I began blocking my Echo Flowers shawl last night and when I had pinned it out, I looked down and felt a strange punch to the gut. Had I really made that? As it turns out, yes, I have made this and it feels so bewildering to me. This shawl is so incredibly beautiful and so intricate - and it is all my doing.
Knitters are their own worst critics, I think. We all shrug and laugh when others compliment us. This little thing? Oh, I just followed a pattern... but we need to give ourselves more credit. We do not just follow a pattern. We interpret and decipher patterns written in often quite technical terms. We choose yarns, colours and textures. Yes, sometimes us 'just following a pattern' leaves us feeling unhappy with the end product, but I think we need to take more credit than we often allow ourselves.
And so with this shawl, I am so very happy to say yes, I made this.
I started knitting this back in November but it went into hibernation due to Christmas knitting and other, more pressing, knitting projects. I pulled it out about a week ago and finished knitting the edging. It was actually a relatively easy knit - just one motif you keep repeating until you decide to start the edging - but I say that with a couple of Estonian-stitch shawls behind me.
I used Fyberspates Nef Lace and I must admit I did not like it. It felt quite synthetic compared to Malabrigo and Old Maiden Aunt merino/silk, and I really did not like the variegated colours. And so I decided to overdye it using cake paste dye (as you do). The yarn did block out beautifully and the colour is super-intense.
I'm very, very, very happy with the end result. I bet you can tell.
The pattern is free (PDF) and while I was using a cobweb yarn, I have seen some lovely versions using as heavy a yarn as double knitting. If I were to make this again - okay, I absolutely will - I'd try a fingering weight just to add a bit of weight to the fabric. And use a semi-solid or a solid colour.
As of right now, all I have on my needles is a Snapdragon Tam which is one-third done. I feel another shawl coming on..