I just listed a new pattern on Ravelry – Up Back.
This is the second shawl in my trilogy of shawls about The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. The first was Valancy’s Island, and it’s more of a feminine and romantic look at the stories. Up Back was inspired by the rough and tumble area outside of Deerwood – there are barn dances and parties with alcohol “Up Back” at Chidley’s Corners. I wanted something that would be simple enough that one of the “Up Back” girls might have made it, but still interesting for modern knitters.
Up Back is meant to be a bit more rustic, something that was both woodsy and pretty. Of course, I’m still in love with my Combination Shawls, so it’s another of those. I’m very pleased about how that works in this shawl – all of the Pi shaping is hidden inside the regular pattern rows! It looks like standard unbroken curves of eyelet, but there is real shaping in there to help the shawl really curve to fit your shoulders.
It’s made with one of my all time favorite Indie Dyers’ yarn – Alisha Goes Around Pulchritude of Peacocks DK, and I’ve used her color Parthia. It’s amazingly soft and drapey, and I love how the color played on the shawl. (I see that Alisha is going to be at Kid N’ Ewe, for you other Texans.)
The instructions are written, but I’ve also included charts for the Hidden Increase Rows – I prefer charts myself, so I thought it would be helpful. This yarn is a little heavier than what I normally use for shawls, so there are also tips about working the shawl in a different gauge – fingering weight, for example, for knitters who would like to modify the pattern and make it a little larger. I’m tempted to do another one in fingering weight myself – it’s so much fun to make.
You can see more details on the Ravelry Page or my Patterns Page, but please feel free to ask me any questions! The pattern is available here and on Ravelry for $4.00.
