Fuss Free Festival Shawl - with added stripes

I am really pleased to say that my Fuss Free Festival Shawl pattern has now been expanded to include directions for making a striped version. The original uses just 1 skein of sockweight yarn and the striped version uses this plus 25g of a contrast colour.

You could go the whole hog and use both skeins to create a larger two colour shawl - just keep going with the contrast colour. Just make sure you save enough yarn for the picot bind off if you want it to be in the main colour.

In the pattern I've allowed fairly generous yarn estimates but the pattern is very adaptable and you could easily change it to suit the yarn amounts you have.

When estimating the yarn needed for the bind off the conventional wisdom states that you measure the length of knitting to be bound off and then multiply this by 3 to give you the length of yarn you will need to finish the bind off. It's important to remember that a picot bind off uses considerably more yarn than normal and so I would probably double this number just to be on the safe side.

The pattern is available to purchase on Ravelry or if you sign up to my newsletter you can snaffle it for free for a limited time. If you are already a subscriber - check your email as you should have received an email with the update in it yesterday.

I really hope you have fun with this pattern and I can't wait to see how the different projects take shape.

An exciting prospect

Is there anything more exciting than the feeling when you are getting ready to add a pop of new colour to a project. Or in my case, to add some calm and soothing grey to this wonderful vibrant spring green.

I have a busy day of teaching lined up but I have my evening  (and as much of tomorrow as I can manage) planned out. I have Netflix and a hot date with this shawl to look forward to. I am determined to be able to wear it whilst it is still spring.

And to give me some ideas on how to wear it I'm  going to be using a fun Instagram hashtag starting next week. Use the hashtag #springshawlstyle and let's share some inspiration for how we wear our shawls. 

More details to follow but why not use this weekend to sort through your shawls and pick a few of your favourites to show off this spring.

Spring has sprung

Not many words today but a heck of a lot of gorgeous spring-like colour. I'm not normally one for knitting with the seasons and I don't tend to make conscious choices of colour but sometimes the right yarn crosses your path and it is just pure serendipity.

This gorgeous fresh green from Countess Ablaze (via the new Classics Society subscription club) is sheer heaven.

Vibrant tonal greens which practically sing at you. It reminds me alternately of fresh green grapes and zingy limes and is a total pleasure to knit with.

I  cast on for another version of a new shawl pattern I will be releasing at Edinburgh Yarn Festival. The Fuss Free Festival Shawl pattern will be available from the lovely ladies at the Little Grey Girl and Fluph Shop when you purchase their exclusive Edinburgh wares. The ideal shawl that you can just drop everything and cast on. Perfect for when you are at a festival and want to get your special yarn on the needles right away.

Look out for more details in the coming days.

The best bits.

One of the best bits about designing is neatly summed up in this photo. Delightful, squishy garter stitch on its way to becoming a lovely, warm shawl in a fabulously soft shade of grey. And a beautifully bright yarn waiting patiently to be added into it. 

I am knitting with the Fibre Company's Cumbria yarn which is a DK weight and I'm aiming for a shawl which is light and squishy but also warmly substantial too. The kind of thing you could fling over your shoulders whilst you enjoy your morning coffee in peace. OK, it's wishful thinking on that last point I must admit. There is never any shortage of coffee around here but as for peace and quiet...That's another thing altogether.

Normally when designing I make numerous swatches beforehand and I know in advance how the colour placement and stripes will work out. With this one though I am just going with the flow and will add in the colour when it feels right. This beautiful buttery yellow/grey yarn is crying out to be included but I want it to be an accent to the grey rather than the main focus. 

A few more rows I think, and then it's time will come