I want to knit a shawl
Sharon October 11th, 2004
Ok, I admit to thinking that there was something to 19th century dress. It was warmer. It was comfortable. For all that the corset gets a bad rap if you pull it really tight (I shudder to think how tight mine would have to be to give me any kind of a figure), a reasonably arranged corset is a wonderful antidote to back problems. Skirts are in many ways quite easy to manage - you can always hike them up. And they looked nice. Similarly, the male working equivalent was a lot nicer than the daily uniform my husband wears.
But I still don’t quite understand why I want a shawl so badly. I don’t do victorian dress, much as I admire it (today’s outfit - ripped jeans, slip on shoes, long sleeved t shirt that says, “Picky Eaters Garden,” with assorted places where the baby wiped his nose on me.) I have sweaters. But I really, really want to knit a shawl. Just a simple one, maybe a nice black one in Cashmerino. I don’t need it, but my desire is approaching a need.
Part of the problem is that holiday knitting has taken over and I just want to make something for me. I’ve got two afghans, am about to have a third, four scarves and 6 pairs of socks in progress to finish between now and January. Clearly, I need to make myself a shawl too ;-P.
But part of it is the kind of person I’d be if I had a shawl. I’d be prettier. All the nineteenth century tasks I’m learning (badly) to do would come easily to me. I’d be a neater spinner, shear sheep in minutes, weave baskets, keep an elegant home. I’d be Tasha Tudor, only younger and edgier. I’m pretty sure a shawl can do all that.
Do you think I’m putting too much pressure on the shawl?
Sharon