We have a completed project to show off. . .
the Bonham Fascinator from the
1940s Fascinators Mantilla Head Coverings Scarf - 4 Knit and Crochet patterns.
This is a knit lace project. When Alison sent me the pattern, I
immediately fell in love with it and had to make it. I saw the black sparkly yarn and knew
immediately that I was going to use it for the fascinator. I wasn't
really thinking about how well the yarn would photograph. Turns out,
black is really difficult to take a great picture of. That's why we have
included a picture of the lace made in a dusty rose yarn.
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Finished size: 55 x 22 inches (not including fringe).
I made slightly smaller than pattern called for. |
Materials used:Vanna's Glamour Yarn
- Yarn weight: Category 2 - Fine
- Content: 96% polyester, 4% metallic
Circular knitting needles, size 10 1/2
The bobble sample:
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| Sample was knit with two different needle sizes. |
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The top section was knit on size 8 needles. The lace is tighter
and the bobbles are smaller.
The bottom section was knit on size 10
1/2 needles. The bobbles are bigger and the lace is more open. The sample
was not blocked.
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| Close-up of the bobbles. |
Blocking the fascinator:
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| On the blocking mats. It is neat to see the yarn relax and the lace pattern come to life. |
I steam blocked the poly/metallic yarn. I started by inserting the blocking wires into the edges of the fascinator. Once I had the blocking wires placed how I wanted them, I pinned the wires to the mat (pins went in front of the wires to keep them from moving back and forth on the mat). Once everything was pinned down, I covered the edging with towels to keep them from flattening out with the steam. I made an edging sample to see if I liked the blocked or unblocked look. The blocked edging looked flat and lifeless to me.
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Steam blocking the fascinator.
The iron does not touch the yarn. It is held above the yarn. |
I held the iron several inches above the fascinator for several seconds and steamed it like crazy. This was the second time I had steam blocked a synthetic fiber, and I really like this method. It makes the shawl lay flat, and really makes the lace pattern open up. All in a relatively quick manner. I don't really have the space to wet block items, and even if I did our cats would have a heyday picking at the project.
Once I finished steaming the fascinator, I let it lay on the mat until it was completely dry.
I purchased anti-fatigue mats from a tool company for blocking my projects. I join them together to make a blocking area that fits my project.
The pattern can be found in our Etsy store.
