The Shawl...

I finished the shawl for my brother's new baby today. It's a shawl I've made several times before, but never with the emotional investment that this one has. My first nephew or niece (the jury is still out).

The pattern is from an old Patons' book that my Nanna gave me years ago. In the late eighties she had a couple of heart attacks followed by a stroke, and the doctors told her she couldn't knit any more because of the strain it placed on her heart. She gifted me with her entire knitting stash and paraphernalia. I wasn't sure it was a good idea that she give it all away, but I figured nobody else in the family was interested in knitting, so I might as well take care of her stuff until she changed her mind. She never asked for any of it back, but when she had to move in with my parents for 24/7 care, she'd evidently ignored the doctors' advice and built up a new stash. Yay go Nanna! She'd been a knitter and craftswoman since childhood, and I know it cost her dearly when she thought she had to give it all up.

Well, this pattern is one of my old favourites for new babies. As I've said, I've knitted it more than once, but I only ever knit it for babies special to me. It's a beautiful shawl. The only thng I don't like is the seam, and I'm trying to figure out a seamless version. I am always, without fail, impressed by the end product.

This was knit with Sirdar Snuggly 2-ply. It's a nylon/acrylic (55/45) mix so it washes well and shouldn't turn into a felted ball in the machine. I've dressed it to be a bit larger than advised - 60" diameter instead of "50 - but I think it looks better for it.


Here's a close-up of the feather and fan pattern.





I haven't done any work on the Ripple Weave socks, but you haven't seen them yet, so here's a lack of progress picture...

Sorry for the paucity of new posts, but I've spent the last couple of weeks preparing for a big interview and presentation. I didn't get the job, but never mind - more time to knit! Yes, I am gutted, but we'll not dwell on that.

I'm off to Edinburgh at the end of the week. Knitting, reading, shopping. Maybe a little bit of drinking and making merry too. Well, OK, lots of drinking and making merry.

I also plan to hit a couple of fibre suppliers. More news soon...