Recently, a good family friend was elected to be a judge. This is, obviously, a very big deal, and I wanted to make something that would attempt to equal the occasion. Meet my version of the Albertine pattern from The Knitter Magazine (special thanks to my lovely friend Aliya for agreeing to be my model for this one!):
I picked up some Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere (this color is Irish Spring, which it seems from their website might no longer be available) on our last trip to Ashland, and it was perfect for a special occasion gift. I keep saying that I don't normally go for variegated yarns, but I guess I need to stop, because I've bought quite a few lately! It was just too gorgeous to pass over, and the yarn is made of Merino wool and cashmere, so once I picked it up, I just couldn't bring myself to put it down. It's amazing to knit with; so, so soft, no splitting, and no breakage (the label says it has a little nylon, so I'm guessing that's why). I loved it so much that I'm going to buy more (in a different color) when I get around to making my next lightweight sweater. I was actually kind of sad when it was done!
The shawl turned out a little bit bigger than the one in the magazine, which was just fine with me - I prefer ones that are big enough to wrap (as opposed to just draping, although those are great too!).
The only problem is that we only have carpet in one room now, so I'm going to need to invest in some blocking mats at some point. I fudged it by just trying to go around the furniture in the guest room (I also can't find whatever box I threw my blocking wires into, but luckily the edge turned out pretty straight anyway):
By and large, I would recommend this pattern, but (and I've mentioned before with this magazine) I probably wouldn't attempt it as a new knitter. It wasn't difficult, but as with most lace knitting, it requires a lot of attention to detail and careful counting, and there was a small discrepancy for me in the third row of eyelet increases. It may have been just me, but I frogged and re-knit it a few times and couldn't get it to have the right number, so I ended up just adjusting the row to match what it should be. You couldn't tell in the end, but it's definitely to sort of thing that could really frustrate someone with not much lace practice.
Probably my favorite part of this shawl (apart from the color) is the teardrop shape that forms at the bottom of the last section of lace. It's so pretty and elegant! My version doesn't hang quite like the one in the magazine, but I think that's a function of my gauge more than anything else...I could have sized down on my needles and been just fine (I used size 1 for this one; the label recommends 0-2, but I prefer my gauge to be tighter, as a general rule, so I'd go with 0 if I was doing it again). I'd say definitely try this yarn, and the pattern is great if you're looking for a little bit of a challenge!