Ranco Solid Swallowtail

It wasn’t that long ago when I swore I’ll never knit another shawlette again because they’re so small.

Well oops, I did it again. But not to worry! This time it’s totally different.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl

Yarn: 1 skein of Ranco Solid from Araucania (fingering weight, 100 g = 344 m)

Colorway: 128

Needles: 4 mm

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This time the triangle shape of the shawl allows me to tie it wrapped twice around my neck – the upper edge is just wide and stretchy enough for that without it being uncomfortable. Also, the fingering weight yarn created a warm but open and airy fabric that just feels amazing. It also blocked out beautifully.

I’ve knitted this pattern before - actually I think the first ever lace shawl I knitted was this one. It was fun to see how much easier knitting lace has become for me in the last two years.

Hard to believe it’s been that long. I checked it on Ravelry, and it’s been two years almost to the day. That’s another reason I love Ravelry. There’s no way I could remember my old projects without it.

Ranco Solid is a semisolid yarn, and the different colors in it show up beautifully in the shawl (though not necessarily in a picture as small as this, clickety to make way bigger). I was happy the color changes were so subtle they didn’t obscure the pattern. I have more of this yarn in another colorway, and I want to knit a shawl for a wedding with it. Now I know my troubles won’t be in vain.

Mizzle

I began and finished a shawlette a month ago, but I just couldn’t take a picture that did the colors any kind of justice with the quality of light we were getting back then. I tried again now and had better success.

Pattern: Mizzle

Yarn: Crazy Zauberball from Schoppel-Wolle

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I swear this is the last shawlette I’ll ever knit. They’re simply too small to be of use to me, unfortunately. I love the colors and the fabric, but I just don’t know how to wear a shawl this small (100 cm across the top, 33 cm high).

The pattern is an easy, pretty basic shawl, and the shape is pretty much ideal in my opinion. Maybe I’ll knit another, bigger one some day.

Crazy Zauberball

is crazy…

This is a shawl called Mizzle, available on Ravelry, and I’m knitting it with the Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball (color way 1660 or ombre, if I’m deciphering the ball band correctly) I bought yesterday.

I started knitting it yesterday, and first the colors looked pretty nice actually. Then we watched Pirates of the  Caribbean – At the world’s end, and I kept knitting in the dark (this pattern is nice and easy, and suitable for movie knitting). When the lights came back on, I saw the crazy.

Well, I’m sure it’ll work out ok in the end. Shawls always look funky before they’re blocked anyway, and, uh. I’m sure I’ll get used to the colors. It just looked so different in the ball.

For future reference, I think the yarn would work better as stockinette stitch. I think it’s the purl rows that make the whole thing look a bit busy at the moment.

The yarn itself is simply a joy to work with.