winnowing

The Vital Statistics
Pattern: Winnowing by Bristol Ivy from Brooklyn Tweed | Wool People Vol. 2.
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Loft in colourway 'truffle hunt', the most perfect grey/brown ever; 100 per cent wool; 3.1 skeins.
Needles: 3.5mm.
Start to finish: 6 January to 21 March 2012.
Stash/recycle content: We-e-ell, some of the yarn was left over from Cladonia but then I purchased two more skeins in order to have enough. So, no.

Comments: I am in love with this yarn and particularly with this colourway, truffle hunt. It even sounds delicious. The photo above shows the wonderful blue flecks in it. The fact that I just jumped in and started knitting is testament to the beauty of this shawl and my love of this yarn (or to my foolhardiness). It really was a case of wanting it at first sight, all other knitting plans thrown to the wind. And I did have some yarn left over from Cladonia (which has, alas, since been frogged but that's another story) so there was nothing to stop me.

The pattern is excellent, well written, well laid out and the designer was very helpful when I contacted her with some questions about the yarn-over increases in the setup chart. I actually make my yarn-over increase between a knit and purl stitch and between a purl and knit stitch differently. The resulting yarn-overs have a different orientation and to knit through the back loop of the stitch creates a different effect for each; that is, either an open eyelet or a closed stitch. I think that in the end I opted to knit the eyelets closed.

Verdict: Fabulous - fabulous design, fabulous yarn, fabulous shawl. However, I do not think that I could possibly ever knit it again, knowing what I do now. This is a wonderful knit but it is also an endurance knit, one that requires stamina, the sort of stamina that it is better not to think about before you are already dozens of rows in with hundreds of stitches on the needles. In twisted rib.