In helping my friend sort through her mom’s stash I came across this lovely skein of silk tucked away in a corner of the closet. It was begging to be used. So I begged, well asked to use it, to make her a shawl.
Why is it that your neighbor’s yarn is more desirable than your own? My dear friend’s mom was born and raised in Montreal so when I came across this stitch pattern that resembled the Maple leaf I knew I had to incorporate it in this shawl.

Knitters can find inspiration in almost anything. The combination of nature and a good stitch pattern book are my favorite places to start. My next step involves a charting program or some graph paper. I play around with the increases and decreases, (X & Os) until I get something I like. Then I knit the swatch, just to be sure.