Most of the projects I do for Ilga Leja are destined to be samples for photography and trade shows, this project was to be a little different. Ilga needed a First Snow shawl knit for a woman’s 100th birthday, and on a fairly tight schedule. This being a quiet time for me at work, I was able to complete it on time.

The version I was knitting included an extra repeat of one of the bead stitch, so the shawl would be slightly larger then the original. In my photos you’ll see Ilga’s original blocked version on the right, and my unblocked shawl on the left. Hard to believe it will be bigger in the end. It still shocks me that some knitters don’t finish or block their work. It does make a world of difference.

Ilga describes First Snow this way,

“This gentle, triangular shawl was a pleasure to knit, both for its top-down construction and for its openwork stitch pattern.

The soft, pastels evoked the colours of a winter landscape.“

You can check out more images of the original shawl at Ilga Leja Handknit Design.