And Then There Was Six

Here we are  July 7th and have not shared the finished shawls that will be going to my family in Portugal on July 11th . 

I was originally going to knit one shawl for  my Aunt as I had many memories of her wearing  shawls .  This is the process that things unfolded:  

1.   This is Terra by Jared Flood. This shawl I saw at the my local yarn store, and it was done in that exact colour and yarn.  I knew that`s what I wanted to make this for  my aunt. but after it was finished I thought she would like something heavier and more neutral in colour.  Then I had the idea to make this one:

2.  Milk Run by Cat Wong   It`s my second one.  Made the very first one for my mother-in-law and she loved it`s warmth and size.  

No, that yarn in the background is not mine, I took the picture at my local yarn store.

Shortly thereafter I decided I could not just do one but was going for 6.  One for each of my cousins wives (4) and one for my female cousin.  

For each person I was making, I would reflect on their personality, but at the same time wanted to offer something that was fun, original and the yarn had to to be special.

3.   This is Cladonia.   Each time I finished the shawl, I would say ``This is my favourite one``.   I was enjoying the process of making these shawls, as my heart was involved with each one I made   But really..this one was so much fun and the colours of the stripe was so vibrant and complimented each other so well.   And the lace on the bottom was so pretty. 

4.  This is Henslowe.    I started knitting this pattern with a lavender colour but then I came to a point where I just didn`t like the way it looked and I knew I have to rip it out.  This was a huge setback as I had been flying along with the other ones and I knew I want to knit this pattern again.  So I putted it aside, and had to start something else.  This shawl was knitted back in February for myself and I never wore it, so I had the brilliant idea to include it as part of the 6 shawls.  It is such a beautiful shawl and it that red colour is so striking. 

5.  This is Terra.   This was the second one I made in the exact same yarn but just different colour.  If I could have knit 6 shawls this is probably the pattern I would have picked.  A very simple but lovely shawl, that can be worn so many ways.

6.  This is another Cladonia.   The pale colour yarn in this shawl was the one I had started on the  Henslowe but ended ripping it out and this is where I used it.   The combination of the pale purple against the deep blue was very striking.    So impressed with this one too.

At the end of it all I knit the shawls with people in mind, but when I was wrapping them up I decided to leave the shawls unmarked and let each person pick the one they were attracted to. 

I can honestly say this was a labour of love. I had no idea I could have knitted such beautiful shawls in such a short time. My knitting skills were also improving with each one. With the right motivation we can accomplish whatever we want.

 A little piece of me goes in each shawl.  That was my intention all along for making them.

Alice