Ka-Boom!

Introducing my latest pattern release; Ka-Boom! This is a variation on the simple boomerang-shaped shawl. It is worked back & forth in garter stitch, with simple mesh lace short-row sections worked in complementary contrast colours.

The pattern was inspired by this wonderful hand-dyed Merino fibre from Hedgehog Fibres, which I spun during this year's Tour De Fleece spin-along. The fibre is wonderfully soft, in a wonderful subtle grey shade with little splashes of bright & bold colour highlights. I wanted to knit something super simple, to allow the colours really pop. 

I chose three shades of fibre from my stash to complement the little splashes of colour in the Hedgehog Fibres Merino. L-R cashmere/merino blend dyed by me; green-yellow hand-dyed by Hedgehog Fibres (from an Itsy Bitsy Fibre bag); two shades of blue Merino from Oliver Twist. These contrasting colours are used throughout the finished shawl in short row wedges in a super-simple mesh stitch pattern. 

While I used handspun yarn, the shawl could of course be knit in any combination of commercial, hand dyed or hand-spun yarns. The finished shawl measures 188 x 30 cm / 74 x 12” at widest points, and used approximately DK weight yarn in the following quantities: 

MC: 300 m / 330 yards DK weight yarn

CC 1 - 70m / 77 yards (deep pink)

CC 2 - 25 m / 27 yards (blue)

CC 3 - 30 m / 33 yards (green-yellow)

I used 5mm needles to knit this shawl, but found that the finished garter stitch object stretches quite a lot under its own weight. My original swatch was closer to 18 st per 10 cm/ 4”, but the finished shawl gauge was 14 st & 34 rows over 10cm /4” in garter stitch after gentle blocking. 

Gauge is not critical for fit, but changes in gauge will affect the size of the finished shawl and the quantity of yarn used

This shawl has been keeping me cosy on the morning walk to play school. I'm a little surprised at myself, someone who usually dresses in mostly-black, taking such pleasure in little pops of bright colour. The pattern is available to buy now on Ravelry (see link in Profile)