So, after much looking at the pattern and wanting to give it a go, I started my
Aeolian shawl late last month, and finished it today. *phew*
Good things about this pattern:
- It is very well written, with detailed instructions on all the techniques used and how all the charts fit together. So, even if you are not familiar with beading or nupps, it's easy to follow. It may take reading things a few times, and checking a few of the links provided, but I found that all the resources are there.
- It is a "recipe" pattern: you can easily make the shawl larger or smaller to accommodate for the yarn you have. I made mine in laceweight yarn, but didn't have the 1000 yards that the pattern calls for. So I followed the fingering weight pattern, but added two extra repeats of the Yuca chart, and an additional repeat of the Agave chart.
- It has an alternative narrow edge, for those that fear running out of yarn. For a moment there, I thought I might have to resort to it, but it all worked out in the end.
Not so good things about this pattern:
- It's a web page pattern, which is not ideal to print. But the charts can be printed separately, which is good.
What I learnt while knitting this:
- Nupps. Nupps are those little bobbles that are often found in Estonian patterns. Wikipedia has it that Estonian knitters started adding them to their patterns because they were paid by the weight of the final piece, and this was an easy way to add weight without having to modify the patterns.
I have done patterns that called for nupps before, but I always replaced them with beads. See I'm a very loose knitter, so I'm always afraid I'll run out of yarn, hence the avoiding nupps if possible. But, in this pattern, it felt like a shame to leave them out, particularly since it looked like I would have more than enough yarn. My main problem with them is finding the right loops to purl together on the WS row. My trick? On the RS row, before starting the nupp, place a marker. Much easier! - Beading on decreases. I had never done that before, and I did wonder how it would be done, if I ever had to. The explanation given in this pattern is, well, simple and clear.
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