment by Linda Spooner — September 10, 2021 @ 11:10 pm
What a gorgeous sweater. I did Lerwick (Fairisle club 4?) a couple of years ago – I like to wear more as time goes by – at first it was too “interesting” — it hasn’t changed – just my appreciation for it.
Comment by Pam Henager — September 11, 2021 @ 2:28 am
Gorgeous. What a labor of love, and to add 40 extra rows (per sleeve??) to boot. No wonder Sally is doing a second one and you are club sweater and you are not. Hopefully, one day, we will see you in it! The colors are perfect for you.
Comment by Chloe — September 11, 2021 @ 9:34 am
P.S…KNITTING A SECOND CLUB SWEATER (it’s early). Is it possible to buy The Club Shawl pin without the sweater? I love its simplicity.
Comment by Chloe — September 11, 2021 @ 9:43 am
It’s even more beautiful in person. I need to do the rest of the finishing on mine!
Comment by Sally — September 11, 2021 @ 11:11 am
Absolutely stunning. Well done.
Comment by Mike — September 14, 2021 @ 4:38 pm
This is exquisite, and yet another example of your admirable skills and impeccable taste. Watching you cut that steek stopped my breath!
Comment by Emm — September 14, 2021 @ 8:04 pm
Stunning! Absolutely amazing knitting beautifully executed. You and it certainly deserve those prizes?. And the $10! Kudos.
Comment by annie — September 14, 2021 @ 9:50 pm
Sometimes I’ve questioned the judge’s decisions, but not for this. Well deserved and completely amazing.
Comment by Sharon Knutson — September 24, 2021 @ 2:27 pm
Absolutely stunning! When I saw this in the September Minnesota Knitters Guild State Fair review, it took my breath away!
Comment by Sue Knipfer — October 3, 2021 @ 3:11 pm
This is so beautiful!!!
Comment by kim — October 4, 2021 @ 10:30 pm