A Lark Rise shawl.

Being a blogger sometimes drives you to do strange things...

Which explains why I was standing outside this afternoon wearing a shawl in ninety degree weather.

When I first started watching the lovely BBC mini-series Lark Rise to Candleford, I noticed the shawls that the Lark Rise women wore. Particularly the unusual one that Emma Timmons wore over her dress, which crossed in the front and tied in the back. So when I found a very similar free pattern on Ravelry, I decided to give it a try...my first knitted shawl.

And nearly a month later, it's finished! The pattern was really simple, even for a beginner knitter like me. I had to watch a Youtube video to figure out how to do the increases, and even then it took me about twenty minutes before it finally clicked. :) The majority of the shawl is twenty-eight repeats of four rows. All garter stitch. It was repetitive enough that it wasn't stressful, but varied enough that it didn't get boring.

I don't imagine myself wearing a shawl out, but it will come in handy around the house this winter (especially in the sewing room, which can get chilly). Plus it was nice to try knitting something new, something besides scarves and dishrags.

Next, I think I'll be attempting a hat. :) But first I'm going to take a short break for some embroidering, which I've been missing lately.

{You can find more details of the project here. I apologize for the messy hair- I'm trying out a new no-heat curling method...the hairband one. My hair is curly/wavy naturally, but the longer it gets the less curl holds in the back. Doing it this way, it actually doesn't look too awful when it's up (much more attractive than rag curls :), unless you're like me and have pool hair and a headband that's too small for your head. Ahem. It's also the only effective way I've found so far to keep all of my thick hair up off my neck during this hot, sticky weather. Thanks to Mom for taking the pictures.}

Until next time,