Mantilla

This headscarf has been finished for a couple of weeks but I haven't had any decent photographs to show.

Actually I don't event think these photos are any great shakes, apart from number one, the shadow one.

This is the lovely Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, from Interweave Knits, fall 2006.

This is not the first time I have made this pattern but it is the first time I have done the Lily of the Valley section with the nupps.

It's made with Patons 100% Cotton 4-ply left over from this headscarf from last year.

I really enjoyed making it and I will doubtless enjoy wearing it. Hope you are having

a good crafty week. x K

Action shots of Swallowtail shawl

All together now
"I believe I can fly...I believe I can touch the sky..."
These photos should enlarge when clicked.
Unfortunately, there's no feature for brushing your hair after the event on my photo editor.
BTW check out my shadow on Picture One.
Thank you for all your kind comments so far.
Happy Birthday dear Photographer!

Swallowtail Shawl

Here's my finished adapted version of Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark as featured in Interweave Knits.

Click picture to enlarge.

Mine is adapted in that it doesn't feature the Lily of the Valley section, because lovely as it is, it was too awkward in my chosen yarn. As well as that, this one has a good few more repeats than the original.I learned my lesson with the Shetland Triangle last year.

I really enjoyed knitting this. I used Rowan Damask in shade #46, Lava. I kind of stumbled into using this, I would never have considered using this for a shawl but I enjoyed making the headscarf so much, and got plenty of positive feedback, so I decided to go for it. I ended up using 5 balls of it and it will be a lovely summer wrap, or for posh occasions. You listening DH?

I was happy that when I unpinned it the peaks just edged back slightly, they didn't jump back, they obviously weren't too overstretched when blocking, they WANT to be pointy peaks.

Hope to take some outdoor action shots over the next couple of days.

Don't know if you can see the slight glossy sheen on the right side.

I cobbled together a way to get the edging to flow from the main "budding lace" pattern as I didn't use the "Lily of the Valley" section. Took a bit of sums but wasn't difficult, having knitted a few Evelyn Clark shawls before.

This is the "B" side, which looks quite pretty too IMHO.

Stepping backwards to move forwards

Okay, so the last post was all about how I had swatched this yarn and pattern into a lovely headscarf.
Then I was thinking wouldn't it actually be really nice as the real shawl, and a few other people were saying the same thing, so the cast-off has been undone and it's back on the needles!
My headscarf is now the set up for a large, but light, wrap.
This is the "budding lace" part of the Swallowtail Shawl, as if you didn't know. I will see how I feel when the shawl grows in size; I may or may not do the "lily of the valley lace" part.
I went into John Lewis to do the deed yesterday, and came away with three more balls of it, all in the correct dye lot, which was lucky, as the original ball was bought in the Gem Shop in Castle Douglas.



Something else has happened since my last post - I have got into the rhythm of the Flower Basket Shawl at last.
The penny has finally dropped about how to make those little baskets (sounds like a euphemism for a swear word, and I had been feeling it before I got into my groove) without constant poring over the pattern.
Don't get me wrong, I haven't ditched the pattern entirely, but I am not having to follow every stitch on it as I was initially. No wonder I was not feeling the love!
I have two more 200m balls of this olive Orkney Angora St. Magnus D.K. to go. The picture shows my progress on one ball.


This second picture shows a little bit of stitch detail.

I must be having a bit of an Evelyn Clark fest at the moment!

Sometimes you're just in a lacy mood. x K