FO: Multnomah

I haven't blogged in much detail about my Multnomah shawl. It's been one of those projects that you start because you need to work on something that feels good. I started it in October, and last Wednesday I finished it.


I started this so I'd have something to knit on a church retreat. It was a few of hours each way, I wasn't driving and there would plenty of time to knit while socializing. After much debate, I settled on Multnomah because it was in that sweet spot where the knitting is not too boring, but it's easy enough to work on while talking or watching television. Also, it was small enough that I only needed a 100 gram skein of yarn.


I ended up using a skein of Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn in "Birds in Paradise" (HS03) that I bought during my trip to Unwind. I used almost the entire skein.


When I washed the shawl with Eucalan the yarn bled a little bit, but it wasn't a big deal. They intensity of the color didn't really change.


I used a US Size 2 Addi Lace Turbo Circular Knitting Needle that I also bought at Unwind. (I think.)


I did my own version of wet blocking with this one. Basically, I washed it, and then I pinned it. Pinning Multnomah wasn't nearly as difficult as pinning the Strangling Vine scarf, but it took me a lot of pins and a lot of time to get the scallops nice and round. Mom and Dad let me take up some floor space in front of the television and use one of the "good" towels.

I was a little sore after all that pinning, but being able to do stuff like this is a good sign that my back is healing.


I'm wondering about the best way to wear this. It looks great from the back, but I can't quite figure out how to tie it in the front. I need a shawl pin or a nice broach. I considered wearing it to Walmart one day because it matched my t-shirt, but it didn't work with my baggy pants. I tried it again for a church potluck with leggings* and it looked better.

If anyone has any fashion tips for wearing shawls, let me know. The fact that it's a "shawlette" makes it more difficult because there's less fabric to work with, but I enjoyed knitting this so much that I'd like to make something the same size like Citron or Coquille.


You can see more pictures of Multnomah here.


* - I ordered some more leggings online, so hopefully I'll look less like a bag lady soon.