Just before the vacations, in December, I really wanted to put a new project on my needles. A simple, no-brainer knit from a single skein. And for once, not a sock. While browsing Ravelry, I found the pattern for Heidi Alander’s Eyeblink shawl. Lots of stockinette, an easy-to-follow rhythm of increases that form a pretty crescent shape, and a lace repeat that’s ultra-simple yet still interesting to knit. Charming prospect, isn’t it?

Wool

And also perfect for my skein of Delicate Silk by Walk Collection. I’d had this wool in my stash for ages (=February 2015). When I bought it, it was part of a kit for Veera Välimäki’s In a Word shawl. The bath of the second skein was darker than that of Veera’s version and I felt that it didn’t do justice to either the beautiful pattern or the lovely wool. This made the whole shawl a little “dirty” and, above all, a little sad. So I put it back in a skein and forgot about it at the bottom of my stash.

Until I found the pattern that would do it justice and decided to knit it!

My modifications

Although I really like the lace/jersey ratio of the designer’s prototype, I didn’t feel like knitting that much lace. I practically knitted the whole thing over the vacations when we were staying with family, and I really needed something simple. Luckily for me, the pattern for this shawl is really easy to modify, both in terms of size and jersey/lace ratio. I replaced the equivalent of one lace repeat in stockinette (making 12 rows) and knitted only two lace repeats (instead of 3) before starting the last diagram.

In the end, it’s bigger than I thought (so much the better, I love big shawls!) and very airy and delicate. It will be ideal as a little shawl for this spring. Now I can’t wait for the days to warm up a little so I can wear it outside and not just in the house anymore! 🌱

Useful links

• Eyeblink by Heidi Alander, free pattern available on Ravelry.
• Walk Collection e-shop, Delicate Silk is available in the “Heay Lace” category.
• My project page on Ravely.