Shawls

Things have gotten pretty stressful here in PhotoKnitDog-land. The move has gotten ridiculously tough, the apartment floors have to be re-finished (just one more coat, thank goodness) and the painting is still not done, which means it might not get done in time. We’re (read: I’m) freaking out a bit at being able to move in on the 7th, our current moving date. But even with all that (or perhaps because of all that) I’ve been knitting quite a bit recently. So much so that I actually have two finished shawls to show you!

That beauty up there is Bitterroot, which is a free pattern on Knitty. I knit this one as a gift, though I would totally have kept it for myself if I could have, and the recipient loved it as her birthday present! She looks particularly pretty in purple, so I’m happy with my pattern and color choices. 🙂

The pattern was very easy to memorize and make! I actually finished quite a bit of it on my plane ride back from Spain (I cast on during that plane ride!). So much so that one of the flight attendants asked me if I would be wearing it off the plane since I did so much in that short a time. So it’s an incredibly easy pattern, and I 100% recommend it because it’s not only easy but very beautiful at the end!

I knit it in the new MadTosh Sport weight and it’s just the perfect base! So soft and with amazing stitch definition. I actually think I prefer it to MadTosh DK, which is hard to top in my book. So basically an amazing yarn for an amazing pattern. Sometimes I impress myself with my pattern and yarn picking! ha! 😉

The pattern can also be made with beads, but I didn’t have any on hand of the size and color. So I think I will probably knit this one again for me and use the beads next time. It should make for a very pretty FO, not that this one isn’t pretty all on it’s own! 😀

Pattern – Bitterroot by Rosemary Hill (rav link | project link)
Yarn – Madelinetosh Tosh Sport in Logwood (rav link | store I used)
Needle – US6 (4mm)
Cast on – May 21, 2010
Cast off – June 18, 2010
Modifications – None

The other shawl is one that I worked on while at the Spring Fling, which I had a blast at, if you recall.

This shawl and yarn combination was perfect and, for once, not entirely up to me! I gave dear hubby a choice between two skeins and he chose this one. And I must say, he chose very well indeed! 🙂

My favorite part of this yarn (Becoming Art Cielo in Twilight Dark) is the bits of electric blue that just seem to POP out at you! They just made it look so gorgeous and different, and I loved having the little blue bits come out as I was knitting it. I was never bored with seeing them come up at random moments. It made for a fun knit for sure.

The pattern (Herbivore by Stephen West) looks great and is a bit different in construction than other shawls I’ve knit, and that’s not a bad thing. I love the look of the rib sections with the twisted rib really standing out the way it does, but I do have to admit that it was a pain to knit! I’m just not that great with twisted rib – especially when you have to twist purl stitches too! – but I do have to admit that it made for a great looking garment! I’m really happy I took the time to knit this little beauty up. 🙂

Pattern – Herbivore by Stephen West (rav link | project link)
Yarn – Becoming Art Cielo Fingering in Twilight Dark (rav link | Bought at Stitches West)
Needle – US6 (4mm)
Cast on – April 21, 2010
Cast off – June 25, 2010
Modifications – Made it larger by knitting until I ran out of yarn. Only had 1 gram left at the end.

I’m hoping to post again soon, but no promises, as I wrote last time. Hopefully things will settle down very quickly after moving and I can get back to posting with more regularity. Until next time! 🙂