Celtic Myths by Asita Krebs
My Ravelry Project Page

We just celebrated my daughter’s St. Patrick’s Day wedding!  It was lovely in so many ways and we are just starting to come down from the excitement. I will be sharing some wedding photos on a later post, but wanted to share the Celtic Myths shawl project first.

As I pondered the March wedding, I thought that the Cleveland weather can either be warm or snowing.  I decided that I wanted to make my daughter a shawl to wear on the wedding day and to have as a keepsake. I scoured wedding shawl patterns on Ravelry and stumbled upon this lovely shawl. I figured that the stockinette part could be knit fairly quickly. I found a beautiful silk/wool yarn at River Colors Studio, an amazing knit shop! I purchased all six skeins and hoped that it would match. I cast on a week before Christmas. It was a simple pattern once I got started and I completed that portion in January. I read some of the changes people made  with the pattern to eliminate the bump at the top, but I didn’t want to take the time to make modifications. So I dove in!

It took me a few times to get the cable portion started.  But once I got going, it took me about an hour to complete one 16-row cable section. I had knit my shawl a little bigger, to 245 stitches, so I needed to make 30 repeats. I planned to knit one per day so that I would complete the shawl in February.

I took it in the car a number of times and on a ski trip, but mostly knit it on the couch with the pattern beside me. It felt good to make progress, but project monogamy was tough.  (I probably have 6 or 7 projects on needles right now.)  By about the midway point, I was bored.  I took a break for a day or two and then resumed. When I got within two repeats of the end, I weighed my yarn and realized I would not have enough. I then began a scramble to find one. A few Ravelry members had some, but I didn’t connect with them in time and finally found a shop in Connecticut that shipped me one out.

The cable cast on was a little wonky, so I tried to straighten it out with blocking as best as possible and I kept it in line with the top of the shawl.

The bind off edge was a little less wonky.

I soaked and blocked the shawl as straight as possible across the top. I probably could have made it a bit straighter, but it blocked beautifully.

I did one thing that I would not do in the future which was to end a row right, smack dab in the middle of the shawl. So the woven ends show up when you hold it up to the light.  I could have at least buried those at the lower edge. But I learned something!

Here it is with the bridesmaid’s dress.

We brought the yarn to the second fitting and I felt the color was a good match. Here we are at the third and final fitting (but before her dress was pressed.)

A little dab will do you. Note – this was trial makeup and hair day and the hair was already coming out.  (Maiden Jane’s pet peeve – I remember many proms where my girls chose to pay for up-dos that I had to fix when they got home! It was no exception on the wedding day!)

I love everything about this shawl and would love one for myself some day!  We have a few professional shots with it that I will add when I receive. But mostly it is a keepsake for her for this amazing wedding day! And apropos, too, as the homily was around the themes of “knots.”

And here she is on a mini honeymoon wearing her keepsake!

I will update this post when I get the few professional shots.