Hand-Knit Lace Shawl by Seeing Eye Graduate Catherine Jacob
Item Number: 310
Time Left: CLOSED
Description
Triangular in shape, this deep denim-colored hand-knit shawl has panels of Horseshoe Lace and Razor Shell, both traditional Shetland lace patterns. Knit using 100 percent alpaca yarn, the delicate effect of the lace is so versatile that the shawl would make an elegant wrap over cocktail attire or dress up a favorite pair of jeans. The artist says she created this design in memory of a wonderful summer spent at the Chincoteague and Assateague Islands off the Virginia coast.
Dimensions: 72" w x 35" l .
Special Instructions
As a low-vision child, Catherine used books on tape and large print for school, but in spite of the limited sight, she developed a love of needlework. She credits her mother with encouraging her art by compelling her to complete a traditional cross-stitch sampler which took her three years to put the last touches on. She went on to crewel embroidery and needlepoint using large canvases and thick yarn.
Catherine lost her battle against blindness due to glaucoma in 1989 shortly after the youngest child was born. Her love of the Aran patterns allowed her to continue knitting because of the highly embossed effect of the cables and cross-overs.
When asked how she manages to design and knit she says, “It is as though the fiber, yarn or maybe just the color speaks to me. When I have the right imagery, as in the stitch patterns, or the correct combination, the spirit moves and my fingers just fly…it’s like magic, it flows from my hands and the needles; I don’t even drop a stitch.”