What a delicious knit this is. I could do rocket science or brain surgery while I was knitting this.
So simple but such a striking result.
And it doesn’t much matter if you can’t count (probably the reason I am not doing rocket science and or brain surgery).

THE PATTERN
This pattern is clear and well set-out.

Two small things might improve it.

• Page numbers. It’s a small thing but for someone floundering numerically, like me, it makes a big difference.

• The note, right at the end of the pattern which reads, “Anakie is easily adjustable. Simply continue increasing and decreasing short rows as established”, might be better placed at the start.
  I know we’re meant to read patterns to the end before we start….

I know, for example, that had I thought earlier about making a larger shawl, I would have made my first section bigger. Again a tiny thing. Really a terrific pattern to a terrific knit.

There is a PDF included in the pattern which provides a section by section row tracker (and Short-Row tracker). A true bonus for people wanting to know where they within their section.

THE YARN

How could that amazing red NOT bleed???
I put the ties from the Malabrigo into cold water to see if they did.
And they didn’t!!!! Life is good.

The Fibre Lily is just gorgeous and there were enough beautiful moody pinks, purples and oranges to balance the green! My fears of looking like a Christmas Elf soon dissipated.

Both brands came in at just over 105 grams a skein.

MY MODIFICATIONS

I like a slipped stitch edge so on the short-row edge, where the colour change occurs, I knitted the last stitch of the previous row in the upcoming colour. So, the last stitch of a red row was knit with the variegated yarn and vice-versa.

I tried the shawl on at the end of the pattern and felt the need for more coverage.
Another skein of Malabrigo Rios went onto the winder and I create a section 5.

Section 5 is all C1 and I start my short row with a stitch count of 3 and I increase by 3 until I have 33 stitches in my short row.

if you want to make this bigger you might want to think about which areas you are going to increase at the start.

I added tassels and beads just for the sheer fun of it.

BLOCKING

I don’t block this aggressively but the yarn really relaxes with washing. And I’m glad! Both yarns were Super-Wash and they both felt uptight and a bit crackly as a result. Washing then eased all of that “finish” out of them.

Pre-Blocking the shawl was 168cm from inside point to point.
Post blocking she was 190!

Pre-Blocking depth was 44cm.
Post-Blocking was 53.

I decided to pin the yarn-overs into a point! I wondered whether I was mucking around too much bit, in fact, I do like the way the point mirrors the triangle motif of the shawl.

A fun knit!
Highly recommended.