Fiber Fool

Though there are over 400 participants in the Summer 2006 Amazing Lace we are doing our best to profile each team’s members. Today, we have Arty McLace reporting from Colorado where he is interviewing team Fiber Fool. Arty…

Arty: Thank you. I am here in a piece of suburbia nestled against the northern Colorado foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In a well lit corner of a somewhat sparse yet cozy living room we have the captain of team Fiber Fool, Kristi Schueler, seated comfortably in a leather chair with ottoman warming up for some lace work with a bit of larger gauge knitting. She has within arms reach a beverage, a lap top with wireless networking and access to the Internet, a crochet hook, a small container filled with copious amounts of small baby rubber bands, a magazine, a stack of sticky notes, and a large green bag I can only guess houses her other two teammates.

Kristi, can you tell me a bit about your background and why you decided to sign-up your team for The Amazing Lace this year?

Kristi: Thank you Arty. Well, I have always enjoyed the beautiful shawls I’ve seen knit around blogland and always coveted one for myself. After a successful completion of the Seraphim Shawl, albeit in a heavier weight yarn, I felt I could successfully complete the challenges of The Amazing Lace.

Arty: What level of lace experience to you bring to team Fiber Fool?

Kristi: Well, I first knit lace in early 2005, completing a pair Spearfish socks that have a lace cuff and lace panel down the sides in March. I followed that closely by another pair of socks, this time even lacier as well as a tank top with some lace accents that has yet to be completed. I then took a break from lace, casting-on for a Leaf Lace shawl in early fall of 2005 but Leaf Lace and I decided on a trial separation after my whirlwind trip to Iowa in September without her and without detailed enough notes to team up again with ease. This prompted yet another break from lace until late March of 2006 when I began Seraphim. This was an easy lace shawl with a large section of stockinette stitch at the top and a relatively easy section of lace at the edges. It was also knit from a heavier gauge yarn. But it was a success. My first lace shawl success. I guess I was on a bit of a completion high when I signed up for the Amazing Lace, but I do not regret the decision. I’m excited to be a part of a such a large event in blogland.

Arty: It seems you do not bring a lot of experience to the team. What prompted you to enter the Amazing Lace?

Kristi: Well, you are correct that I do not bring an extensive amount of lace-specific experience to team Fiber Fool. I’m like a runner in her first marathon. Our team’s goal is to complete the Amazing Lace, not necessarily to win it. I feel I bring just enough experience to the team to make that possible. While my experience with lace may not be extensive and our history quite short, I feel I am an experienced enough knitter who has experienced and expert (if not a little crazy) lace knitters nearby who can provide accurate coaching and cheering when needed.

Arty: Can you introduce us to your other teammates, Kristi?

Kristi: After my successful partnership with Seraphim I decided to team up with another Miriam Felton pattern, Icarus from the Summer 2006 Interweave Knits (IK) magazine. It shares similar yet different elements with Seraphim, including a simplistic yet elegant top of stockinette stitch striped with yo, k1, yo groupings making its way towards another feather inspired lace motif at the bottom. I think it will be just the right challenge level for the transition to lace weight yarn. Also, there is an Icarus Knit-a-Long so that I can get some coaching and cheering from others who are also knitting the same pattern.

Arty: Which lace weight yarn did you choose to bring onto your team, Kristi?

Kristi: As luck would have it, Arty, I had added a skein of Fino by Alpaca with a Twist in the color Twilight to my stash over my birthday. It was a birthday gift from my mother. Though she couldn’t see, she helped me choose the color, a dusty blue color with just a touch green for some richness. While Icarus calls for the suri alpaca yarn from the same company, I think Fino will make a great substitute. Fino is an alpaca and silk yarn blended at 70% alpaca and 30% silk. I think this will likely lend my Icaraus similar properties of softness, shine, and drape as the suri alpaca in the original shawl. I have only just begun working with my team, but so far we all seem to be a good match for each other. There was a bit of a bump in the road when I couldn’t acquire the proper sized needles to join the team, but we brought on US4 Addi Turbos and the coaching staff are more than happy with the resulting fabric. I can be a slightly tight knitter, plus I am a larger woman so if I get a slightly larger shawl at the end it will be all right.

Arty: Thank you Kristi, Icarus, and Fino for allowing me to profile you for The Amazing Lace. I look forward to coming back to view your progress over the summer and I wish you the best of luck!