When I started knitting at the end of 2019, I couldn’t figure out why everyone kept making shawls. To me the whole thing sounded way too grandma for my taste. Sweaters? Yes. Blankets? Sure. Hats? Definitely. But shawls just seemed like something I would never wear. Haha. What did I know, right?
In the summer of 2020, I test knit a triangular shawlette, the Eckert Street Shawl, for Milly’s Knit Designs and completely changed my tune. I think I was too hung up on the name. A “shawl” doesn’t have to be out of grandma’s closet. It is basically a much prettier scarf. It’s a wrap. You can even wear it in the house! Ever since then, I have been stalking all kinds of shawls, and just haven’t been able to decide on which one to cast on next.
Then this week, Michael of the Piece4Peace Crafting Podcast, (an amazing Chicago-based podcast worth a listen) mentioned that he’s hosting a Knit along starting March 1st. He’s knitting the Kinship Shawl, a collaboration between Stephen West and Olga Buraya. The KAL will include shawl patterns from either designer. I wasn’t as familiar with Olga Buraya’s patterns, so I pulled it up on Ravelry, as you do, just to see what they looked like. You guys. Look at this:
Hisho Shawl
The Hisho Shawl is a crescent shaped shawl that uses four different skeins of fingering weight yarn. It’s hard to tell from the picture above, but the pattern creates a beautiful texture. You can see it a little better here:
Ever since I spotted it, I can’t stop dream knitting this shawl. I keep putting together color combinations in my head. I like the navy, yellow, and pink above even though it’s definitely a change from the grays and blacks I usually wear. Or maybe an orange, teal, and cream. There are so many good choices, I can’t wait to get started. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that Chicago got over a foot of snow last night, and we are well and truly stuck at home today. I have a gift certificate from Nina Chicago, my LYS, that is burning a hole in my pocket. It would be perfect for this project. I just need to wait for the roads to be a little more passable so I can see the options for myself. In the meantime, dream knitting it is.
A Yarn Tail 
The great thing about gravitating to neutrals like grey and black is that an awful lot of colour combinations will look great with the majority of your clothes, and accessories like shawls are ideal to add an occasional zing of colour to your wardrobe.
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I agree – I think I’m going to spice it up with this one. I mostly wear my shawls in my chilly kitchen these days, so they truly are just for me!
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That texture is fascinating. I know what you mean about dream knitting. A lovely way to fall asleep – planning multiple beautiful projects!
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