Shawl Parade
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We got an early snow storm last week that dumped about 4” (that’s about 10 cm) and brought cold temps along with it. And I was ready thanks to my very prolific bout of knitting over the summer. All I had to do was wrap myself up in one of the two shawls I finished in August.
The first shawl of the needles was Curve of a Boat by Larissa Brown. It had been a travel project in July, but I didn’t work on it much at all when I was traveling. Turned out to be just what I wanted when I got back home - interesting autopilot knitting that I could relax with at the end of the night.
As beautiful as the shawl was on the needles, washing and blocking really helped it bloom. The yarn plumped and lost the limp feel it had while I was working on it. The garter stitch and mesh sections opened up to make a wonderfully sized shawl with great drape. I love the extra points and different shape that arise from how this shawl is constructed. The only real mod I made was to skip the tassels since I wanted something more streamlined.
The color is definitely more magenta than I usually pick for myself, but it still has earthy tones that will match pretty much all of my jackets. I’ll be wearing Curve so much this Fall.
It took me a few years to join the fade trend, but I finally knit a Free Your Fade shawl. I don’t want to stuff this shawl in a closet when I’m not wearing it. I want to hang it on the wall as art. It’s got beautiful drape and luster, and curls just so. Plus, the colors speak to my usual muted earth tones palette. I haven’t had much luck hanging it up because wall space is at a premium, but it was the perfect thing to wear when I had to run errands through the snow. I can now see why people really love cashmere.
The yarn kit I used added a little extra challenge to the project. While I loved the colors and the fiber blend, every color had the same yardage. So I had to spend a lot more time tracking yardage and “knitting” the shawl in a spreadsheet so I could get the most out of every color. It wasn’t exactly the autopilot knit I imagined but the end result is so worth it.
I had to make a few mods as I went. The biggest is that I started the color/fade sections at different spots in the repeat so I could make the most of the yarn. I also changed the picot bind off to have fewer points. Whenever I knit another one of these shawls, I’ll stick to just a regular yarn over because of the larger stitches sticking out all over the place.
Washing and blocking did wonders for this shawl. The stitches relaxed and I was able to stretch and shape the Fade just so. It went from dense and compact to big and drapey without losing warmth. Perfect for bundling up in the snow.
In typical Fall fashion, the weather is back to it’s sunny, warm, and windy self. The gusts, cold spells, and surprise snow storms are never far off though, and I am so ready.
Pattern: Curve of a Boat by Larissa Brown
Yarn: 429 yds Hedgehog Fibers Socks - Vengeance
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm)
Dates: June 1 - August 2, 2019
Pattern: Free Your Fade by Andrea Mowry
Yarn: Sun Valley Fibers MCN Gradient Set
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm)
Dates: August 5 - 22, 2019
