I first pitched Christine about the Eider shawl at the end of the past winter. I don’t show you my drawing nor my explanations because you’ll think I’m totally crazy. Believe me when I tell you that she had every merit to trust me!
Published a few months ago already, I realized only recently that I’d never show you pictures here before! Luckily for me and you, it’s never too late for pretty yarn and knit pictures 😉
Eider, single colour version
When I got to choose the colour, I fall in love with this pretty and electric cobalt blue (the #337 colour) from Filcolana in their mohair and alpaca yarns.
Filcolana Indiecita et Tilia, col. 337 Cobalt
Knitting with both yarns held together, Eider is a pretty big and cozy shawl. Bonus point, it’s still a fairly quick knit thanks to the 6 mm needles you’ll use to knit it!
The shawl is worked diagonally from the cable edge and plays with different yarn weights: even if most of the shawl is work with both yarns, some rows are work only with the mohair only. The cable edge is worked at the same time as the shawl body, which means once you’re done, you’re actually done! No picking-up stitches to knit a border involves, you work everything as-you-go 😉
Eider has a build-in i-cord edge all around which give it a really neat border. Its body worked with garter stitch short rows. I often gladly give myself headaches on different subject but short rows is not one of those. I choose the easiest way to knit them: you knit as stated in the pattern until you reach the turning point, wrap the next stitch, turn your work and start to knit in the opposite direction. That’s it. On the next row, knit the stitch as usual, without picking-up the wrap. As you would for a normal stitch.
With alpaca and mohair, it is really as soft and comfy as you can imagine it would be. A true warm cocoon. I gave it to Christine at the end of the summer because she needed it for the fall and winter shows she was attending. It was pretty hard to part from it! I almost “forget” it at home but reason had me and she got it safe and sound.
Eider, two-coloured version
I knew from the start I will not be able to keep my blue sample. So, I started to knit another one, for myself this time. I don’t really like to knit the same thing several times and decided to add a little twist to it.
First, I want to say that I had all the good intentions in the world and definitively wanted to knit stash yarn (true story… XD). I dove into my stash and found a pretty MadelineTosh Merino Light waiting for me to knit it. But, one skein is not enough to knit the whole shawl if you want to knit it in a single colour. Here we go with the twist I mentioned: let’s add another colour and knit a two-coloured version of this shawl!
After many (not really pretty most of the time) tryouts, I finally faced the truth: I had nothing to pair the lovely skein in my stash. Can you believe it?
I stopped by at Lil Weasel during my trip to Paris this summer. I had in mind to buy some blue or green to knit the cable. But, obviously, when my eyes met that gorgeous Pollen yellow from Hedgehog Fibres, I knew I would purchase and knit it. It’s my perfect yellow. Perfect because I love it, perfect because it suits the MadelineTosh and perfect for this shawl. And they had in Sock and in mohair. How could I resist?
I think I’m equally in love with both versions 💛💙
KAL Eider : January 15th – March 15th
As she’ll knit one for herself, Fanny offered me to host a KAL for Eider in my Ravelry group. The more, the merrier, it’s always easier to knit something when you’re not alone. She’s in charge of the KAL but I’ll be hidden in a bush, stalking all your projects because I really LOVE to see all your colour choices and ready to jump in if you need me.
I suggest a KAL for the Eider shawl starting on January 15 and ending on March 15. That leaves you almost two weeks to buy the pattern and choose your yarn. Available in English, French and Danish (!!!), this shawl can be knitted in one or two colors for very different effects. The mohair yarn adds a cocooning effect to it. If you want to buy a kit for the one color version, go check on triscote, she has lots of colors available. Even if you want to knit the two color version, you can still buy yarns there, you will just need to choose your colors yourself. (Be careful about shipping costs, it will be sent from France.) To participate, no need to do anything, simply say so in the KAL thread. As long as the KAL is not finished, everyone is welcome. At the end of the KAL, one of the finishers will be randomly chosen and will be gifted the Tisserin Coquet’s pattern of her choice.
Fanny
In order to get ready for the cast-on party, you’ll need:
- 6 mm / US #10 circular needles 100 cm / 40* long at least (you can knit it on straight needles but it will be difficult at the end because you’ll have a lot of stitches)
- 500-550 m / 545-600 yds of fingering weight yarn and 550-600 m / 600-655 yds of mohair (or lace) yarn (all details for yardage available on the pattern page)
- Notions :
- 1 cable needle
- 1 tapestry needle
- 1 stitch marker
- 20 cm / 8 in of waste yarn
If you have a kit or the pattern and haven’t start it yet, it’s time to dive into it 😉
Useful links
