Spring Shawl Fever
One of my few shawls: Brooklyn Tweed's Juneberry Triangle
Spring always makes me want to knit shawls. Something about the warm sun with the chilly breeze, the need for easily discarded and reapplied layers, and the bright colors you can use with shawls that you might not necessarily want for a whole sweater. I suddenly find myself queueing up loads of shawls I have no time to knit. (Caveat: it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Somehow. Seriously, it was 80 degrees last week so . . . lousy Smarch weather. These snowflakes may dampen my shawl enthusiasm!)
So, what's hit my queue recently?
Photo courtesy of Francoise Danoy/Aroha Knits
Francoise Danoy's Ode to Autumn
Photo courtesy of Ekaterina Blanchard
Ekaterina Blanchard's Forestgreen
Photo courtesy of Melanie Berg
Melanie Berg's Perhaps, Perhaps
Photo courtesy of Stephen West
And the ubiquitous Doodler by Stephen West
To name a few.
The trouble with this is that I rarely actually wear shawls. Sometimes I'll wrap one around my neck like a scarf, but otherwise, I can't seem to figure out how to style them in a way that's convenient (ie: no shawl bits dangling onto the stove or into a baby diaper) and stays put.
You'll also notice that I haven't published any shawl patterns--Miraflores was my first tiptoe into the "shawl-type accessory" arena, but as a cowlet, the shaping is far simpler. The mechanics of shawl-shaping just go over my head--which is why I'm REALLY excited about Frenchie's 5 Shawls in 5 Days challenge! Starting Monday, March 21, she'll be teaching us how to construct 5 different shawl shapes, using mini shawl prototypes. I think this will be a great opportunity to finally get a handle on shawl construction--whether for future designs or just for personal use.
This week in the MediaPeruana Designs Ravelry group we're chatting about shawls (and it's a biweekly thread for now, so we'll be chatting about them next week too!). Please stop by and share your shawl style--what's your favorite shawl shape to knit/wear, and how do you style your shawls? Don't forget, everyone who participates in the thread will be entered to win a FREE MediaPeruana Designs pattern!
(And, coincidentally, I have designed a--rather simple--shawlette for Charm City Knits, and the test will be opening on Monday!)