My friend’s socks (or the still not socks) have been searing my conscience badly. After surrendering and turning another friend’s to be socks yarn into a shawl, I had a feeling that might be the best option here too. My hands just don’t like working on such small needles anymore, sadly. It was also four years since the reason for the socks gift and was another perfect occasion to gift her a handmade gift. It turns out that she’d rather a pretty shawl than pretty socks so all is well that ends well!

Curiously this seems to work in thirds rather than a main section and border combination that I’ve seen and worked more commonly

Easy charts helped by the fact that the motif is relatively straightforward and can be predicted, just got to watch for the ransom written instruction between Charts A and B! Brain Fog was actually compliant and I managed to finish this project in good time.

It seemed as though it was going to be a little small but blocked up nicely.

Had split the yarn into 50 g balls for socks so I used up the unused ball then knitted through the second one until I was knitting straight from the partially completed stock. It works. And saves properly frogging and caking too.

Be warned, the picot cast off is a labour of love. Empty your diary, get supplies in and set aside six hours of hard work or a couple weeks of your life and despair of ever getting halfway across. The problem is that you’re making about NINE stitches for EACH stitch that needs casting off so if you have a couple of hundred along the bottom of a shawl then really think carefully about you even want to think about the maths. Hideous. Fiddly. Should only ever be contemplated when the recipient will gratefully appreciate your labour. It’s easier when worked with two different needles so the lefthand needle would be the circular with the shawl on and the righthand, working needle a short, straight needle in the same gauge. This takes a lot of the weight off the wrists and stops the slide.

Can’t find where I noted down the finished size, unfortunately. But the blocking boards are each 60 cm as a rough guide.