Shawl Happy

I was trolling about the house looking for something to knit, with what I had in my stash. I LOVE getting rid of stuff, I think it's one of my favourite things to do! So knitting with leftovers makes me feel pretty good, not to mention light (can you tell I like that feeling).



Cheryl Oberle's book Folk Shawls is one of my well-used references, and long ago I had earmarked her Feather and Fan Triangle Shawl as a potential project for my scrap yarns.



I gave it a go, and I think it was a good idea! I used my odds and sods of creams, greys and browns in worsted and aran weights, and worked up the garter portion quickly on 5.5 mm needles. I actually ran out. I had to buy more yarn *sigh* to finish the feather and fan lace. I followed the pattern generally, doing the additional increase rows near the top for shoulder shaping, but omitting the eyelet rows since the colour changes were enough for me to handle :o)



I stopped knitting when it got too heavy and there was no more room on my circular needles - the finished blocked dimensions of this baby: 100 inches wingspan, 33 inches deep. A sturdy shawl mostly made of merino, silk, and alpaca, perfect for watching hockey!



And as if that was not enough of a break before going back to socks....



I have eyeing this one for a long time, from ravelry, orlane's textured shawl recipe.



This is a pretty and simple pattern using your basic top-down triangular shawl design, increasing on right side rows and purling across wrong side rows, and 2 st garter edging. I used m1R and m1L increases the whole way down until I got to the garter border where I kfb because I like the look of this in garter (virtually invisible).



As for the yarn, it was rather an impulse purchase at the ferry terminal in Nanaimo. A 100 g ball of natural, handspun alpaca from a local farm was irresistible, I had to have it. I was very surprised at the non-itch factor of the knitted fabric, even beside my face it's ve-ry soft, love it. I ordered another two 100 g balls, just to have around the house (this balances out my previous project...:D)



This beauty drapes wonderfully, as modelled by my work pal. I added another repeat of the original size, which I'm glad I did since I had the yarn, all the more to enjoy! And need I mention the warmth factor, there's a lot of that packed into the lightness of alpaca fibre. After blocking, this shawl measures 70 inches wide and 28 inches deep. I used almost 200 g (I am estimating less than 600 yards of dk/light worsted weight).





This shawl pin is working for me, too.



And here we are looking longingly outside, waiting for the rain to stop.