This fall I began knitting my first shawl.

It was a quick and satisfying beginner project.

My mother, grandmother and all of my aunts always had creative work in progress.  They were always sewing, crocheting, embroidering, quilting, beading, cutting, gluing etc.  And, I feel lucky that they always put a project in my hands.  Usually this project was adjacent to something they were making and so I learned to sew, crochet, embroider and all of the rest of it.  When I had small children in the house handwork took a back seat, but over the past few years, I have picked everything back up.  Making things is such a tangible, and for me, nostalgic pleasure.

The one thing I never learned as a child was knitting. My mentors had a strong crochet bias and there was much disparaging commentary about knitting when I was growing up.  So, I learned to knit as an adult and I am trying to improve my skills.  This is how I came to be knitting my first shawl this fall.

I know – a shawl sounds kind of old fashioned.

In fact, I didn’t own any shawls prior to this knit. But this project was easy and satisfying so I don’t think this will be my last shawl. When I think of this cotton shawl as a just a ‘light wrap,’ I see possibilities. It will be great over a sundress on summer evenings or as a beach wrap.

I received the yarn and pattern through KnitCrate, a monthly subscription yarn service. I try to avoid decision fatigue as much as possible and there are enough yarn and pattern choices to leave one exhausted for days. Receiving a new yarn selection and a choice of patterns every month has made knitting a much more accessible craft for me. Not every pattern has been beginner friendly, but I have had more successes than failures.

The yarn for the shawl is Uru.Yarn’s Cotton Basic in Pavement and the pattern is Sanctuary Shawl by Michele Costa. This knit was a quick project and a friendly introduction to lace work.  Like most knitting, it was an nice project to work while watching TV or listening to audio books.