It stopped raining long enough for a quick photo shoot. Please ignore my rumpled shirt. My husband isn’t much of a stylist!

*small full view*
*large full view
*center point detail
*end point detail*

The facts:
~ 3.5 skeins Blackberry Ridge Woollen Mill’s medium weight 100% wool in dark brown (you could sub 875 yards of worsted weight)
~ size 9 US needles
~ finished size- 80″ wide and 36.5″ from center back to tip of point
~ I followed the Multi Colored Knitted Shawl Pattern and added my own edging.
~ started August 13th and finished August 29

This grew considerably after washing! It started out a full foot narrower and a good 5″ shorter. The yarn was quite springy while I was knitting, but during its bath relaxed and now has a wonderful drape. I have slightly mixed feelings about this yarn. It was full of vegetable matter and had quite a few knots, but is delightful feeling. I think the good outweighs the bad.

The pattern has an ingenious cast on and resulting top edging, which you can see here. That slit is sewn shut for a finish (I did it with mattress stitch).

For the edging, I finished the body at a multiple of 10 sts. plus 1. For this, it meant knitting in garter stitch until I was 4 stitches shy of that number, then knitting a right side row of *yo, k2tog” across, but doing the usual 4 increases with a k1 after so the increasing continued through this row. I then knit back across and started the edging, leaving all stitches on the needle (not casting off). Luscious Gracious has a great knitted on border tutorial, which I followed, substituting a scallopy sawtooth border for the straight one they use.

Edging:
Cast 3 stitches onto the beginning of the row and prepare to knit in the usual fashion.
1. (RS) slip 1, k1, m1, knit last stitch together with one stitch of the shawl. turn.
2. (WS)knit across, turn
3. (RS)slip 1, k1, m1, k across to last stitch and knit that with 1 from shawl. turn.
4. (WS)knit across, turn

Increase in this manner until there are 8 edging stitches (ending on a wrong side row).

Now, decrease, subbing a k2tog for the k1, m1 on each right side row until you are back down to 3 edging stitches on the right needle. There, you’ve made one scallopy sawtooth. Continue on like this, eating up one shawl stitch every other row until you get to the center point. I messed around with this part until I got it nice and square, so you will probably need to experiment until it looks good to you, also. I ended up doing just 4 extra rows at the center, knitting into the same stitch twice on eather side of the center stitch, while decreasing down to 1 stitch between points instead of 3 there. There was a weird hump otherwise. Make sure both sides of the center match so that your points will line up properly along both sides and both end at the same place at the ends.

Tada! You can feel like Elizabeth Zimmerman and Tasha Tudor all rolled into one, just like I do.

I love my first handspun shawl so much I decided to make another.

~ about 600 yards
~ thick and thin super bulky
~ BFL, Finn, and Merino/silk blend

I’ve decided on a stitch pattern and just need to work on writing out the pattern and swatching for needle size. Will provide the pattern when I’m done.

The yarn is still damp. It just needs to dry already so I can start!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone. Hopefully I’ll have some knitting to show by Monday. I’m almost done with the body of the brown wool shawl. I decided on a plain sawtooth edging, perhaps separated by a row of yarn overs. I’d show you now but it is a big morning brown blob. It might be a big boring brown shawl when it’s done, but it feels wonderful and will keep me toasty warm in my drafty old house this winter.

Amy, you need to make shawls. No sleeves!

If you want to make a handspun shawl, this is the day for you. I spun my little 2-ply heart out!

*buy it*

1085 yards of bulky+ weight 2 ply in BFL and Merino wools
They share the same orangey red and blue. If you like the colors and want to spin some yourself, there’s fiber in the “Lobster Pot” (called Mandarin in the wool) colorway for sale on the spindle kits page.

I also dyed sock and superwash yarns and Maisy Day Handspun sent a few skeins for you. I’ve also added all of the Louet spinning and carding equipment to the equipment page.

Go shopping!