Come join the fun

I am excited about Andrea’s newest pattern - the Traveler Shawl (pattern purchased on Ravelry). It’s already in my library and I’m planning the yarn that I’m going to use.

This shawl is meant to inspire your playful side! Try experimenting with gauge to play with the size of the shawl, explore different color possibilities, hold a couple strands of yarn together, or even better - spin your own yarn! The stitch pattern lends itself beautifully to a relaxing knit, but its unique construction makes it fun to knit again and again! My sincere hope is that this will be the type of shawl you knit on repeat. Once you are familiar with the pattern at the gauges listed, I hope you will try it out again with your own yarn combinations to create different size shawls for different occasions!

Photos © Andrea Mowry

There are two sizes for the shawl and two weights of yarn. Sport or DK/Worsted.

Andrea suggests Zauberball Crazy as an alternate yarn for the sport weight shawl. Two balls should be enough.

I think you can use Zauberball Starke 6 for either thickness. I would suggest swatching and see if you like it better on a 4mm or 4.5mm needle. The new colours are available online and in the store. Two balls should be enough yarn for either size.

Another suggestion from Andrea is Malabrigo Rios. By Andrea’s yardages you will need 4 skeins.

These are the new Zodiac colours.

This is Washted from Malabrigo. Above is Arco Iris and below is Indicieta. 

Rowan Felted Tweed Colour would make a beautiful shawl. You will need 5 balls.

Inspired by nature’s landscapes, the varying shades of Felted Tweed Colour are truly captivating to knit and crochet. From subtle moorland russets and browns, to vibrant sunset pinks and fresh, grassy greens, the tweedy hues gradually evolve along the fibres at a gentle and unhurried pace. A stunning fair isle effect is created by simply working with two shades, while the perfect combination of 50% lightly-felted wool, 25% viscose and 25% alpaca makes this yarn equally ideal for delicate lace and sumptuous cables.

Noro Kureyon would work. 

Andrea suggests Noro Ito. I have knit a lot of shawls in Ito. I think you will want to knit it on a bigger needle - 5mm-6mm depending on whether you knit loose or tight.

If you want to play here are a few ideas.

• A fingering weight held with a silk/mohair blend
• Holding two strands of fingering weight yarn together to make a DK/worsted weight. Go through your stash mixing fingering weight yarns to get a marled look. You can go a bit further and do a marled fade. Unleash your inner Stephen West.

Diana doesn’t have a project right now so this might be something she would knit over the holidays for the store. I’m torn on the yarn. It could be Rios but I think it will be Malabrigo Washted. The colours are amazing and we don’t have a sample in this yarn.

My shawl is going to be in a yarn from Spincycle. I know that many of you don’t want to knit with Spincycle so I’ve given you lots of options. Come join the fun and knit with me. I will be casting on tomorrow evening so it’s ready for the plane.