shawl season

 

Oh, October.  You're always the busiest and most stressful month in our year, one that disrupts all of our nice rhythms with late nights and out-of-town jaunts.  You waffle about weather.  We shiver at sunrise in 40 degrees. By the afternoon, we're either sweltering outside in the sun or huddled under a blanket, watching the pouring rain dash against the living room windows.  One day we run the heat; the next, we crank up the AC.  It's autumnal whiplash.  (That's why, Anne Shirley, I prefer November.  November is decidedly autumn.)  Still, the promise of cooler weather blows through our neighborhood.

'Tis the season for shawls!  It's too hot for a true coat, too cold for nothing.  That beauty above might just be my favorite right now: soft, squishy, and cozy.  It's just the right shade of gray to go with most of my wardrobe, too.  

Details:

Pattern:  Nowaki by Stella Egidi, from Amirisu Fall/Winter 2020
Yarn: Lichen and Lace Rustic Heather Sport, in the color Birch, 185g used

I made no modifications, other than to use needles two sizes smaller than the recommended to get gauge.  The yarn has an especially high twist before blocking, so knitting involved a bit of pulling apart the strand that had twisted back on itself.  Blocked, though, the yarn relaxed and softened beautifully.  

The adorable house pins arrived around the same time I cast off the shawl in May.  They're from Nastia Sleptsova's Etsy shop.  I wore one while teaching at our co-op yesterday, and a sweet little girl told me twice how much she loved my pin.  The dear!