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Shawls!

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I love shawls, they’re so… I don’t know, lacy I guess. And pretty. And soooo not me. If a shawl were to be useful to me it would have to be made from heavy yarn (aran styling comes to mind) with none of the little holes that make it lacy and pretty. This is my lifestyle, when I’m outside and needing a shawl it’s to keep warm, not to keep the delicate spring/summer breezes off of my tender skin!

Not to say that if you wear shawls, you’re delicate, not at all, it’s just not for me, but I do love to look at them. They are pretty, especially with beads – I do like the bling factor.

Here’s one that caught my eye (I like pink, salmon and similar colors…)shawl1. It’s from Maia Spins, here: http://maiaspins.typepad.com/maiaspins/2009/05/aeolian-finished.html

So if I were going to make a shawl for myself just for decorative purposes it would be something similar. It would be long and lacy and the pink is pretty too. Also beads. Yeah, gotta have the bling!

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A Blanket Knitting Pattern Where Yarn Selection is Everything

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]