Happy with progress on the shawl

Here are some shots of a week's almost monogamous progress on my Hap-inspired shawl.

They come complete with marking threads and loose strands and everything.

I'm really enjoying making this and am pleased with the lovely fabric and stitch definition I'm getting from this beautiful simple yarn.

I've noticed that lots of the Hap shawls I've seen have a bright or dark section of colour scallops then in the middle there's a neutral or light section and then the bright or dark section repeats in mirror-image. I'm on the first bright section as you can see. The blue and green are very close in tone, but I'm loving the effect.

I'm well over half-way in terms of finished size, but I'm only at about 30/35% completion of the actual knitting as each row gets bigger and then there's a sideways border.

Sorry to show you it against such a "busy" carpet, but there was no way on earth I could have gone out into the daylight to take the photos. I'd have been chasing my shawl-to-be over the Solway Firth!

Recently I've been making plenty of things from self-striping and space-dyed yarns, so the contrast of this simple yarn with such a lovely handle is a really pleasant change.

More progress shots next week?
Happy knitting, x K

Feeling "Happy"

I feel Hap-py, that is I feel in the mood to make something a little bit like a Hap shawl.
A Hap shawl with a twist, if you will.

Here's a link to see what a Hap shawl **should** look like.
Shetland Hap Shawls Then and Now
Quite interesting and I love their blocking frames.

Mine won't look like those because I only have so much yarn and I will not be doing the big square centre. I'll be doing a triangular main section, which hopefully won't look a million miles away from the proper patterns because the big squares are usually folded in two on the diagonal for wear.

I'm making mine in the Cashmere, Angora and Lambswool plant-dyed yarn I got from Shilasdair in 2005 during some island adventures. It has been living in the spare room waiting for a worthy project to be involved in. It feels absolutely marvelous, and I'm hoping it has the potential to become a lovely somewhat Hap-shawl. The clincher is that I have twice as much of the neutral oatmeal shade as any other colour, so it can be the main triangular section. It knits like a dream but two observations: it smells like plants and when you stand up you look as if you have been snuggling a giant bunny.



Here's a photo from a previous, less hi-res digital camera. x K

Thank-you Santa!!!

Thank-you Santa, I have spent wisely the John Lewis vouchers you left me!

Thank-you also Flavaknits Santa who gave me some lovely sock wool, just my colours, at our Glasgow Knit n Stitch party in December.

Photos can be clicked on for details and close-ups.

Bring on a fab year of knitting in 2009!