Another two-fer! Posting two FOs at a time lets me catch up to my current knitting a lot more quickly. The two for today are two shawls. Different patterns, same yarn. A study in stash busting.

atsot

Pattern: All the Shades of Truth by Laura Aylor
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Rain Water, Morning Dove, Charcoal, Fog, and Bloomsbury
Needles: US 5/3.75mm
Mods: I left out a section on one of the ends because I put one on the wrong side and there would be too much of one color next to each other if I left it in. Less a mod than a mistake, but we’ll call it a design feature.

This shawl is knit entirely in garter stitch, which made for almost concentration-free knitting. I did have to stop and count rows every so often and binding off those long sections was a bear, but all in all, I was free to occupy my mind with other tasks while I made this shawl. I actually blocked this one, soaked it in water and everything. It actually made a huge difference–everything opened up and the shawl got a lot more drapey. It’s not surprise to me that blocking can totally change a finished object, but still. Wow.

I mostly enjoyed making this shawl and I do like the color blocking, but I probably wouldn’t make it again. Nothing against the shawl, there are just too many other things to knit.

hitch

Pattern: Hitchhiker by Martina Behm
Yarn: Same as above, MadTosh light
Needles: US 5/3.75mm
Mods: none

This shawl is also knit in garter stitch and uses the exact same yarn in the exact same colors. After finishing ATSOT, I found I had about 150g leftover, about 75 in one color (Rainwater, I believe) and 75 in varying amounts of all the other colors. Aha! thought I. STRIPES. As it happens, I got this pattern to make this shawl for someone else on WWFY and, in my impatience to start it plus my desire to use up the scraps as fast as possible so they wouldn’t languish in the stash, I cast on one for myself before I got the yarn for the other one.

I properly blocked this one as well, long soak and all. In addition to opening up the fabric and adding drape, this shawl also grew a whole lot. Before blocking, the long side of the shawl was about the length of my wingspan. After blocking, it was at least a foot longer. Blocking, kids. It’s magical.

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