Emelia Lace Choker
August 30th, 2007
Last night I finished and blocked the Emelia Lace Choker that I’ve been knitting. It was an incredibly quick knit, although you wouldn’t know that for how long it took me! I didn’t knit on it non-stop; it was just a few periods of adding a bunch of rows within a months time. Despite the few mistakes, I really like the choker. It’ll be hard finding things to wear with it, but I need new clothes soon anyways 
This is one of those things that I would never buy in a store, because I wouldn’t think it’d fit my style. My style is pretty plain, and I’m finding more and more lately that I want to knit things that I’m not sure I’ll feel right wearing. It’s not that I think they’ll look bad on me, but I’ve never worn stuff like it before. For example, lacey shawls aren’t things that I’ve ever worn before, but that doesn’t stop me on my Evergreen shawl. I’m equal parts process knitter, and equal parts product knitter. This means that I have to know that I’m knitting something I’ll use. One of my favorite parts about __making__ things is knowing they’ll get used as real objects (socks, dishcloths, etc are some of my favorites!).
There was this discussion on the [Ravelry](http://www.ravelry.com) forums in the lace group I’m in about wearing lace shawls. A lot of people seem to like to knit lace shawls, but don’t really have any in their wardrobe. It’s not really an “in” thing to do, and we were discussing that paradox. Want to/need to knit it but don’t wear stuff like it. The result of the discussion was the many women deciding their style would have to change, and they would _make_ it “in” to wear lace shawls.
I’m all for this style change. I’m proud of my handknits, especially the more complicated lace ones. I’m going to have to make some changes to my wardrobe to suite these things I knit, and that’s kinda cool.
It may seem kinda silly to obsess over what I wear, and if it’s OK for me to wear it. That’s just the way I am; I’m not comfortable putting myself out there and wearing things I’m not used to wearing. It’s not that I have a problem with being unique; I just have this inability to tell if something really looks good on me, so I stick with what I know.
OK enough about vain and silly things, and enough about me. Isn’t that lace just so great? It really came out in the blocking, and drapes beautifully. It’s knit in Jaggerspun Zephyr wool/silk, which was OK to knit with. It didn’t excite me, but it didn’t hinder me either. If you ever knit with this stuff, just wait until you wash and block the piece. You’ll be amazed.
As you can tell, I couldn’t decide on which color ribbon to buy, so I bought both!
“One of my favorite parts about making things is knowing they’ll get used as real objects”
Yes! That’s why I don’t do much cross-stitch and decorative things like that.
This is EXACTLY why I am finally, 7 years after the last time I picked up a needle, getting rid of all my cross-stitch stuff, too. Hello, eBay, I hope there are lots of people out there who like millions of Mill Hill Seed Beads that have never been opened and obsessively-collected, complete sets of X-stitch patterns that have ne’er seen the light of day. I am becoming terminally practical in my old age…
Also, I am SO with you on the not-wanting-to-wear-something-I-am-not-sure-is-or-ever-has-been-or-ever-will-be-my style-vibe. I never know what looks good on me…I have to ask Ken. But I wish lacy shawls and lace chokers were my style. I don’t know if I have the cojones to MAKE them my style!
Yeah, I’m with you guys on the cross stitch/embroidery. I did a lot of it for a while, but don’t like sewing much so…
The really cool thing about lace shawls, and one of the things that came up in the ravelry discussion, is that lace shawls can be used for a number of other things. Tablecloths, curtains, over a lamp, hung on a wall.
I love this choker – I’ve thought about knitting it, although I have a choker that looks similar already. I wear it occasionally when I’m dressing up a bit to go out, although I’ve worn it once to work, to dress up an outfit. Yours looks lovely.
I love knitting lace. LOVE. Might be one of my favorite things to do while knitting… but i’m also a plain vanilla kind of dresser. My ene remains one of my pride and joy FOs, but I’ve never worn it.