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Madison woman knits 100th shawl
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By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter
| 09/09/2010 |
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Shirley Harrington-Moore has reached the century mark with her knitting project in which she has knitted shawls as gifts to recipients who live locally and also reside as far away as Europe.
Harrington-Moore knitted her 100th shawl this summer that she produced for Estelle Campbell of Madison. The knitting project is related to her membership with Madison United Methodist Church, because many of her shawls have gone to church members.
But she started the project in the spring of 2008 with a quilted prayer shawl created for a friend. Her initial, finished piece was completed in April and sent to a North Dakota pastor.
Then Harrington-Moore went into a full knitting mode making many more gifts.
"I thought that some of the older ladies in the nursing home could use a shawl," she said. "And then it continued on from there."
According to Harrington-Moore, it takes about 15 hours to knit one of the shawls, and she averages about one completed piece each week. Under that kind of a production schedule, she knitted a steady output of shawls that have gone to nursing home residents, fellow church members, and senior citizens in the community. Other shawls have been delivered to ministers around the Midwest. In addition, one shawl was sent to Mexico and two landed in England.
"No one seems to want to turn them down," Harrington-Moore said.
The shawls are knitted with a length of 60 inches and width of 72 stitches. Each one also takes three skeins of yarn to complete. As part of each shawl's design, Harrington-Moore finds it important that the number 3 -- as in three skeins and 72 divisible by 3 -- is part of each knitted creation. The number 3 can relate to the Holy Trinity in Christian religious doctrine and the three stages of human life.
Harrington-Moore modified a pattern illustrated on the label of Lion brand yarn to knit the shawls. She prefers the Lion brand to other yarn brands in knitting her creations.
"The feel and the texture of that particular brand is nice," Harrington-Moore said.
She chose ambrosia as the color of Campbell's shawl.
Harrington-Moore estimated that it's taken about 1,400 hours and $1,500 for her to complete the 100th handmade shawl.
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