Making the 'Traveler Shawl' by Dreareneeknits

Hi there,

“One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world’s end somewhere and holds fast to the days..” Willa Cather

Really excited to share this one with you, it has been a most lovely project. I first caught sight of this shawl on instagram a while ago and perhaps it was the name which attracted me to it and I bookmarked it as a possible project. Then, by chance, one of my favourite knitters posted a photo about it and I was so smitten that I decided to get the pattern and put it firmly at the top of my ‘to do’ list. The magical colours of the variegated wool just looked so beautiful, especially with the ribbed triangles at cross angles.

The pattern is designed by Andrea Mowry of Dreareneeknits and is available on ravelry and on her website (link below). The yarn used in all cases that I looked at was spincycle ‘dyed in the wool’, which is an american super wash sport weight yarn. When I went looking for this in the UK, I realised that this was not a cheap project. I confess I was undeterred, but was conscious that it was a project to stagger over a couple of months. I also liked the idea of adding in a strand of silk mohair which would of course add another layer of cost to the project.

For sure, I didn’t buy all the yarn to begin with. Having dallied on the choice of colour way for ages, in the end, I went with ‘Overboard’ which is lilac and green and violet and aqua. I bought the yarn from Loop in London (most delicious store ever!) but when it arrived I was a little concerned that it was maybe a bit dull, but with the lilac silk mohair to enrich it, I thought I would see how it went. There are a fantastic number of colour ways available and it is not an easy choice but mine was guided by the a couple of things. Firstly I had a bag that I wasn’t using much, but is perfect for travelling that is a deep purple colour and I also had some other accessories and a mossy green knitted jacket, that needed a shawl and finally, it was a chance to experiment with a new colour way that is very pretty. Purple and green are very lovely together.

My instincts were correct in that the silk mohair added some real richness to the colour, but I could see after about 6 inches of knitting that I was going to need more colours in this to really bring out the stripes. In the end I had 4 colours. Three were Isager silk mohair in aqua (colour 66) and Lime Green (colour 57) with Lilac (colour12) and the rich deep violet was Rowan kid silk haze (shade 699). I enjoyed mixing this all up into an absolute canvas of delicious colours.

It’s a very relaxing pattern with straightforward knitting and after all the fairisle I have been doing, it was a really nice change. I enjoyed watching some knitting vlogs and old movies when I worked on this. It felt almost immediately like an everyday kind of shawl that isn’t too fancy and you can just load it on with jeans and jumpers and woolly hats and boots. I did have to buy more spin cycle yarn and at the end, honestly there was barely a scrap left - I was even sweating a bit that I would run out, but it turned out to be the perfect fit with no waste and some of the silk mohair left, but that is easily used up.

So finally it is finished and I have to say that I didn’t block it. The pattern tells you that it grows quite a bit when blocked and actually it is just perfect for me as it is - and anyways, I couldn’t wait to use it. It has already been out and about on a trip to London!

There is no doubt that this was a rather expensive project, but it is so beautiful that I feel and hope it will last forever. As a really versatile and stylish piece to add to a winter wardrobe, it is super soft and squishy and very comfortable and warm to wear. I have plenty to go with it and well…what I can I say about that tartan bag (which I just couldn’t resist) …perfect or what?!?!

In conclusion, I think I am ready to go just about anywhere with this ensemble, but also I am so pleased at how my knitting journey is evolving. I am feeling brave…after the mitts I am making for my daughter, perhaps I will try a sweater.

See you next time, Ruby x

Pattern is by Dreareneeknits here

Yarn used is by Spincycle Yarns in the colour way ‘Overboard’ and you can find it here

The tartan bag is from Glen Appin here