The pattern is Crow Waltz Shawl by Juju Vail. I first saw it in Socktopod Knit Night few weeks ago. I usually love airier and lacier shawl but when I saw the one knitted by Lucy (aka Rosealare on Ravelry), I instantly fell in love with this textured shawl.
Juju named the shawl as Crow Waltz because it is a song from her favourite band. I call mine Flower Waltz Shawl because the colours I used made me think of Fuchsia, one of my favourite flowers. Plus I do love Flower Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker very much!
I ordered 3 skeins of Old Maiden Alpaca Silk in Midnight, Bramble and Gothic. The shawl only requires two skeins but I wasn't sure if the colour combo could work out so I got three skeins to improve my chance. After winding up all three hanks, I found that Midnight and Bramble pretty similar so they may blend in too much. Therefore I picked Bramble and Gothic.
After I finished the edging, I found about half skein of Bramble has been used. Apparently I'd run out of yarn. I contacted Lilith of Old Maiden Aunt. She kindly reserved the last skein of Bramble of the same dye lot for me while I was waiting for her next update to grab more of other colourways. I really appreciate it!
I skipped one garter row before Picot binding and it turns out I didn't need to use the second skein of Bramble! I got about 6 inch of leftover! phew~ I am quite happy about it as it means I can use that skein of Bramble for another project. Maybe an Ishbel?
The pattern is very interesting. It uses slip stitches to imitate the distinct woven texture. I think I did the first few rows way too loose. next time I will try to get a tighter gauge.
The yarn was really a dream to work with. Very soft. It has the signature haze of Alpaca but not too fuzzy. I've ordered a few more skeins. Will try to make some scarves or shawlettes for Christmas pressies, though I somehow feel this yarn is toooooo lovely to give away and I might end up keeping ALL FOs.
DH is way too busy so I could only take a FO pic by myself indoor. My poor photos really can't do the shawl justice. I swear.
I blocked the shawl out using the blocking kit from Loop. I think it's one of my best investments in knitting so far -- honestly if I had to choose between this blocking kit and my Signature needles, I'd still pick this kit! It saves me lots of time and hassles!!! Guess I'll make more shawls as I no longer fear the pain of blocking!
Oh V, this is BEAUTIFUL! LOVE! I like the color and the subtle color variation. You look gorgeous wearing it!
ReplyDeleteHey Regina, thanks for your kind comments! The yarn was absolutely gorgeous. Usually I love pastel colours, but these rich subtle colours are so perfect for textured shawls used in winter.
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