I’ve been deep in Shetland knitting traditions lately, and a trip to the UK gave me the perfect excuse to dig in (and to come home with a few well-chosen souvenirs). Meanwhile, I’ve (optimistically) cast on a new lace-weight sweater on the knitting machine in a wool-linen blend, and I’m making the most of early summer here in Helsinki.
FO: Shetland Hap
Usually when I’m travelling I cast on a sock: small, portable, mindless. But my partner had brought me back a wool-linen blend marketed as sock yarn, and as much as I love linen, it didn’t feel right turning it into socks. So instead I went looking for a shawl pattern to take with me.
Shetland lace has always fascinated (and intimidated) me, and I’d been waiting for an excuse to dip my toe in. Haps seemed like the sensible entry point: the central square or triangle is usually plain garter, with the lace saved for the border. Trouble is, most haps lean on the feather-and-fan motif in multiple colours, and I didn’t want to be haulingn multiple balls of wool around Britain. Then I found the Aestlight shawl: one colour, manageable complexity. Perfect.
