This is to fling round your shoulders when you have to go out with the dog in the cold.
I started out making Madeline Tosh’s Mara shawl because I thought it would be easy. I’ve never done lace before and couldn’t find something I thought I could manage. But, 1/4 of the way through I realised it was boring. Boring for me to knit, no challenge at all, and not really showing off the yarn at its best. I’m so pleased I’ve swapped. I still need to build up to full lace, but I’ve learned three techniques so far and I’m using a chart for the first time. It’s all good!
09-03-2017
Progress is starting to slow as the wingspan increases. I’m up to 90-something stitches per row.
I had to tink about 8 rows when I spotted a glaring error in the texture. Pulling out the stitches in a ladder and trying to fix that way proved impossible with this pattern. Maybe a more experienced knitter would manage it, but I couldn’t see where I needed to knit and where I needed to purl once I’d pulled out the stitches.
Despite that minor hiccup it’s going well. I’ve been keeping it as my evening-with-the-telly project. Doesn’t require constant attention. Check the pattern for that row and check your stitch count a few times along the row and it’s otherwise straightforward.
Love the textured pattern it’s creating.
23-01-2018
I made a few changes to the pattern.
I wanted it to be big enough to wrap right across your chest, since it’s for going outside in the freezing cold, so I kept going in the textured pattern for a further 15cm or so.
I wasn’t that keen on the three bands of purl stitch in the photos I’ve seen of finished shawls, so I reversed it. I’ve got three garter rows on ss background instead. Not sure I particularly like that either, but I’m not pulling it out, so I’ll have to learn to live with it.
I started the ribbing for the border last weekend but ran out of yarn (of course, since I knitted extra rows earlier). An extra ball arrived today (and of course it’s a different dye lot, but luckily it matches just fine.) So another week, maybe, and it’ll be done.
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