". Arranged Words: Swallowtail Shawl

7 Oct 2017

Swallowtail Shawl


I recently finished the Swallowtail shawl. I love the ease of Evelyn Clark's clear and concise patterns. A definite must for a fun knit.  If you'd like to knit this shawl, the pattern is free, and can be found either on Evelyn's website or on Raverly.

Because of the two ply yarn and a small needle, 3.5mm, the shawl is small, but that's exactly what I wanted. For this shawl, I used Brooklyn Tweed's Vale. I was a little worried about 2 play yarn, but  this yarn has loft. What a lovely, soft yarn!

A few of you wondered about the nupps. They are a design element from Estonian lace knitting and do add special texture to a knitted garment.  In an earlier post, I mentioned that the nupps were difficult to pick up on the purl side, especially if, like me, you knit tight. This pattern had 5 strands to pick up, but you can also have 7 or 9.


Blocking 

 After a twenty minute bath in lukewarm soapy water and then on to a a good rinse, you roll the shawl in a towel and trod on it to squeeze out the excess water, and then it's on to the blocking mat.    Since I still don't own blocking wires, I thread yarn through the top loops, pull it tight and wrap it around t-pins on either side. It makes a nice straight edge. Because I am out of practice, I had to keep shifting the pins.

Details
I haven't decided what to knit next. There's so many stunning patterns to choose from, and that's part of the fun, beauty, and peaceful quality of knitting.  Hopefully, I'll decide soon; I really do miss knitting a few rows each night.

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and to my family many miles away.
 xx


Enjoy the week...                      

      Cultivate your dreams.

5 comments:

Kim said...

Your Swallowtail shawl is truly beautiful, Dixie. Such a pretty and delicate pattern. A most gorgeous finish, lovely lady.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Kim, Dixie. Such a beautiful piece of work. Lovely, like you are! Happy Thanksgiving. Love, Joannie

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

It is gorgeous, Dixie! Beautiful delicate design and your knitting is lovely. I love the many ways 'you' are wearing it. Happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy!

-Soma

Dixie @ Arranged Words said...

Joannie, a big thank you!
And Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Blessings
Dixie xo

September Violets said...

What a beautiful shawl!! Love the pattern details and the edging. You did a fantastic job. Perhaps you would like to link your project to Winter Project held by Jennifer at Thistlebear blog? You just link up and can see other's projects for inspiration and encouragement. It's a nice group :) I'm going to look up this swallowtail pattern myself now! Enjoy the upcoming week.
Wendy