This is a fairly easy shawl, perfect for beginners who want to learn a couple of tricks. It works up fast since it’s not fussy.

Feza yarns are known for their interesting fibers. They will often have multiple fiber types within a skein, with each taking the dye a little bit differently, giving the skein a tonal look. On the plus side, you have a really pretty end product without having to do much work. The down side is each fiber change is a knot. You can either un-knot and weave in the ends or accept that these knots (like silk slubs) are just part of their uniqueness. I’ve made several garments out of Feza yarns and have no concerns about the way the yarn is constructed. On some, I unknot and weave and on others, like this one, I leave the yarn knotted. It’s rare that anyone notices the knots - again, a great yarn that provides enough interest to do all the work for you.

Catalina is a new yarn, with several luxury fibers in it, including cashmere and mohair. You’d think that us southerners wouldn’t need something like this but we get just cold enough to appreciate a warm shawl. :)

Tricks

1. Basics (cast on, knit, purl, bind off)
2. Cable (on the spine of the shawl)
3. Increase (yarn over, yo)
4. Decrease (knit 2 together, k2tog)
5. Stitch markers

Working notes

1. Although the pattern doesn’t say so, I recommend you use stitch markers to separate the edges, main stockinette/garter fields and cable section. The border is a chevron style and I recommend you mark each repeat with stitch markers too. Using markers will help you stay on count and make it easier to find any mistakes.
2. I used 3 skeins - I’m tall (5’10”) and I like a generously sized shawl. In the 3rd pic, you can see where I’ve marked the skeins. Since this shawl grows as you go, the 2nd & 3rd skeins add less length than the 1st. Average women (5’4”) may be more inclined to use 2 skeins.