Last weekend, Andrew and I drove to Rhode Island (to Narragansett, to be exact) for a birthday celebration for my sister. I won’t mention which birthday it was, but it was one heck of a party 😉
Anyway, the weather that greeted us looked a whole lot like this:
This didn’t deter us from our merrymaking at all, although I am ashamed to say that I didn’t snap any pictures of the festivities on my trusty iPhone – I forgot oops! (The videos that we have of the dancing, however, are rife with blackmail material! evil laugh)
Nor did the clouds stand in our way of our other plan for last Saturday: a photoshoot of my latest design! This design is still deep in the testing phase with two of my fantastic test knitters, so it’ll be a little while yet before the pattern release (which will include the triangular shape shown here and another rectangular, stole-like shape). But the overcast skies, the lack of wind even at the shoreline, and the perfect scenery created just the right mood. This big ‘ol shawl is knit with fingering weight yarn at a loose gauge to create a fabric that’s as light as air but warm and soft. Behold the yumminess (tentatively titled “Avian,” as in, you know, “birdlike.”)
Andrew was the trusty photographer and when he said “go stand on that seawall,” I did what I was told (which, I think, also amused a constant stream of curious tourists wandering by – the things we do for fashion!!!). As you can see, he was also having lots of fun with the filter tools to make the sapphire-hued shawl stand out against the slate grey sky.
The shawl is knit with 3 skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the aptly named “Lapis” colorway. This yarn just glows and makes the dreariest day more vivid.
Here are a couple of other detail photos, where I think that you can see where the name “Avian” came from, the way that the cables look like V-shaped flocks of birds.
As you can also see, this shawl is very generously sized – more than 60″ across and nearly 30″ deep, if memory serves me well. The 100% wool yarn is so warm and gentle against the skin, but the fabric is loose and floaty enough to keep from smothering you. Perfect for 3 seasons of transitional weather wear!
Well, that’s sadly all for now, folks – I’m a traveling fool this month, with 3 different trips scheduled over 3 consecutive weekends. I’m off to Rochester this weekend for some Mother’s Day hijinks (cinnamon-roll-baking, anyone??) and hopefully some Lilac Festival activities if the weather holds and my all-time favorite flowers cooperate!
And Happy Mother’s Day, all you moms!
daniellechalson.com 
Glad everyone had such a great time and a fun celebration.
The shawl is gorgeous, of course. I really like how solid it looks too, and yet I know how light it must be, made of fingering yarn.
Andrew does an excellent job with the camera too. I wouldn’t know the first thing about using filters, but that blue sure does pop! 🙂
Thanks, Sandie! Yep, the fabric really floats, and the light wind that day helped showcase it beautifully. That, and Andrew’s handy camera skills coupled with a few “don’t move!” commands haha!
After having seen and touched your gorgeous shawl, I can attest to its pure loveliness and beautiful, soft “hand”…it is a treasure, and I predict that it will be one of your very best sellers…! Your “home hijinks” await, and so do I…see you soon, and congratulations on another breathtaking design…!!!