Hi Knitters,
I started this Yowza shawl journey on such a whim. Often the best ideas start this way. I had these beautiful Yowza skeins sitting in my studio and I kept trying to think of things to knit with them but nothing was jumping out at me. The Yowza skeins are really a work of art and they make you want to use every last inch so none of it is wasted.
I was out running and thinking about yarn, as you do, and suddenly I thought of designing a mindless garter stitch shawl where you could just keep knitting until the yarn was gone. Then I realized that it could be taken even farther into the mindless realm by not counting stitches or rows but by simply weighing the yarn for a couple of key pattern points of change.
I could not run home fast enough. I wound the skein of Yowza. This first skein of Yowza had been sitting on a shelf for four or five years. In a few short days it was knit up and a shawl series was born. I wrote up the pattern, took some photos and released it to the world. It has been tremendously successful.
Now I have released two more versions of the Yowza Weigh It Shawl. Each pattern has the exact same concept, absolutely no counting, weighing the yarn at a couple of key points, and ending up with a wearable shawl shape that accentuates the beautiful variegated yarn from Miss Babs.
Note: There is a $1.00 off discount code running from March 11th to March 16th, 2015. Discount Code: YOWZA3
The following is a bit of a side note.
The cover photos or beauty shots for all three of the shawls are unusual. The cover photos are meant to convey the quiet comfort, ease and simplicity of the shawls. The knitting is dreamy and relaxing, simple and natural. I just throw the shawl on and photograph how I would wear it day in and day out.
I am not wearing a stitch of make-up for any of the photos, my hair is barely brushed just as it is day to day. The photos are real and raw. For the Yowza 3 cover photo at first glance I thought oh, you can see all of my wrinkles. I considered re-taking the photo for a brief second.
Then I thought no, actually it is quite perfect. The photo of me loving the shawl wrapped around my neck, wrinkles and all, shows what these shawls are really about. The shawls represent for me no fuss, no muss, be yourself, simple, happy, confident natural beauty at its best. My favorite pattern beauty shots are not in a studio all staged and stuffy. They convey more.
It may sound corny but it is how I feel. I am not saying any of this to fish for compliments. I would love to see others take photos like this in their Yowza shawls, showing how the shawls make them feel.
On to the shawl information:
From March 11 to March 16th there is a $1.00 off discount code for the Yowza Weigh It Shawl 3!
Discount code: YOWZA3
Discount code: YOWZA3
The Yowza Weigh It Shawl 3 was once again created in the spirit of dreamy simplicity. The third time is definitely a charm.
I cast on 9 stitches to start and never counted the stitches again. The versatile triangle-shape shawl with a light ribbed ruffle is another favorite shawl shape of mine. I was inspired by a recent shawl knitalong I hosted where a couple of participants put gorgeous ribbed-ruffle edgings on their Yowza shawls. So I added a ribbed edge in version 3. You could also continue in garter stitch to the very end if preferred. Both options are in the pattern.
Using one 8 oz. Yowza skein by the talented dyer Miss Babs and your trusty kitchen scale you will simply fly through the knitting of this shawl. It is another of the most addicting, fast and simple top-down shawl designs with a two-row repeat (and one of the rows is all knit) for the body of the shawl. The border is a light-ruffle. The outcome is a wearable and simple shawl to love. There are only two places you need to weigh your yarn in the pattern. I had 4 grams remaining at the end.
Be sure to check out the original Yowza Weigh It Shawl and the Yowza Weigh It Shawl 2 for more simple shawl shapes to knit and love.
Away we go with Yowza Weigh It 3!
Information:
Finished measurements for the triangular shawl:
Wingspan: 62-inches after blocking
Depth: 20-inches including the ribbed ruffle after blocking
Finished measurements for the triangular shawl:
Wingspan: 62-inches after blocking
Depth: 20-inches including the ribbed ruffle after blocking
Yarn: Miss Babs Yowza (100% Superwash Merino Wool, a light worsted weight; 560 yards/ 8 ounces), 1 skein (The pattern is based specifically on the Yowza 8 ounce skein but other yarns could be substituted.)
The sample is knit in the Berlin colorway. Yowza can be found on: www.missbabs.com
Also, if you like to print out your patterns, I made it so you really only need to print out one page of the pattern to carry with you. It is set up like this for all 3 versions.
I hope you enjoy the new version of the Yowza Weigh It Shawl 3! Version 4 is already being plotted and planned. I have a skein of the Perfectly Wreckless colorway that is calling my name. I am having so much fun with this study of shawl shapes and yarn.
I'll be back with the shawl wrap-up from the KAL.
Thank you, as always, for the support, Knitters.
xo ~ susan
