Norma gave me the yarn she bought to make the Butterfly shawl so I could make this shawl for her.

Pattern Layout. The pattern, once you figure out where it starts, is well-written. It could be improved with some simple formatting changes:

• Move the two pages with counts and marker placements to the end. That section is not essential.
• More clearly label the three sections of rhe pattern, not the pictures.
• Display the number of each subsection at the beginning of each header, instead of at the end.

At various points in the pattern, you’re instructed to complete a red, orange, green or blue square, which are like little “subroutines” in a computer program. You always return to the point in the main pattern where you left off once each square/subroutine is competed. Each of the squares consists of 11 rows.

Counting. I was fortunate to have learned the short row technique on another pattern (Pincha Shawl), which made this pattern a little easier. I used a row counter to help me keep track of where I was in the squares/subroutines, especially the red and orange ones.

I had to “unknit” several times when I realized I was off track. If the M1 stitches don’t fall where they belong at the beginning, end and center when you’re doing short rows, or you’re not at the end of a row when you should be, then you know something is amiss. Tinking is relatively easy to do in all garter stitch.

I used markers as recommended in the pattern. They were enormously helpful. I found I didn’t need to count all the stitches after each set of rows, only the stitches at each end and at the center, to ensure that no increases were skipped. Adding the figures from the ends and the middle and comparing to the total stitch count allowed me to see if I was on track. The markers assured me that the groups of 10 were all accounted for.

Increase Stitches. I did use M1R on the right-hand side and M1L on the left, but a different effect might be produced doing it the other way around (i.e. the outside increases on the Midlothian Shawl).

Carrying the Yarn. I watched Knit Purl Hunter’s video on how to carry the yarn to be sure the contrasting color was neatly tucked in along the right side.

Yarn Usage. I was able to complete through subsection 23 with the first skein of Uneek Fingering. I started at the end of the second skein which matched the end of the first, maximizing the purple and tan.

Bind-Off. I wanted to bind off with the contrast color, so I skipped the second repeat of rows 5 and 6 at the end of subsection 30 to be sure I had enough yarn. In the pod section I knit one stitch less at each end and two fewer stitches at the center to compensate for four fewer stitches.

I had just 2 grams left of the contrast color when I finished the bind-off. I used the bind-off from the Reyna Shawl, after knitting the second repeat of rows 5 and 6 at the end of the pods section:

k2, slip sts back to left needle, k2tog.
(k1, slip 2 sts back to left needle, k2tog)
Repeat instructions in parentheses until 1 st remains. Cut yarn and pull through loop.

It took about as much yarn as the preceding rows 5 and 6.