Knitting Shawls

Shawls are probably my fvorite thing to knit, for so many reasons. They fit! I never have to worry if the neckline is too low, or the sleeves are too tight, or if the gauge is exactly right (as I do with sweater knitting). Most can be made with one or two skeins of fingering weight yarn and even if the pattern calls for two skeins of the same color and I only have one skein of whatever color I want to use, I can usually find a way to make stripes or do something using a second color to make it work. Shawls are inexpensive enough that I can give them as gifts, where sweaters mostly cost an arm and a leg and socks may need to be a certain size to fit individuals.

Also, shawls can be worn many times before they have to be washed. There’s no heavy wear spots, like sleeve cuffs, under the arms, heels and toes so they last longer.

I can take a shawl and wear it with a plain white blouse/shirt, add a pretty shawl pin, wear a pair of black or navy pants and be super dressed up! I can throw that same shawl over a chambray shirt, wear a chunky shawl pin and a pair of jeans and be super dressed down but nice enough to go most anywhere.

Anything made using two skeins of yarn is going to take one fourth the amount of time as something made using eight skeins of yarn (sweater).

I’m often asked if I wear my shawls. Yes! I keep a fairly neutral colored shawl in the car (and remember . . lime green is neutral!). If we go into a restaurant that’s cold, I grab my shawl. I can’t tell you how many times we start somewhere and Vince will say “Do you need a jacket?” and I say no and as soon as we get somewhere, I’m cold. I don’t like sitting and eating when I’m shivering or asking to move to a location that’s not under the a/c vent. In a place like central Texas, where we don’t have a lot of cold weather, air conditioners are almost always going in businesses, or on days when it’s a bit chilly in the morning but we don’t need a heavy coat, a shawl is perfect for the morning and then it can be folded up and left in the car or in a bag once it gets hot, and then brought out again in the evening when it gets cool. For this area, shawls are much more useful.

It seems like I’ve stumbled across quite a few shawl patterns in the last couple of days. These are listed in the order in which I plan to make them.

• Versus – I LOVE the pink and black version. I would love it in pink and black, or red and black, or lime green and black or even in school colors for wearing to football games! It uses one skein of two different colors.
• Walking on Clouds Wrap – I love the mottled ecru color used in this wrap. Discount code through 2/26.
• Lavande Grise – Isn’t this so dainty, while not being too fragile or lacy? I can see this made in Miss Babs Yearning.
• Castra – There are some gorgeous sock yarns out there. At first I was thinking of a speckle type yarn but now that I’ve looked at projects, I’m think of yarn that would probably have some striping if it were used for socks .. like a rather large section of each color . . maybe something with three colors, or even two.
• The Junction Shawl – Any gradient or mini-skein set would work. I have plenty of mini-skein gradient sets but probably no one gradient yarn that would work. So, I’ll try a mini-skein set when I get around to doing this one.

Now, I think we will all agree that I need to spend less time on Ravelry and more time knitting! Or . . more time cleaning house but that’s not so much fun.