kitty: Happy Birthday Mom!

Pattern: Mother & Daughters Love Eternal (My Own) Yarn: Hand Spun From Amy Bookie's Almost Solid Needles: Size US 7 Circular Addi Turbo Completed : October 10, 2006

Happy Birthday Mom!!! Well, last year I tried to get her to knit socks in tandem with me for her Birthday, so this year I decided I would just knit a greeting card for her birthday. I thought she might need a new winter scarf since they are predicting a harsh winter in Virginia. I decided to design my own pattern for her since I wanted my lace to tell a story and really be a greeting card for my mom. Throughout history lace has been used to record stages in ones life and also to express meaning and emotions. So the Colour Psychology of the colour choices: Colour: Green is a colour for healing, tranquility, good luck, health, symbolizes nature, relieves stress, and in the 15th century it was symbol of fertility (The basis of the hole green M&M's as a sexual message. This was not the colour message I was trying to send by the way just included for interesting reference.) Colour: Brown is a symbol for reliability, abundance in nature, implies genuineness, feeling of warmth, comfort, security, down to earth, but also wistful, sadness, isolation (My mom really is one of the most reliable and warm persons you could ever have the pleasure of coming in contact with.) Pattern 1: Welsh pattern for Budding Pines - Victorian's believed that Pine was a symbol of Hope in adversity for growth. It was also a sign for Philosophy. There are minor references in the Victorian Language of flowers as a symbol of growth and hope for a child. (There are thousands of books written on the topic. I have several Victorian versions, but one of my favorites is actually the Kate Greenaway's The language of Flowers.) Pattern 2: Open trellis/ Open Mesh - A Trellis has been an important symbol throughout history. The Native American mythology used it to represent the sacredness of the serpent with interlocking paths that was latter interpreted to a trellis. The Greek Gods of Medicine used it as a symbolism of the sword for protection and healing. The Early Christians used it as a symbol of the path of the brass pole of Moses. Rossetti explained a trellis as a symbol of a cross and a sign of the piety and innocent. (Sonnets for the Paining 'The Girlhood of Mary Virgin') The Victorian's though used it as a symbol of the innocence of childhood and the protection of the mother. When a rose bush winds around the trellis the thorns symbolized the dangers of the outside world and life. The symbol of childhood innocence was primarily used in Victorian Morning jewelry and hair ornaments. One of the very popular patterns in Morning jewelry is the trellis pattern. (See the bow broach from my private collection, circa 1856 with English Hallmarks) Pattern 3: Intertwined hearts - I did two hearts that interlocked to symbolize the love between a mother and a daughter. The heart on the bottom has a strong foundation to symbolize the strength of a mother while holding a child, or the heart on top. Historically though between 600 - 400 B.C interlocking hearts were a symbol associated with Eros and a symbol for the musical instrument known as the lyre. Later in history Early Christians used it as a sign of faith, virtue of their charity. Later on during the medieval heraldry it became a symbol sincerity and clarity and surrounds the legend of the Holy Grail. Pattern 4: Intertwined Laddered Columns - I could be cliché about the symbolism of the ladder, but for me it symbolized the steps one takes in there life. Steps that we must take to obtain the goals in one life. Pattern 5: Welsh pattern for Budding Pines (again)- Here It is a single line for hope and growth. Pattern 6: A single row of pearl stitch - Symbolizes hard spots in the road, but with hope and love on the other side. The scarf mirrors itself from side to side. Changes I would have made: I really wish I had wires to block my lace, especially with my uneven hand spun it would have helped the edges.