Last year after NY Sheep and Wool (aka Rhinebeck), I stayed in Vemont for a couple of days and during that time I met up with some people who I knew only from the internet. I was spinning some Ashford multi-coloured top, and one of these folks admired the colour. I decided to knit her a small something from that yarn. As I spun, I thought about a suitable pattern, and decided that I would work Evelyn Clark's "Icelandic Poppy" shawl.
The spinning went along smoothly, but I had to set the project aside. (Life has been a bit complicated -- gawd; I'm tired of saying that -- since that trip.) When it came time to start the knitting, I'd forgotten the pattern I'd planned to use. I cast on with one pattern and worked a few inches, and decided it didn't look right. I ripped and cast on another design, but after a few inches, the fabric didn't feel right. Rip. Eventually I remembered the Icelandic Poppy design and cast on. After a bit I realized the needles were too big, so I dropped down a size, and … Success!
The design is one of Evelyn Clark's triangular shawls from the neck down; if you've done one, you can handle this one with no problem. The specified yarn is a lovely 2-ply laceweight spun from icelandic sheep fleece. It's no longer available, as the flock was dispersed when the shepherd died a few years back. A shame, because it's a nice stable yarn and the finest/thinnest Icelandic laceweight I've seen.
The main pattern features a lozenge-shaped "poppy" set in a lattice of small diamonds. After several repeats of this, you work a "break" pattern (k2tog, YO across the row), and then the edging. I thought the use of the break made a clumsy interruption in the flow of patterns (sorry, Evelyn -- if you're reading this), so I omitted the break and extended the poppy pattern into the edging. The stitches are finished off with a crochet bind-off.
I folded the shawl along the central "spine" of the triangle and dressed it out with pins and blocking wires, as you saw in this post. As it turned out, I didn't have enough pins to catch each of the crocheted bind-off loops, so the edge is not quite as tidy as might be desired. (And, I figure that after it's been worn a bit, the blocking is going to relax anyway so the loops are going to "soften up" visually.)
Sorry my pictures aren't better. The top has at least 5 colours in it so the colour is really rich. (I think my camera is having some problems, and I was a little shaky from illness when I took the pictures.)
The recipient has received the shawl -- more an oversized scarf than a full-sized shawl -- and is thrilled with it. She really likes the quality of the drape.
This is the 3rd consecutive orange project, and I think it's time for a different colour.
To Recap
Yarn: Spindle-spun and spindle-plied merino/silk top (80/20) from Ashford in colour "Saffron". Scarf weighs 49 grams.
Pattern: "Icelandic Poppy" by Evelyn Clark
Needles: 2.75 mm circular. I think it's an Addi
