Skip to main content

The Zilver Shawl and Fifty Shades of Charcoal

I was inspired after last week’s post to try some non-sock knitting.  I’ve accumulated several – fine, a lot – of gradients over the months.  These cakes are so delicious and without any of the calories.  The way the colors shift from a mere hint of color to the most saturated of hues – all without adding in new yarns or weaving in tails – has made it difficult to resist these beauties.  When you think about it, it’s more economical to purchase the gradient than four or five fingering weights in the same color family.  Yep, that’s the story, and I’m sticking to it.
 
I hunted through the stash for the gateway gradient – Eaden Yarns.  I originally stalked shopped Eaden Yarns for their self-striping colorways.  I have a thing for 6-color, narrow (3-4 rows) self-striping yarn, and Eaden’s colorways are some of the most unique I’ve seen.  But during one update, I noticed these beautiful gradients.  I selected a neutral shade since I knew I would get the most wear out of it.  The colorway is Charcoal.    

Given that I’m new to shawls, I wanted a project that was more than just rows of stockinette, but not too sophisticated that I would be ripping back at the slightest distraction.  So, I queued up my Ravelry faves and found a pattern that combined simplicity (stockinette) with textural interest (doubled ridges): Zilver.  Better yet, it used 436 yards; my cake had 437.  

After knitting a swatch and getting the gauge, I felt confident that I could pull this off, despite having a one yard cushion.  I cast on with the darkest shade, a deep soot, which transitioned midweek to a subtle slate before ending over the weekend in a smokey/off-white.  The shawl was incredibly fast to knit, and allowed me to multitask (i.e., watch television and occasionally my children).  

Thankfully, the yarn gods were also on my side.  I ended up with several yards to spare.  With fall upon us, I know my new shawl will get lots of wear, and the color goes with everything.  I couldn’t be happier.

Of course as soon as I had it off the needles and on the blocking board, I started to scheme about other shawls to knit.  I have a few things in mind, but I have yet to commit.  

 So instead, I decided to queue up a hat.  It should be a fast knit since I’m using an aran weight yarn.  I also cast on for another pair of socks – in White Birch Fiber Arts’ Sand in my Seagrass.  I have one leg done, but with the kids going back to school and my colleagues returning from summer end vacays, knitting time will be at a premium.  Until next week, bon tricot. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May Day, May Day: Lifelines and Socks

I had hoped to show progress on a shawl I’m knitting using Knit Circus Opulence Yarn in Turquoise Pool.   But a dropped stitch meant I had to rip back an entire lace repeat.  Quite frustrating, but I did learn a new skill – putting in a lifeline.  I could have ripped back a lot more if it hadn’t been for that trick.  Moving forward, I’m going to use lifelines for remaining lace.  Since my last post, I’ve also ventured outside the sock realm.  I signed up for a sweater class at my LYS.  I’ve selected Purl Soho’sSweater Sweatshirt for my project.  I must say after the first class, I was a little discouraged.  I assumed that sweater knitting would be the same as socks or shawls: as long as I got gauge, I would be good to go.  But no.  Because my gauge is different than the pattern, I will need to make the smallest size, and the cast on number as well as the decreases will also be adjusted.  The instructor say...
Post a Comment
Read more

There’s Nothing Plain About Vanilla – Another Set of Stockinette Stitch Socks

It’s been a few weeks since my last post, but I’m proud to say I’ve survived a stint with strep throat, my son’s first birthday party (with 24 of his kindergarten classmates), and Easter, complete with a visit from the Bunny, an egg hunt in the backyard, and a trip to see Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s circus.  It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least.  But in that time, I’ve been sneaking in some knitting when I can.  To feel creative and productive (which don’t always co-exist happily), I find it best to have a pair of plain vanilla, stockinette stitch socks on my needles at all times.  I can trot them out of my project bag and knit a few rounds while waiting for folks to shop our yard sale, like I did this past weekend, or while I watch the kids play outside in the front yard.  The first time I saw the Regia Jacquard sock yarn was on Susan B. Anderson’s blog.  I was saddened to learn it’s since been discontinued.  But during my Goog...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back to Basics

The first week back after a long holiday is always the hardest.  I also find it’s where I tend to lose focus of my goals…and so it went this week for journaling and the yarn diet.  While I managed to journal four nights in a row, I missed three by week’s end.  I also fell off the destash wagon visiting a charming LYS seven minutes from a conference I was attending for work.  I don’t feel as badly about that relapse since I bought a non-fingering weight yarn in a 100% marled alpaca.  They also had some knitting notions that I’ve only seen online – bamboo chunky circs and a Knit Kit. The Knitting B, Richmond, VA But how to explain the sock yarn purchase?   FOMA (fear of missing out).   One of my favorite dyers posted a 24-hour- only skein to celebrate her 6,000 th sale on Etsy.   Those exclusive speckles did me in. Canon Hand Dyes by the amyleeshow on Etsy This week has shown me that it’s easy to get off track, so before I ...
Post a Comment
Read more