Pattern: Shetland Tea Shawl from A Gathering of Lace by Dale Long based on EZ’s Pi Shawl
Needles: 3.25 mm Addi 40 inch
Yarn: Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro 86 Muted Turquoise, 100% merino wool
The blocked size is about 30 inches in diameter, half the size of the shawl in the book.
A rocky start. Lots of variety. Overall, a challenging pattern knit in delicate merino yarn. I knew I put everything I had into this pattern and was ready to cast off sans beechleaf edging. I started knitting lace this year and with each project I’ve tried out a different yarn. Although this yarn makes for a beautiful finished project, I don’t plan on using it again for lace. Knitting the last few rows before casting off felt disjointed. I think how the yarn glides through your fingers as you knit is key to really getting into the rhythm of knitting lace. The movement of the stitches as they dance from one needle to the other is what draws me to continue to cast on lace projects. I’m becoming increasingly picky when it comes to lace weight yarn, especially after knitting my sister’s shawl out of silky Sundara Yarn. Luckily, I knit the majority of this shawl before I started my sister’s shawl and had no idea what I was missing.