A marvelous way to get a beautiful big shawl out of a single skein. The pattern is written to enable the use of every bit of yarn, and it works. And such a very pretty shawl it is! Boldly lacy, delicately detailed, but not at all fussy. Typical Åsa Tricosa, which is why I’m mad for her designs.

I found this to be a fairly easy knit, although the mesh pattern isn’t quite intuitive, so I kept making mistakes. (In fact, my shawl is riddled with mistakes, but the mesh is forgiving and easy to “fudge,” so no one will ever notice!) The instructions are clear and the design is beautifully charted. You just have to pay attention.

Because the whole thing is mesh, it stretches like crazy. Before blocking, I had this anemic-looking little puddle of squiggled-up yarn. I couldn’t believe I’d done all that work for that! After blocking, however, I found myself with a big, dramatic, lacy shawl. I’d definitely make this again.

modifications:
I worked a long straight section in the middle, based on the instructions given by mwaa for her beautiful Ariettas. This allowed me to get a nice long narrow shawl out of my limited yardage.

Inspired by knittimo’s Arietta, I added size 6/0 seed beads, placed on the centered double decrease in rows 5 and 13 after working the decrease, and also on the very last stitch of each row 15 (to place a bead on the point of the border).

The yarn is lovely to work with, soft and with a beautiful sheen. It stretches significantly with blocking and holds the block beautifully. I’d like to buy a whole lot more of it!

Finished size (relaxed after blocking): 84 x 15 inches (213 x 38 cm)