Another Shawl Design in the Making: Pattern Coming Soon

I can’t believe I’m already set to start my third shawl design in about two-and-a-half months’ time. As you may now by now, I’ve planned a series of at least four shawls, each one with a different shape.

The first one, the Moonwish Wrap, has a half-circle/crescent shape and comes in Sizes S and L; the second one, the Star Beam Shawl, has a dragon tail shape with a quirky edging (see photos below). For this third shawl I have an asymmetrical triangle shape in mind. It’s a rather tradition shape I guess, but I’m always looking to add something unexpected and a little different, so let’s see…..

The yarn I’ve selected is Scheepjes Whirl and Whirlette. It’s the first time I’m going to use a Whirl cake and I’m very excited about that. In case you’re not yet familiar with these variegated yarn cakes and their single colour counterparts, the Whirlette, let me show you the great variety in colours available and tell you why these yarns are extremely suitable for shawls.

Whirl and Whirlette yarn 

Both yarns are made from a blend of 60% cotton and 40% acrylic, which makes for lightweight and breathable shawls (or any other garments for that matter). Whirl is a gradient yarn with a very generous twist so that it works up really quickly and it helps prevent splitting. Each colour change (and there are many, which I love because it makes the gradient so subtle) is carefully tied to ensure the knot can be discretely hidden within your stitches. So don’t worry if you come across quite a few ”knots” or rather “fluffy bits” because that means one colour thread is replaced by another colour thread that needs to be worked into the yarn.

The Whirlette yarn, which I already used for my Moonwish Wrap, has the same blend but only comes in single colours, matching some of the Whirl shades. Another difference is that the Whirl yarn cakes hold no less than 1000 metres and the Whirlette balls 455 metres.

Both yarns have a beautiful drape and that is definitely something I’d want for my shawl designs.

I plan on using one Whirl plus one Whirlette, as I want a generously sized shawl. As you can see from the shade cards, there are soooo many colours to choose from: 54 Whirls and 19 Whirlettes no less. I went for simple and elegant black/grey/white, but I'm thinking I'd also like to select a more summery combination. But that's something for spring...one shawl at a time please.....

I want to make this a relaxing project – again! That's why there are Tingsha bells in the photo above; Tingsha bells are bells that signal the beginning of a meditation and help focus your attention in the present moment. I want my larger projects to be as relaxing as possible as I know the benefits of mindful crafting are huge. For me, shawl projects calm my mind (most of the time it feels my brain is spinning out of control with lots of creative ideas but also with worry and unhelpful thoughts) and I sincerely hope that working on one of my designs will also benefit you in whatever way possible.

Alright, I’d better crack on so that I can show you some WIP pictures next week and publish the pattern around New Year’s Day!

 
Where to shop for Whirl and Whirlette*
These links will take you to the shops' main page where you can then do a search for the yarns you'd like.

UK Wool Warehouse (international shipping)

UK Deramores (international shipping)
UK Black Sheep Wools (international shipping)

CA Knotty House (US + CA)

Moonwish Wrap in Whirlette

Star Beam Shawl in Our Tribe

*Thank you to Scheepjes for providing the yarn for this project. The affiliate links in this post support giveaways, free patterns, discounts and the running of this blog. By purchasing yarn through these affiliate links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!