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Monday, July 28, 2014

Much Ado About Beading

 Today I added the Much Ado Shawl to my pattern store, and I'm so happy it's available!  The cast-on edge is a beaded picot, which adds a glimmering detail while wearing it.  The beads I found are green at some angles, and red at others, making them appear to be either dewdrops or berries.  When I came home with them, I rummaged through my stash and found a fantastic skein of Leading Men Fiber Arts Showcase in the colorway Steve and Andy, the names of the yarn's creators, but also the names of my cousin and uncle, who are woodsmen of the most badass degree, and the color makes me think of them!
 Doug and I went to the forest preserve in Des Plaines, where he was about to play saxophone at a Romanian festival.  I stole him away from the goulash for a moment and he took pictures while I frolicked.  Or I did my best at frolicking.
 I stood still for him, too, wearing the shawl in a way that was actually practical.  It's fantastically soft, and the length means I can wrap it around my neck a few times, creating just as many layers of the beaded edge.

I hope you like this shawl!  If you do, twirl on over to Ravelry and buy it now!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Subconscious Shawl

Getting a rejection is never easy, especially when you've been excited about a pattern from its inkling, through its creation, and are careful to never post any instagrams of yourself wearing it for months.  In the case of this particular submission, however, the rejection note was so kind, complimentary, and encouraging that I can't help but submit again.

Subconscious is a shawl that plays with short-row placement, creating garter ridges that spin off and feed into each other, just like ideas in a pipe dream.  It creates a fabric reminiscent of braids, zippers, branches, and zebras.  When I was trying to come up with a name, everything was falling flat.  Doug suggested, "You should sleep on it.  It will probably come to you subconsciously."  BAM!  Subconscious.  It's the perfect 3-syllable name that isn't hard to pronounce and actually seems to make sense with the subtle stripes.

 Some people have remarked its similarity to bat wings.  I can see it!

 It can be nonchalant as well, which is usually how I wear it.  Because it drapes without a care in the world!