The FML Shawl

The Find My Light Shawl (FML)

I’ve been noodling around with this idea for a shawl for some time now. I really love super long, wrappable shawls that are more of a scarf. The ones that you can wrap twice around your neck, or even fold in half and pull a loop through as you can do with thinner chiffon scarves.

However achieving such a long shawl can be tricky when you only have one skein of sockweight yarn to play with.

So I decided to try creating a long, wedge-shaped shawl with a picot edge which is knit as you go, and I was absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. I was less than thrilled when I came to photograph it though as it’s length makes it almost impossible to capture in a single image.

And the name? If you've followed me for a while you'll know that I love a shawl with a cheeky acronym. There's the FFFS (Fuss Free Festival Shawl) and the WTF (Worth the Fuss Shawl). So it was only a matter of time before I added the FML to my library.

The Find My Light Shawl was knit during a period of real reflection and change for me. I've made no secret of the fact that the menopause transition has been difficult for me and part of that has been accepting that my body is different to how it was before. Not worse, just different. While I was knitting on this I was reflecting on the fact after a period of difficulty I feel as though I am enjoying my daily activities more and finding joy in small things again - finding my light as it were.

And so it seemed a good name for the shawl - and the slightly cheeky acronym was of course an added bonus. Although given my difficulties in photographing it, I did consider naming it the TTP (terrible to photograph).

A new shawl for crisp autumn days

Autumnity Shawl

I'm sure you are well aware of my love of all things autumnal, and when I came across a new word - Autumnity - for some reason it stuck in my head and wouldn't leave.

It kept making me think of crisp autumn days, the rustle of leaves and the slight chill in the air. It struck me that as we have petrichor (the term used to describe the smell of wet earth after summer rain) we should really have a word to describe the smell of those autumn days.

I can't recreate that in knitwear, obviously, but this wonderfully crisp Yak-based sock yarn from Banshee Yarns ticked all the right boxes for me - fabulous stitch definition, crisp but soft - and of course a gorgeous autumnal colour.

The shawl is an extended triangle, knit sideways with the straightforward lace border knit on as you go.

You do need access to weighing scales for this, but other than that it is a wonderfully relaxing and straightforward shawl to knit. Just make sure that if you are knitting on the move, you have some portable scales with you (don't be like me and end up carting our kitchen scales with you in your hand bag. It wasn't quite an 'everything but the kitchen sink' moment - but my husband did raise an eyebrow when he spotted it in my handbag).

The pattern is available on my Payhip store as usual, but this time - for the first time - I have a pattern launch available directly on my website (cue trumpet fanfare). Just click the button to buy and if you’d like a copy for your Ravelry library please email me after purchase and I’ll make that happen.

Happy autumn knitting.

St Bees Shawl

St Bees Shawl available on Payhip

Sometimes you just come across the perfect yarn for a pattern - and for me this one ticked all the boxes. I love a half-pi shawl but let's be honest here, those long rows towards the end can be a real motivation killer. 

Nearly 600 stitches per row is a lot of stitches, whichever way you look at it. But it's made much more fun by having a long change colour gradient to entertain you.

I'd seen cakes of this Scheepjes Whirl before but something about this colourway - Green Tea Tipple - really spoke to me. I couldn't put my finger on why until I was looking back through some old holiday photos in Cumbria and I came across a montage I had done of St Bees - a wonderful stretch of coastline where the sea colour can change daily, even hourly, depending on the weather.

I knew it would be perfect in this half-pi shawl and I love the way the colour changes work with the transition of the pattern - from deep grey garter stitch, to light and frothy lace, through to deep teal at the end.

The half-pi shape gives you a really wearable shawl. It sits nicely on the shoulders if you just want a little bit of warmth - I love mine when I’m sat at my desk in the mornings. Or for a bit more drama and drape you can fling one end over your shoulder - a broach pin would help to secure it on windy days.

Either way, it’s a great adaptable shape and if you haven’t tried a half-pi shawl before I urge you to give it a try. There’s minimal counting and only 7 increase rows in the whole thing. For the rest you are either working garter stitch or an easy-to-memorise lace pattern. What’s not to love.

As with all my patterns, clicking the link below takes you to my Payhip store. if you’d like a copy for your Ravelry library please email me at the address at the bottom of your pattern PDF and I will gift you a copy.

The joys of seaming (and a sale)

Cowl design: Women hold up half the sky

Well, not quite. But at least I got your attention, if only because you thought I might be being held hostage and signalling my plight to you. I know I have certainly waxed lyrical before about the joys of seamless knits, and how, if I had wanted to spend time with a needle I would have taken up sewing.

But, every so often there is a good case for seaming a knit and I hope you’ll bear with me while I elaborate.

It’s quite common for cowls to be knit in the round for many reasons not least because you are creating a tube or loop which will be worn as a tube or loop. It makes sense therefore to avoid the need for a seam and cast on in the round.

Now, this is partly personal preference but I sometimes feel that cowls in the round can feel a little bit like I’m wearing a surgical collar, particularly if the fabric isn’t as drapey as I would like.

I almost always prefer a cowl knit flat and then seamed. Partly because I feel that it tends to give better drape and partly because it makes it really easy to judge how long the cowl is and whether you can get one loop or two loops from your yarn. I’m all about reducing leftovers at the minute and anything that I can stretch to get the most out of a skein of yarn is all to the good.

SELF CARE SALE

As I regard shawl and cowl knitting as a valuable form of self care, and I’m in the mood to spread a little love this week I thought I would have a week-long sale on my shawls and cowl patterns. Just tap the button below and use the code SELFCARE to get 25% off any of my shawl and cowl designs - you may choose as many as you like.

And if you know a friend who is looking for a new project please do feel free to forward the link to them as well, and spread the love a little further.

Knitwear in April

Ever keen to extend the knitwear season as long as possible I was thrilled when, after a lovely sunny day or two at the weekend, the temperature plummeted again.

Don’t get me wrong, it was lovely to bask in the (almost) warm sunshine and to contemplate replacing my winter boots, with summer sandals. But when the mercury dipped again and the wind developed a distinct easterly sharpness I was secretly pleased that knitwear was still needed.

Shown here is one of my favourite shawls – the Cornhill shawl by Eden Cottage Yarns in their Carlisle Fingering, as well as my Fuss Free Mitts – a free pattern which is up on my blog. I knit a few pairs of these in various colours and I usually have at least one pair rolled up in most of my walking jackets. The other pockets generally hold masks – but that’s Covid times for you.

In other news I have been dusting off the blog a little and trying to get back into some semblance of a writing routine again. This of course necessitated the purchase of a shiny new notebook, about which I am very excited – more on that later.

For now I have been content with revisiting my blog reading and finding out who out there is still blogging. Much has been written about the death of the blog, but honestly I think that more and more people are finding that they need a break from the pressure and the heated-ness (if that’s a word) of social media. I read this article recently by Tanis Fibre Arts on the subject and I have to say that it really resonated with me.

I tell myself that I don’t have the time to sit down and draft out a blog post or two, but I’ll happily lose half an hour on Instagram – feeding the algorithm gods. So I’m trying to get into good habits by actually reading other peoples blogs and spending a little less time surfing Twitter or Instagram.

I used to use Bloglovin but I’ve never been a huge fan, so I thought it was a good opportunity for a fresh start. I signed up to the free version of Feedly and so far I have to say that I’m really enjoying it. I think there is the option for more features if you pay for a plan but I’m just seeing how I get on with the free version for now.

One thing I was exploring was the old concept of a blogroll – remember those? My old Blogger page used to have a little sidebar widget with a blogroll and I used to love visiting other sites and seeing what blogs they in turn followed. Is that still a thing do you think? I’d love to see that make a comeback.

Anyway, all this to say that hopefully I will be around a little more in the coming weeks as I blow the cobwebs away. And if you have any top blog recommendations please do let me know. I’m always looking for new ones to follow. Maybe I’ll even share them on a blogroll of my very own.

Inner Zen

Inner Zen

Sometimes we all need one of those projects - one which is soothing without being too plain. A bit of detail without needing too much concentration.

Say hello to your Inner Zen - a sideways shawl designed to restore your peace and harmony.

Knit during the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting turbulence I needed something calming to knit that wasn’t just acres of garter stitch.

This side to side shawl proved to be unexpectedly therapeutic. Starting from just a few stitches it is worked in sections - weigh your yarn first - with an increase section, a long straight section and then a final short decrease section.

The end result is a reversible, elongated crescent-ish shawl. Easy to wear and with negligible leftovers - always a bonus.

If you subscribe to my newsletter please check your inbox for a discount code.

If not, there is an early bird discount code for the next 7 days - with 25% off when you use the code InnerZenEB