I love lace shawls, but I do not always want to wear them. You know what I mean?
I prefer to wear an every-day, toss-around-your-neck-and-go Shawl That You Wear Like A Scarf. In fact, scarf shawls are my new necklaces. They keep me warm, and I always feel fabulous and cozy while wearing one. They are my new love. (I have my knitting guild to thank for that. Last year was a bit shawl-obsessed for all of us.)
Since my shawls are my favourite accessory, I basically need all sorts of different ones. Being an in-between size (you know, between “having kids” and “actually wanting to do the work to lose the last 15 pounds”), I tend to buy basic tops. Like black t-shirts. But a shawl? It will fit me no matter what size I am. So you see, I’ve been thinking a lot about shawls lately.
This, then, is my first shawl design, with more to come. More on my needles, more being charted, more being puzzled through… But for now: TA-DAAA! It’s the Effervescent shawl.
It starts with an interesting lace edge that I puzzled out from a cardigan that my Grandma knit for my mom. I love it because of its nice lines, and how the little eyelets and decreases pull themselves into little almost-bows. Close enough to be feminine, and far enough to be every-day wear. It has patterning on both right- and wrong-side rows, with a couple rest rows in between.
Then we move on to perfect tv knitting: stockinette stripes in bold colours. For me, that makes it a perfect project. A little bit of spice to start, a little bit of relaxation to finish. I like my knitting to be both spicy and sweet. Because we started at the bottom edge of the triangle, the finishing up bits are minimal, since all the stitches have been decreased down to 7. Simple grafting ensues. 
I love that coral is back in style this year. And that blue? Oh my. This colour combo will keep me feeling breezy and light, even through the deep, dark winter. But I have a feeling that you knitters will branch out and be your creative knitting selves, delving into colour combinations I haven’t even considered yet. My friend Beckie was leaning toward grey, red, and dark blue last time I saw her. I can’t wait to see all the colourways that will emerge! 
Now, let’s get down to the details.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Coral, White, and Light Blue. For you local people, I bought mine at Unraveled in Merrickville. The Baby Cashmerino is about a 2 (Baby/Sport weight) if you’re going by the Craft Yarn Council of America standards, in case you want to substitute. I bought it because it came in the exact colours that I wanted, and because I love the feel of it.
With the Debbie Bliss yarn, you will need
300 m / 120 g White (3 balls)
150 m / 60 g Coral (2 balls)
250 m / 100 g Light Blue (2 balls)
Needles: size 6 US (4 mm) circular, in about a 32″-40″ range. You just need a cable long enough to hold your shawl while you work it back and forth.
The pattern includes charts for the lace as well as written directions. There’s also a drawing that gives you a brief overview and the measurements for blocking.
And now for the Grand Finale! You can get it by clicking this little button:
p.s. I finally started a Ravelry group!! I’d be honoured if you’d join me there. It’ll be a great place for pattern support, knitalongs, and lots of encouragement. You can still (and always) reach me by email if you have any questions or comments, but now we have one more choice in the mix. If you’re knitting up an Effervescent shawl, please come and share it with the group! I will ooh and ahh over your colour choices. 🙂
