We're likin' this

In last Tuesday's post, we mentioned that Jacqui had finished a Cladonia shawl, and we promised to tell you more about it soon. Well, there it is above, and isn't it lovely? What could be nicer than a little bit of lace in luxury yarn this summer? Cladonia is designed by Kristin Kapur, and we're very impressed with it. It's knitted from the nape of the neck down, using the garter tab cast on that we posted a tutorial for last March. The increases are worked in lines that radiate out from the centre back - you can see them in the picture above, and this gives a lovely semi-circle shape to the shawl. Most of the pattern is simply stocking stitch: easy to work and a good foil for those lovely increase lines. Then the last 16 rows are lace, so if you're new to knitting lace shawls, this is a very good pattern to start with. It's a quick and relaxing knit, with just a sprinkle of spice at the finish. The pattern's a Ravelry download, and it's available to purchase instore. The original pattern is knitted in two colours, but we like Jacqui's monochrome version just as much. The only other modification was the cast off; like several other knitters, she substituted a picot cast off for the loop cast off in the original. The yarn for this Cladonia is Skein Queen's Delectable. It's a heavy laceweight - almost a sockweight in thickness. It's got terrific colour saturation, and the silk adds subtle lustre. This shawl used about half a skein, so it's an economical knit too. Cladonia, it turns out, is a genus of lichen; hence the post title ;)