This shawl has been off the needles for months, but I thought I better not post it in case the giftee happened to peek here sometime before Christmas. I bought this tasty yarn at Beautiful Knitters in London, UK when Lily and I visited my brother this spring. It’s a lovely shop with really excellent service. Along with this shawl’s yarn, I also bought a pile of mini-skeins for a currently in-progress project, and a skein of sock yarn for some future as-yet-to-be-determined endeavour.
These two skeins called to me from their hooks, demanding to be made into something for my mom (me mum); well, one of them did first – I can’t remember which – then the second asked to come along. From The Wool Barn on the South Coast of England, both skeins are fingering weight 100% blue-faced leicester superwash wool.
The mauve colourway is called Orchid, and the creamy multi-colour is called Bramble. Both colours are very, very much my mom’s jam.
I did not have a specific pattern in mind, but I did have a general conception in my mind’s eye of what I wanted to make. I did a few searches on Ravelry, but nothing quite called to me.
In a happy coincidence the same week I was browsing, I saw a call for testers for a new pattern (maybe on Facebook?), and it looked and sounded just right for what I had in mind.
Even though it was in testing stage, the Harper Shawl pattern was already almost perfect. I think I found one, maaaybe two, tiny things to report to the designer for fixing. It’s an extremely well-written and easy to follow pattern in spite of how fussy it looks like it could be. It even has beads, which I always enjoy. These ones aren’t pre-strung on the yarn but are attached as you go with a teeny crochet hook; however, the yarn is probably robust enough to allow for pre-stringing if you wish. (It’s fine and smooth, but nicely sturdy!)
I probably should have selected a darker or more contrasting colour of beads, but I was going for subtle and got very subtle indeed. Much rather that than gaudy, so mission accomplished.
I’m pleased with the shawl. Mom said she loves it, and I believe her.
