Monday, June 15, 2015

May's Project: Potter's Shawl by Jen Lucas



I know I know- I said no shawls as a part of this project. But then my mom sent me the Interweave Knits Spring edition and I flipped out over all the beautiful shawls there were inside. And this shawl (the Potter's Shawl by Jen Lucas) is perfect. I love everything about it- the name, the color, the shape and the garter stitch. 

I've only ever knit one shawl before- the Onward Shawl from the Journey Knits collection. While I adore this pattern, and love how the shawl looked on the model, I almost never wear it. When I think about why, I think it mostly has to do with the yarn I chose and the shape. I knit with a cotton wool blend that is just too heavy, and I don't love how large it is. The triangle shape makes it really difficult to wear with a jacket and we don't have a lot of days that are warm enough (but not too warm) for a large wool shawl worn without a jacket. When my mom was here last month she wore it and as soon as she put it on, I knew it belonged in her wardrobe. It looked great on her! So it's now back in Vancouver, being worn by her. It's fun to gift knit items to other knitters- especially someone who's knit me so many things over the years. However, I'm hoping my experience with this new shawl will be different.



I chose to knit this in Baby Alpaca silk (partly because I've been dying to try this yarn, but also because it's light and the color is similar to that on the model, which I LOVE), and I'm hoping the softness and lightness of the yarn will mean the shawl won't feel so heavy and bulky around my neck. I also love how there's no triangle point on this shawl, but rather a sweeping lace edging. I'm hoping this will make it a bit easier to wear as more of a scarf and with a jacket.

The color and lightness of the wool means it's perfect for throwing on during cooler summer evenings, and it's small enough to easily carry with me. So I'm hoping to get a decent amount of wear out of it. 



From the above photo you can see a little of the lovely lace edging. One thing I will say about this is that, while fun to knit, I was a bit worried while working on the lace. I had read that lace often looks funny or even messy when it's being knit but that it really evens out when blocked. I have to say that I am now a firm believer in this statement. Blocking opened the lace right up and it looks lovely. 

As to whether or not there will be more shawls in my future...well I'm very seriously considering casting on the Blóm shawl. Dreamy. 

What about you? Are you a shawl knitter/wearer? If so, I'd love to hear some of your favorite shawl patterns! 

Also, thanks for all your comments on the interview! I've announced the winners this morning (Carla and Vanessa) and I hope you ladies will enjoy your patterns. Happy knitting!

5 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I love the lace edge on that :) It looks like a great size and shape-hope you get lots of wear out of it!

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  2. It's beautiful, so airy and elegant, I'm sure you'll get lots of wear out of it! I am waiting for some Buckaloo View yarn to start a Blóm schawl too :)

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    1. oh lovely! that sounds like a perfect match :) maybe we'll be knitting on our shawls at similar times, that would be kind of fun!

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  3. In college sometimes I would use my scarfs as shawls but I've never been a big shawl wearer. I'm mostly always in a cardigan.

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