My Holden Shawlette and other things

The Holden Shawlette 

After searching high and low on the internet for a free pattern that I could use with this Sea Anemone yarn, I found the delightful Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes on Ravelry (you will need to create an account to view this site, but don't worry - it's very user friendly and doesn't send you spam). I was not alone; over 2,400 other people have used this pattern! The pattern knitted up quickly to begin with as it is knitted from the top down, starting with only four stitches with increases at the middle and edges .

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Saturday Morning at Nina Hut!

Here are some notes from my Ravelry project page:I’ve slightly adapted the pattern by making it larger (added on an extra repeat of the pattern making it longer/wider) and adding beads into the lace area. The tricky part about adding beads was knowing where they’ll look good before I'd tried out the pattern. That and putting all my beads on the yarn at the beginning of the ball and then having to move them all the time. That was a pain,   but also a learning experience.

Some of this project was knitted at the Nina Hut near Lewis Pass. It even survived my falling right into a bog and getting me and my pack covered in mud on the walk in. Other trampers who arrived at the hut were surprised to see me knitting in the wilderness! We had three days there; it snowed a lot and I was glad I had brought something to do.

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Finished and blocked.

For once I blocked a project properly, using large rustproof display pins (like normal pins only about 5x as big) and a sheet of 5cm thick polystyrene insulation. Lucky to have that lying around the house! The bonus of the polystyrene was that the knitting clung to it slightly, making it really easy to position. The shawlette went from being a wrinkled sea creature to an elegant lace accessory in a few short hours.

My yarn was quite lightweight, so the finished shawlette only weighs 120g (about 4oz) and feels really comfy to wear. It has a lovely drape and is cozy to wear without being heavy. It makes a nice large scarf and can be draped and tied around my head as well.

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Other things...

You may be wondering what happened to the Spring Challenge. Unfortunately there were not enough entries for it to go ahead. 
But, on the bright side, I have finished my own craft-along 'Renewal' project and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The only snagis I haven't decided what to do with the buttons. So the finished items are sitting in my living room waiting for that final touch. As soon as that happens, I'll take some photos and post the final images.

Newsletter!
Yes, with the end of Spring fast approaching it will be time for another newsletter. I have some exciting stuff happening at HW right now, so  I'll be telling you all about that then - and there will be at least one Christmas surprise.