Shawls. . .not just for your grandma anymore.

 Well, maybe your super hip grandma. I mean LOOK at these! And the best part, they don't even HAVE to be worn like a shawl. I wear them around my neck sort of bunched up, like a scarf or a cowl. Or like this first one, a beautiful lace shawl, which is triangular in shape. It's too small to wrap much around the neck so I hold it on with that lovely silver shawl pin. And yes, that is my handspun yarn from fiber I purchased from All Spun Up.

This one is a long shawl. It has a great construction in that you knit until half of your yarn is gone and then you start getting smaller. It's long, so the shape of it lends itself well to draping around the neck like a scarf. The bits of leafy ribbon and the beads make this an interesting yarn to knit with. . .and while not my favorite yarn, I'm glad I tried it. The pattern, on the other hand, I will definitely need to try again. 

Then there is this one. . .it's a triangular shawl, also, but larger so that I can wear it around my neck. It's knit out of sock yarn, so it's light weight. It has a very simple center section, so the hard part is the bottom edging. This was knit from the Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock, dyed in the Glimpse colorway, which was the first colorway she dyed to benefit SHARE and support for those suffering pregnancy loss.

This one was knit for a mystery KAL. I actually blogged about it a couple of months ago. This one has beautiful turquoise brushed glass beads and lace and a whole bunch of nupps (pronounced noop, like soup). The yarn from Knitpicks also has silvery shimmer to it. Gorgeous and such a fun pattern!

I've also blogged about this one. I think the colors in this one make it one of my all time favorite shawls. This is out of another Three Irish Girls yarn with a little taste of luxurious cashmere in it. This shawl is a semi-circle, so normally this one is worn with the biggest part in the front and then the points wrapped around the back and crossed to the front.

 This is another one of my favorites. I used Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light which I purchased from The Loopy Ewe (see the button in the upper right of the page). I knit this one for Camp Loopy, which IS coming up again in June, so watch Sheri's blog for more info. This is another long scarf/shawl, knit in one piece and perfect for being worn around the neck a couple of times.

This is a fun shawl. It's a square when completed and knit from the center out. The neat part about this shawl is the way it changes the patterning of the variegated yarn as it gets bigger. This one is usually folded diagonally into a triangle and then worn around my neck. . .but it can double as a small shoulder wrap, too, when I'm just home on the couch. . .so dual purpose!

And finally the first shawl I ever knit. This one was designed by Carina Spencer after a friend suffered a pregnancy loss. Every October, the proceeds from this pattern go to a charity that supports those suffering from pregnancy loss. I have made three of these. One for me, one for my mom, and one for a friend. It's big. REALLY big. Probably the closest to an actual shawl that I have ever come. It's done with warm yarn and serves as a hug around the shoulders. Probably the shawl I'm least likely to wear out due to its sheer size, I love the symbolism.


So there you go. A look at shawls. I should probably mention that I'm working on not one but two right now. . . Ha! I might be an addict. . .but I love the versatility of shawls. . .I love how easy the come together. I love the wearability. . .might not be the way your grandma wore them, but I promise. . .they aren't just for your grandma anymore! There are lots of patterns on Ravelry, and there are some great books out there, too! Just take a look! (There IS an Amazon link in the upper right too :) )