How to Wear a Shawl Part II

Many of you may have found this site from my rather popular “How to Wear a Shawl” post.  Because Andrea’s Shawl is a lot smaller than my Ene’s Scarf I wondered if there were other possibilities for wearing it.  Andrea is only about 45″ across, which means I can’t tie it quite as many ways but it’s still a very versatile accessory.

Ascot – fold it over so it’s thinner, like a scarf, and tie at the front.

Bib – Wear the triangle at the front, rather than at the back and tie around the neck.  I like it at a slightly jaunty angle.

Cowl – Wrap it around the neck and tuck the ends under so it looks like a cowl.  Fold it less for a wider, cozier cowl.

Hood – Excuse the “I am a mannequin” look.  Wrap it over your head, under the chin and behind the neck.  Makes for either a babushka lady or 50’s glamour star, depending on your look.

Tied Collar – This is a tiny twist on a traditional tied front.  I roll the edges up to make it like a shawl collar (appropriate), which makes it sit a bit higher on the shoulders

Over the Shoulders – Who can beat a classic?  Simple and sophisticated, perfect if you want to wear a shawl over a strapless dress for a wedding.  Or (my favourite) when you’re on the sofa on a chilly night with a glass of wine, and of course, your knitting.

I had a lot of fun thinking of new ways to wear this smaller shawl.  Now I’ll need to knit a shawlette for the family to be complete.  Let me know what ways you love to wear your shawls!

The Mother-in-Law Shawl

I think this one project at a time rule is really starting to pay off, I’ve just finished Andrea, or, the mother-in-law shawl.

Considering the lace it was a very quick knit, and I enjoyed all those mindless rows of stripes.  I still run my hand over it, feeling all those rifts and valleys left by the K, P, K, K, pattern.  Hubby says that it’s what really makes it stand out.

I have a couple of quibbles with it: one is that the size is maybe a bit too small.  Loads of people commented on it in Ravelry but when I was knitting it I didn’t really notice until the end that, really?  That’s all?  It can still close at the front with a shawl pin, which I plan to buy off Etsy to complete the fully handmade gift experience.  The other is my choice of yarn, whose fuzziness from the angora really competes and drowns out the lace pattern.  But it so nice on the hand and neck that I don’t think she’ll really mind.

What I’ve learned from it is that gift knitting really is a joyful thing.  These little things would probably irritate me to no end if I kept the shawl for myself, despite the fact that I really love the pattern and the garment as a whole.  But giving it to someone else I know they won’t be analysing my yarn choices or eyeballing the little mistakes.  All I hope she sees is a lot of love and effort put into something for her to enjoy.  I can’t wait to make some more gifts.

Sunshine and Knitting

We are trying our best to soak up every bit of warm autumn sun around here.

What that means for me is long afternoons spent at the park.  Not that I mind, I have something to bring with me these days.

Like so many things, I believe knitting is even better when done outdoors.  Maybe it’s because I know that there isn’t much time left before I have to don gloves and plein air knitting won’t be such a good idea.  Andrea’s shawl is a perfect pick up and go knit.  I’ve reached the pleasantly monotonous stripey section, but even the lace pattern was easy to memorise once you got your head around it.  It’s just enough lace to keep me interested, but not so much to have to constantly check the chart.

I love how the colours are working out, and the yarn is so soft and slippery to knit, but I don’t think I’d choose this again for a lace project.  The angora halo, while charming and a bit angelic, doesn’t make the lace stand out.  Something silky would bring out those YOs, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

And my thought is to keep knitting outside until there’s chance of frostbite.

How to Wear a Shawl

So I promised that there’d be an exciting update. Something is different about the Wife, can you see what it is?

If you said “The hair!” you get a cookie, I got my haircut the other day and decided to go for it and get it really short. My hair is pretty fine and looks so flat and lifeless when I have it longer. This way it looks thicker and has a bit of texture, I’m really pleased with it. I also got in cut hoping that the weather might improve, so far no luck with that.But wait, what am I wearing in that photo? That beautiful bright blue bit of lace?

It’s Ene’s Scarf from Scarf Style, something that’s been hibernating for a rather long time. It feels like I’ve been working on it for over a year, but mainly that’s because it took about 5 goes before I successfully cast on and started the lace. I was originally going to make it in Kidsilk Haze, but casting all the mohair was a nightmare. When I saw four balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4 ply on offer I knew exactly what to make.   It took an evening of watching Predator to finally finish it.  I love love love this shawl, at first I thought ‘when am I going to wear this?’. Answer: all the frickin’ time. It’s about 6 feet long and so versatile, I had a great time figuring out different ways to wear it besides just tying it in the front.

Scarf Style – Just fold it over so it’s about the width of a scarf and wrap it around your neck. It’s super warm, cozy, and makes you feel a bit like a movie star.

Cape – This is so easy, just throw the ends over your shoulders or even bring them back around the front and tie the ends ascot style. This makes it look like a great little cape or capelet, and is how I wear it over my jacket outside.

Shrug – Throw it over your arms and either let it hang or tie it around the back for a shrug look. Great over a sleeveless dress, cami, or just to keep the ends out of your way.

Wrap – This is my favourite! Wrap the ends around your front and tie them in the back. This is very warm and functional and looks a bit like a cropped wrap sweater.

Skirt – Kind of like a sarong, you just wrap the shawl around your waist for a quick lacy skirt. Great over a plain skirt, pair of jeans, leggings or a swimsuit.

Dress – I wrapped one end around my bust and the other around my waist and tied them on the side. I think this would be so cute over a swimsuit on the beach, but if you’re daring then maybe over a minidress or slip.

Who says shawls are for grandmas?

P.S. If you liked this post, you may like my newly added “How to Wear a Shawl Part II”