I absolutely love this design and think I will be able to use it a lot once I start working! ♥ I chose to knit this up in alpaca, which I’ve never used before :)

Please note:
If you are making this pattern, PLEASE follow the designer’s advice and check your gauge! I had to go down to a 3.25mm needle to get the swatch size required - and I don’t often have ‘tension problems’ (at least not to that extent!).

Overall impressions
I think the colourwork on this is very clever, and I think this would be a suitable pattern for an adventurous beginner for getting to grips with decreases. This was great TV knitting (most of it was done watching season 4 of Mad Men!). Overall, it was a fun (if slightly monotonous) and super quick knit that’s yielded a beautiful garment :)

Some thoughts about the pattern
I really love this design - it’s sophisticated, classic and corporate. It’s also pretty darn cute! The pattern is very clear and generally well-written, although there is one teeny-tiny mistake: after the first decrease, the number should be 228, not 128. There are also a couple of typos which, although not material, are a little out of place in a purchasable pattern. I chose to work ssk instead of skpsso, because the latter always comes out looking slightly sloppy for me.

Some thoughts on the yarn
Knitting with alpaca is like knitting with a hug…it’s soft, warm and cuddly! In the case of the darker colour, it also lingers: my fingers turned black from knitting with it after a while! :( Despite this one minor inconvenience, I was impressed with the buttery softness and the overall quality of the King Cole, and pleased that there were no knots in my Rowan (for a change!). This also turned out to be a ‘bang-for-the-buck’ project, yarn-wise: I had about half a ball each of the grey and white, and just over a whole ball left on the black (out of the four skeins I bought). I don’t have a scale, so the estimates above are the best I can do.

Progress reports
7/8: cast on

8/8: finished colourwork portion - fun!

9/8: praying that I finish this for the end of the Games!! Halfway through the decrease portion…I might just make it!!!

10/8: finished the decreases…I think I’m gonna make it! :D

11/8: FINISHED! :D This one really was a Ravellenic challenge! I’m really proud to have completed this in such a short space of time :)

As always with me, better pictures are to follow soon!

RAVELLENIC GAMES CONTENDER
SHAWL SAILING
COLOURWORK CROSS-COUNTRY