Hi Knitters,
I finished and blocked a really quick and fun little shawl yesterday. It is called, Little Shells.
Click here for the free pattern for Little Shells!
The yarn is one I purchased at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival a little over a year ago. Yes, I am still knitting and spinning from things I bought while at that festival. I guess it's a good thing I don't go to many festivals or I'd be in trouble.
The yarn is a sport weight from one of my faves, Dyeabolical Yarns and Fiber. I can't find the tag but I think the yarn is called Sporty. It is superwash wool and the colors are vibrant and fun. I don't work with a lot of variegated yarns but this one caught my eye.
Click here for the Dyeabolical website!
Little Shells, by Holly and Ella (click here for the website), is a lovely and clearly written pattern that includes charts for the lace as well as the written instructions. The only thing I changed was that I added a few extra rows of garter stitch before binding off. Beads would be a pretty addition, too, but I didn't have any on hand that would go with this yarn.
The shawl is pretty small so I really wanted to stretch it out in the blocking. I stretched and stretched the washed and soaked shawl to no end. It literally couldn't be stretched any further.
It took quite a bit of effort and pinning and repinning to get it to look right. For a small shawl I think this was the longest I have ever spent on pinning something out for blocking.
The effort was worth it in the end and the final result is really pretty and perfect. I would knit this shawl again in a heartbeat. The dk weight yarn makes it go so fast.
The drape is quite nice and the points along the edging turned out just as I had envisioned. I think for a variegated yarn the lace looks pretty and doesn't get too lost. I knit this using my US size 8, 24-inch circular needles from Signature Needle Arts. Boy, are those ever a treat. I only have a few pairs of these luxurious needles but I plan on slowly adding to my tiny collection. I love these needles so much.
Ahhhhh, finishing a project is so satisfying. There is nothing like it, especially if the project turns out to your liking and this one definitely does. I highly recommend Little Shells if you are looking for a dk weight shawlette to knit this summer.
Happy Monday, Knitters. I'll be back with the prizes, drawings and details on the now over Patchwork Sockalong. It is all pretty incredible.
best, susie