Allison's Silky Chevrons

Working at Fancy Tiger, I get the first peek at all the amazing new materials that we get in every day. I always love to see the new yarns and fabrics come in and when OUR arrived it was love at first sight. I happened to be wearing an outfit that matched its muted cream, flesh toned pinks, and browns, and I couldn't put the yarn on the shelf until I knew some was also coming home with me.

Pattern: Holey Chevrons shawl by Stephen West
Yarn: Over, Under, Repeat by Shutters and Shuttles, one skein of Ash, Copper, Natural, and Toffee each
Size Made: Large

When deciding on a pattern I was looking for something that would showcase the subtle gradient of the OUR yarn. I turned to the fun and fabulous patterns of Stephen West because he is a color wizard and I knew he would have the perfect pattern for this beautiful and unique yarn. The Holey Chevrons shawl fit the bill! It has garter stripes that show off the colors I adore, lace details to flaunt the lovely nubby texture, and a chevron border to keep me interested throughout long final rows of this large winged shawl.

Silk is one of my favorite fibers because of the richness and depth of the dyed yarn. You can see so much subtle variation in both the texture and the color of the yarn making it especially dreamy to knit with. This is most evident in colorway Ash. At first glance, it is a simple beige, but upon closer inspection, you can see an almost iridescent purple sheen to the yarn.

Silk fibers are very tiny so they want to cling to everything! If your hands are the slightest bit dry, you'll want to put on lotion before knitting. Also, I would strongly recommend knitting this yarn on metal needles. I started on a pair of bamboo needles and ended up switching to metal needles halfway through. The difference was very noticeable! The yarn easily glides off metal needles while it tends to stick to the bamboo needles.

My Holey Chevrons shawl will be a fantastic piece to layer with this spring. I love the way the ends curl up into seashell like shapes. The colors fit perfectly into my wardrobe so I'll have lots of opportunities to flaunt my new shawl under light jackets or alone once it's warm enough.