My best friend’s wedding

My best friend is getting hitched, and I want to make her something. A stunning Shetland wedding ring shawl would be just the thing

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The wedding ring shawl is an incredibly
intricate piece that is likely to take a long
time to complete.

My best friend is getting married in July. This is pretty special news. We’ve known each other for more than 13 years, helped each other through some pretty tough times and laughed and partied through some really good times. On a more political note, she’s gay, so this is the first time in history in this country that she’s been able to legally marry the person she loves. This is something we straight people have taken for granted for centuries and I actually well up thinking about how long it’s taken for equality to win out.

But this post isn’t about inequality and homophobia; instead it’s going to be about something much nicer: wedding presents. The Chap and I already bought the happy couple their ‘proper’ present – a trip to a dolphin research centre in the United States. But, as a crafter, I want to make something too.

I’m absolutely fascinated by the Shetland wedding ring shawls. These gorgeous, intricate lacework pieces are said to be so fine they can pass through a wedding ring. They are absolutely stunning, and one of the best examples I’ve been able to find is available from Heirloom Knitting.

These shawls are not for the faint hearted. This project is described as being for “the ultra-skilled knitter[, it] requires time, concentration and patience”. The wedding is in July, so, based on that description, I’m pretty sure I won’t have the shawl finished in time – especially as I haven’t even bought the pattern yet, and at the moment I can’t. Due to illness, the guys at Heirloom Knitting are taking a break and the site is closed to orders. I’ve emailed to ask when it might be open, but that’s something of an impossible question to answer.

The pattern is by Sharon Miller, who has got several other stunning patterns on Ravelry. However there’s no way of contacting her direct so I can’t get the pattern that way.

These shawls are not for the faint hearted; the project is described as being for “the ultra-skilled knitter[, it] requires time, concentration and patience”

I’ve spent some serious time searching Ravelry and Google for patterns, but I’ve not found any I like as much as this one. Sharon has taken traditional Shetland stitches and incorporated them into a truly beautiful design. If I’m going to spend more than £20 on a pattern and invest a whole chunk of my time and effort, then I want a pattern that I love, and I do love this one. So I guess I’m going to have to wait till HK is back up and running. Fingers crossed that it isn’t too long.