Caleta Tortuga Shawlette: Another Test Knit

Yup, another test knit shawl.  Maybe Zach's right.  Still, cowls and shawls are pretty flexible with gauge, so that's always a plus for me.  Gauge is for wusses!  Or for people who want garments that actually fit...

 

The yarn

South West Trading Company TOFUtsies.  This was leftover from another project.  I had to order a batch of at least 5 skeins to get the colorway I wanted, and this was one of the leftover skeins. 

TOFUtsies can be a little splitty to work with.  Well, it can be REALLY splitty if you're not being careful.  But, I've definitely worked with more frustrating yarns (for example, using sugar yarn, as soft as it is, is like working with embroidery floss).  And TOFUtsies's on the lighter end of fingering, so if you're looking for a fast knitting yarn, this probably isn't it.  Still, it comes in tons of great colorways, I personally love working with the stuff, and it's great in hot climates like what I've been living in the last few years.  So many sock yarns are warm yarns - wool, wool blends, alpaca, etc.  With TOFUtsies being only 50% wool, it's a much nicer yarn to work with when Texas summers pick up.

The pattern

This was a test knit for Caleta Tortuga Shawlette by Miranda Jollie.  It's available as a Ravelry download, if you're interested.

It's a relatively basic lace shawl, with the body being nice and repetitive.  Pretty good for someone still wetting their feet with lace knitting.  Good for experienced knitters too, who want something for TV knitting or for knit group (I can never take anything too complex to Knit Night - conversation is too distracting!).  Oh, and like most lace, it does need to be well blocked to open up.  It's pretty unimpressive unblocked (see above) but opens up gorgeously.

 

It's a nice pattern to adapt, if you want.  If you need something a little warmer, this works well with heavier yarns too, not just fingering.  And it's an easy enough one to make larger - add more repeats of Chart A before beginning the border.

Notes, Alternations, Etc.

No alterations, actually.  I did everything as written.  A few notes on the border, though:

• Keep close watch on your stitch count as you shift between the body and the border.  There are a lot of stitches on the needles at that point, so tinking or frogging to correct mistakes is pretty tedious.  Don't ask how many times I was off by 1 before I paid close enough attention to guarantee an accurate set-up row...
• Pay plenty of attention on the final row, too.  There are tons of stitches on the needles at this point, with all those YOs.  And the CCDs go across a pattern repeat (i.e., you’ll have to remove your stitch marker to make the decrease).  So pay attention to your decreases and try not to let any stitches fall off or get twisted, and you'll be fine.