Since switching to a thicker yarn (before I was using lace weight...eep!) Ishbel just flew off the needles! I can't believe that I managed to get it done in less than a month. Actually, I can't believe that I managed to get 2 projects knit up in a month. Especially considering that the month was February!
This was my first time knitting a Ysolda Teague pattern, which I thought was very well written, and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. I love it when designers add both the written directions as well as charts to their patterns, especially when it comes to lace. I think on my first attempt at Ishbel I was a little unsure of what I was doing since I had never knit a shawl before, but since then I've knit up the Akimbo and Pogona. I did screw up on the lace a few times, but not enough that I needed to use lifelines.
After reading the pattern and some project pages of other knitters on Ravelry, I wasn't sure if I would have enough yarn to make the large version. So I decided to do the small stockinette portion and knit the large lace. I was getting a little nervous halfway through the lace section, but really I had nothing to worry about. If anything, I'm a little miffed. Once I had bound off the last stitch I weighed my leftovers and discovered that I had a little under half of the skein left!! I could have totally knit up the large size with ease. Grrrr...I hate having so much left over yarn!
Before blocking I wasn't sure if this shawl would be big enough for my tastes. I gave it quite the aggressive block (which for some reason gives me soooo much satisfaction!) and I think it came out big enough to at least wear around my neck. Malabrigo definitely blocks out beautifully, and this colourway is gorgeous. I especially love how the blue pops out against the purple. I have already worn this several times now and I have to say, I don't know if I'm a fan of Malabrigo. Gasp!! I know, the travesty of that statement! While I do love how oh so buttery soft Malabrigo is, I think the end product is way too light for my liking. Every single time I wore my Ishbel I had to keep touching my neck to make sure that the shawl was still there. The few times that I wore a jacket with it, I felt like the shawl got lost from being squished down so much. There really isn't enough bulk to it. Even when I was knitting I noticed that the yarn didn't have weight to it and I realized that I like my sock yarns to have more heft to it.
I have two more skeins of Malabrigo Sock in my stash, and now that I've knit this shawl I can already tell I won't be making socks with either of them. One of the skeins I'm not so much a fan of the colours and will most likely trade it away. The other I'll save...just in case. After all, it's pink!
Shawl Details:
Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock
Colour: Abril
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 4mm (US 6)
Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Ishbel
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