Crochet
The Majura shawl tadah moment!
One of the WIPS that I sneakily started during my recent finishalong was the Majura shawl by Deanne of Addydae Designs. I’ve loved this shawl ever since I featured it on a podcast late last year – if you want to go back and see its the Shawltacular episode. The finishalong was going well and I’d completed a few long-standing projects, so I decided to treat myself and start something new.
My other thought about this shawl was to demonstrate that you can use hand dyed rare breed British wool in a shawl to good effect, even though it is not soft enough to wear next to your skin. The Majura shawl uses two skeins of yarn, one for the main body of the shawl, which is worked first from one side to the other, then a second skein for a lovely deep, lacy border.
So, for my main skein I chose one of the Quiet Voice 100% British Falkland merino skeins that I dyed a few weeks ago for the winner of the Knit-along hosted by Joanne of the Stitching the High Notes podcast. I dyed the same colourway on several bases and let the winner choose which one she preferred. Theresa, whose inspiration was an atmospheric painting of tulips against a dark background, chose my lambswool/alpaca/BLF blend so I popped the Falkland merino version into my Etsy shop and kept a sneaky skein just for me. I was really keen to see how it worked up.
The lace border of the Majura shawl runs along the bottom edge and I thought that one of my rare breed tonal Teeswater lambswool skeins in the Mulberry colourway would go really well with the Quiet voice… This is not the softest yarn but it has a wonderful shine and lustre that gleams when light falls onto it.
I got started on a weekend when my daughter was home and we were having a bit of a Netflix/NowTV binge and catching up on all the series that she tells me about and then I forget to watch when she isn’t here. I get told off for crocheting and not concentrating but I do get a lot more hooky time than usual.
The pattern is really well written and I printed out a copy and got everything ready to store in my lovely back from Sheila, who is ThankGodforBags on Etsy. She sent me the Teabag bag as part of a swap that we did last month.
Winding a skein into a cake is always an exciting part of a new project as you get the first glimpse of how the colours are going to meld together…
I was soon off and running and the main body of the shawl is easy and relaxing and I loved seeing how Quiet voice started to work up.
I even chose the progress keeper/stitch marker to match. Its one of the I love summer stitch markers with their gold tone enamelled charms and the dragonfly is my favourite.
Progress on the main part of the shawl was fast – but when I reached the middle I decided to add a little individual variation and put in a couple of bands of the Mulberry teeswater. When I wear the shawl as I prefer to, this is at the front so again, nowhere near my skin.
When the main part was complete, it was time for the border. This was surprisingly easy to; it looks a lot more complicated than it actually is and this shawl could easily be attempted by a beginner who has made a few things and wants a minor challenge.
The very edge of the border has a bit of excitement going on… its optional but the pattern shows you how to add beads! I’ve never added beads to a crochet project before but now I realise how easy it is…
And finally…
The Majura shawl tadah!
I have worn the new shawl for a little bit but its really too warm in July. This will really come into its own in the early autumn when I really look forward to snuggling up in it.
xxx Kathryn
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Lovely shawl!
Your Majura shawl looks fabulous and the colours work really well. Beautiful yarns too.