Starshower

Windy day!

I knit this little confection so quickly that I didn’t even have time to tell you about it before it was done. This is Starshower, a pattern that keeps showing up on my Ravelry feed. The designer describes it as a “shawl-cowl hybrid,” and I really think we need a special name for it. It begins with a garter tab (so it’s not too tight) and the beginning knit flat like a semi-circular shawl; later it is joined and finished in the round. It goes over your head like a cowl but hangs like a perfectly draped shawl. It’s genius!

I intended to get this started at home and take it with me to work on the flight to Portland. I find that I appreciate having some interesting knitting for the plane and something different for the conference (something dead easy, like vanilla socks). This was meant to be the interesting airplane project, but it was so interesting that I finished it before leaving home. Oops! Here’s how it looks folded flat:I tugged it a bit so you can see where the neck opening is. Here it is folded a different way:

The yarn is Cephalopod Yarns Skinny Bugga, a 80/10/10 fingering yarn. I originally bought this skein along with two others at MDSW ‘12, intending to make the Color Affection shawl. That was on Saturday. Early Sunday morning, I was notified that I had won a drawing for a trio of laceweight Yet from Miss Babs, and I ended up making the shawl from that (I wear it all the time – I wore it yesterday!). After finally realizing that I probably won’t knit another Color Affection, I decided this yarn was up for grabs.

I’m really glad I used it for this. I’ve already worn it once this week (this time of year is perfect for lightweight accessories) and I think I’ll get a lot of use out of it. My finished garment weighs 98 grams. The skein was a generous 113 g, so I have a bit left.

Also, this yarn smells GREAT. It has that slightly sheepy (in a good way) scent that usually indicates minimal processing. It reminds me of how Bartlettyarns and Clara Yarn smell. All day long, I get little whiffs that make me smile.

Here are the three skeins I meant to make Color Affection with – the middle one is now Starshower:

If you like this thing, you will also like Adama, a similar style worked in worsted weight yarn. I might try making it from some handspun.

One final word: this pattern was expertly written and edited. After griping about some of the patterns I’ve made this year, I want to give credit where credit is due. I would not hesitate to make another design by Hilary Smith Callis. She knows what she’s doing.