Allow me introduce you to two sisters: Shoals & Shore. They’re crescent-shaped shawls worked from the bottom up; Shoals (as her name implies) is shallow, while Shore is deeper and rounder like a sandy beach. They both begin with a lace border, but Shoals‘ body is smooth stockinette, whereas Shore’s is an undulating garter stitch.
Shoals + Shore
PDF Patterns + Worksheet
£8.00
Shoals‘ lace looks like waves, and swaying seaweed, and seashells all at once. She’s a dainty little creature who will keep the sun off your shoulders while you relax on the beach with a book. Knit in a vibrant colour like turquoise, she’ll add a flourish to a plain outfit, especially useful if you’re travelling with a limited wardrobe. She could totally pull off white too, though.
Shore is sand lilies, mermaid’s purses, fishtails, and fins. Being a bit larger, she makes a good cover-up for the beach, tied nonchalantly around your hips or jauntily at your shoulder. She’ll also keep the chill off after your swim.
BONUS!
But I haven’t even told you the best part yet! The sisters bring with them a CRESCENT SHAWL SHAPING WORKSHEET which shows you the exact formula I used to design them in the first place. All you have to do is decide how rounded you want your shawl to be, fill in the blanks, and follow the pattern.
What does this mean to you?
1. It means that you can design your own crescent-shaped shawls using any stitch pattern you like for the border.
2. It means that you can modify patterns you already own to be shallower or deeper or A DIFFERENT SIZE!
3. It means that you can expand your knitting repertoire to include this intriguing knitting technique.
The worksheet elucidates the technique used in the beautiful Annis Shawl, designed by Susanna IC. I love this technique so much; it’s quite brilliant! If you haven’t tried it before, it works by decreasing at the end of each short row, so essentially the shawl is shaped in two ways. I think this worksheet will be of great value to you, because figuring out how these shawls work is by no means intuitive.
Don’t worry if you’re not good with maths, either. I’ve laid out the worksheet (which is 1 page, with an additional explanatory page) clearly and simply, so all you have to do is fill in the blanks, and perform some basic division. Perhaps you could use an abacus. :)
See? Life’s a breeze when you have the formula; now I have all this spare time to relax on the beach. :)
many moons
If you’re as fond of visual puns as I am, then you will appreciate how many themes are ripe for a crescent shawl…
How about…
a crescent-shaped shawl for a honeymoon, whether it’s your own, or a friend’s?
a Luna Lovegood shawl to celebrate the final Harry Potter film?
a “cheer up” shawl for a loved one who’s been mooning about?
a shawl inspired by the croissant, for elegant brunches at a café?
Details
Shoals & Shore each have 4 sizes, and both written & charted instructions.
Shoals
Circumference: 140 [168, 196, 252]cm / 55 [66, 77, 99]in
Width at widest point: 21 [23, 25, 29]cm / 8 [9, 10, 11.5]in
Yarn: Sport-weight cotton or cotton blend, approx. 200 [235, 260, 290]m / 220 [260, 285, 320]yds.
Needles: 5mm.
Gauge: 14sts / 22 rows over 10cm / 4in in stocking stitch.
Shore
Circumference: 140 [196, 252, 308]cm / 55 [77, 99, 121] in
Width at widest point: 28 [35, 42, 49]cm / 11 [14, 16.5, 19]in
Yarn: Sport-weight cotton or cotton blend, approx. 240 [310, 350, 370]m / 260 [340, 385, 405]yds.
Needles: 5mm.
Gauge: 14sts / 26 rows over 10cm / 4in in garter stitch.
The sisters are only available as a pair, as they complement each other so well. The best part is that if you don’t like my sizes you can use the worksheet to create your own, so altering any of the shawls to work with other yarn weights and gauges is easy. You can also effortlessly configure Shoals to be more curved, and Shore to be shallower. The possibilities are endless! One thing’s for sure, you’ll be blocking your own shawls in no time…
There’s been a profusion of butterflies here over the last few days, all fluttering madly and hardly ever landing during their fleeting lives. This little chap stopped for a drink just long enough that I could snap a few photos. Doesn’t he look like he flew a bit too close to a pot of blue pigment?
I love being by the Aegean. I love the landscape & the colours & the myths. I like to imagine the coastline without any of the buildings that now clutter it; it must have been even more achingly beautiful back then.
Some things never change though… I bought these skeins of lace-weight cotton at the market for 1.50TL (about 60p or 90¢) each. So cheap! But hand-winding lace-weight is disheartening work; the ball doesn’t get bigger and the skein doesn’t get smaller. The Turkish word for a skein is “çile”, which also means “suffering”. Coincidence? I only wish I looked half as cool and serene as the girls in this painting by Lord Leighton.
The cotton is for a pair of shawls I’ve been working on, inspired by summer & classical literature. I’d say more, but perhaps they should remain a MYSTERY? ;)
Here’s another essential download for your Summer Knitting Survival Kit! Pop these in your Abacus Pouch along with your Shawl Shaping Cheat Sheet & you’ll be ready for any holiday emergency.
I’ve been considering turning my Twitter knitting patterns into a more useful format for a while now. My Moo minicards were my main inspiration, because they’re a good size to keep in a wallet/purse. But then I had an epiphany: how about making them into stitch markers so that they’re even more useful? If you’ve learnt anything about my style from this blog, surely it’s that I ♥ multi-functional designs. :)
The stitch marker is particularly handy for the shawl pattern which requires 1 stitch marker. It’s actually the same construction as the triangular shawl in the cheat sheet.
- I considered different shapes such as circles or teardrops; I thought they might get in the way less when knitting, but then if you wanted to keep them in your wallet, with other business cards, say, I think weird shapes would be a hassle. However, thanks to feedback from lovely Ravellers, the PDF now includes a version with rounded corners, which will hopefully stop any snags.
- I experimented with orientation a little. I think I’m pretty much decided that this vertical format is best, even though it does break up the pattern quite a bit.
- I tried incorporating the “tie” into the design, but I couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t disrupt the knitting. The version above might be OK when used at the end of a row, but not as a stitch marker, I fear. Also, it had to be reinforced with plastic. In the end, I think a bit of scrap yarn works best.
- I thought about a little decoration, but couldn’t decide what, exactly. I think perhaps it’s in keeping with the sparseness of the format that it doesn’t have any extra flourishes.
- I also dismissed the idea of a schematic / basic drawing of the FO, because part of the fun of the format is the mystery.
- Similar to my knitting gift tags, these are thick enough when folded in half & stuck down. To make them more durable, you can also laminate them, or cover them in sticky plastic (the stuff you use to cover books).
DOWNLOAD NOW
If you don’t mind spoiling the surprise, here are some great knitwit projects:
BIRTHDAY SALE!
I hope you’ve been enjoying the free patterns I’ve been posting lately. I’ve really been enjoying these simple summer projects. If you fancy something from my Ravelry Store though, today’s the day to get it’s my birthday & to celebrate, all Laylock patterns are 25% off, just for today! No code necessary, the discount will be added to your cart automatically.
BOW POUCH – FREE PDF PATTERN
Download on Ravelry
A dainty little pattern for your leftovers. Making this is so quick and simple, that I don’t think even a beginner knitter could go wrong. I’ve included life-size schematics, so you can get away with only printing the second page. Then grab your yarn & needles & a tapestry needle and head to the park. Though these photos are rather autumnal, this is actually the first pattern for my summer collection. More on that later!
As I mentioned before, there are 3 different closures you can choose from: A fold-over & sew closure, a button flap closure, and a loop closure. The fold-over closure is the easiest, and doesn’t even require a button. The loop closure is also very simple, and I’ve included a tutorial on how to crochet the loop, so don’t fear the hook! :)
The pattern already has lots of Ravelry 
, and has been downloaded over 100 times. One knitter has even finished hers, out of Handmaiden sock yarn no less. See, it’s so pretty!
Here’s what I might put in mine:
- Bobby pins
- Keys
- Stitch markers
- iPod
- Eraser & pencil lead
- Tissue
- A skipping stone
- Almonds
- A lump of sugar, in case I meet a horse
- A piece of chalk for spontaneous graffitti
- Plectra
- IChing coins
- Marbles
- & all manner of other small thinglings that are always getting lost.
What will you keep in yours? Comment ‘cos I’m curious. :)
If you don’t fancy wearing it on your wrist, you can make one just to keep in your handbag / backpack / knitting bag, or even cooler, if your bag has a detachable strap, you can slide your pouch onto it!
Also, this is my favourite dress. I can’t tell you how delighted I was when I got it home & found out that it had POCKETS!
Hellooo wonky garter stitch!
I can’t wait to see everyone’s lovely sock yarn creations. Hope you enjoy! :)
It is still summer, isn’t it? So says the cover of my latest issue of Slightly Foxed, with which I’m finally united now that I’ve returned to a country where there is no vestige of summer. From the Aegean, where clouds were a great rarity, to England, where they are so thick you want to scrape them off the sky. But anyway, I love Slightly Foxed! It is one of the most delightful things that can fall through your letterbox (Graze boxes are high up on the list too). The cover of the Summer edition takes me back to the Turkish island of Cunda, where I took this photo of a boat called ‘Yasemin’ (which also happens to be my middle name). SF is always beautifully laid out on cream paper and boasts the sweetest illustrations; really it’s enough to bring out the bibliophile in any text-lover. It prints unpretentious reviews of forgotten or out-of-print books, and has been accused of harbouring nostalgia for early lit crit, and of being altogether unscholarly. Perhaps the best compliments I can imagine. If newspaper literary supplement reviews make you cringe and swear off reading comtemporary literature, this will be just your cup of tea (you can subscribe here if you like)! Nothing sends me searching on Abebooks quicker…
The first article in this issue is about Graeme Greene’s Stamboul Train which is now on my reading list, even though I spent 40 miserable minutes in Istanbul Atatürk Airport waiting in the customs & x-ray queues, hoping our next plane was delayed. It was. Then I spent nearly 4 hours thinking how I would rather have spent a week travelling by train than having to sit for even 5 minutes with a hideous aqua seat cover about 4 inches from my face. Honestly, I can see why some might prefer to stay at home reading their lovely Quarterlies instead.
Another Aegean blue addition to my possessions now that I’m back in blighty is my new (old) iPod shuffle. The engraving is half a quote by Aristotle (it continues: “Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit”), and is there to remind me that unless I blog more often I cannot be a blogger. Like paint chips, the shuffle makes a great bookmark (I don’t know why Apple don’t mention this on their website), and the combination of Foxed & shuffle (with a bit of knitting thrown in) is even more enjoyable when employed on my favourite train route – between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth.
And despite the wise admonition of the most excellent Woolly Wormhead, I just couldn’t resist the urge to match (both my iPod & my Strat). The colour is Collection 2000’s ‘Show off’, in case you want to, you know, show off.
It’s sweltering on the Aegean today! If you’re travelling to the sun this summer (perhaps escaping the gloomy torrents of British rain?), you’ll want to do a little thinking and preparation before you get there, to ensure you get the most out of your knitting time. Even if you live somewhere where it regularly gets hot in summer, you might find some of these tips helpful in keeping you cool and keeping you knitting.
What to Knit
- Naturally, something light and lacy is better than a big, thick piece of knitting.
- Loosen up. Thin yarn with large needles is perfect. Knitting too tightly can be hard work at the best of times, let alone when it’s too hot to move.
- Knit something circular, so you don’t have to keep turning rows. Basic socks, hats, and other accessories are just the thing.
- Knit something that you can wear even in the heat. Summer hats, sleeveless tops, and lacy beach wraps are about all you’ll want to wear if it’s really hot.
- Avoid knitting anything complicated. I know we all get tricked into thinking that the summer holidays are the perfect time to catch up on knitting, but if the weather’s hot, chances are you won’t feel like working on much at all. There are several reasons for this:
- The heat can add to your frustration if you’re knitting something too fiddly, especially if you make a mistake! Even if you’re not a tight knitter, 20 K3togs in a row are enough to make anyone’s brain boil.
- If you’re knitting outside, in bright sunlight, it will be very tiring for your eyes to be scrutinising your knitting & the pattern all the time.
- You’re meant to be relaxing!
- It’s more fun if you don’t have to keep referring to instructions, and you don’t have to carry them around and make sure they don’t blow away.
- If it’s hot, it’s too hot to think. Take it easy.
Read on for more summer knitting advice
27 July, 2011 | 
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