FO: Amanda’s Shawl

When I made up that shawl pattern last month, I figured I’d put it on the back burner and attack it again when I had more brain power and could do some basic math. But my friend Amanda seemed very excited about the shawl and asked me about a pattern. There’s still no pattern, though there have been some better math skills, but I knew her birthday was this month and I wanted to knit something for her. So I sat down with some worsted weight yarn (Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru in the Mossay colorway) and plunked away at the basic design of this shawl again.

I’ve mostly figured out the body pattern, though the center increase line does not please me to great effect yet. In order to get this stitch pattern to work out, I have to increase four stitches every row. Which looks lovely on the side increases, but that center stitch situation is going to require some work.

With my first attempt, I just sort of futzed around with an edging. But this time, I wanted something a little classier, and so I picked a lace border from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury (I’m 99% sure the body stitch pattern comes from that book, too).

I love the way the lace border mirrors the diamond shape of the body shawl; I don’t love how basic math failed me yet again and I didn’t really have enough stitches to achieve the desired effect for the border.

I am on a bit of a shawl kick lately. I joined the Yarn Snobs group on Ravelry, as they’re doing a massive tracking effort of using up stash yarn (and lord knows I need all the encouragement I can get in that department), and I’ve got a lot of fingering weight in my stash. I could knit a bunch of socks, but since that’s my goal for the year and I have that all organized, sweet little shawls are pretty much the easiest way to use up some of that fingering weight yarn that I have around (also, some of this yarn is too pretty to be stuck in shoes).

The problem is, I already have quite the collection of shawls and scarves and really don’t need more. Maybe I’ll donate a few of my older shawls, or send them to people at random. Anyone have any insights into destashing finished projects?