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FO Friday: Spindleberry Shawl

It's the first FO Friday of May, and I'm pretty excited to share my latest FO: the Spindleberry Shawl by Joanna Johnson! I snagged this pattern for free when it was first released (it is now available for purchase for the low price of just $4) thanks to my handy Ravulous hot right now app, and it turned out to be the perfect one-skein project for a lovely hank of Skein Merino Cashmere Fingering that has been bouncing around my stash.

I really enjoyed knitting this pattern, and I found it to be the perfect mix of mindful/mindless knitting. Making the fringe as I knit wasn't nearly as fussy as I thought it would be, and the mesh design was fairly easy to memorize. I do wish there had been a chart in addition to the written instructions, but I also feel that beggars can't be choosers when it comes to a free pattern.

I do wish I had added a garter stitch border opposite the mesh, as the fabric curls quite a bit, even after a good blocking. That's mostly on me, since I knew the second I read the pattern that curling would be an issue, yet I chose to proceed as written! 
That said, the curling doesn't really affect the scarf when I'm wearing it, as I like to wrap it around a bunch and then use the button to secure it in place. I was pretty excited to find the perfect vintage button in my stash, too - it's perfect for the colorway! 
The yarn is incredibly soft and silky, a real delight to wear close to the skin. If you ever have a chance to grab yourself a skein of Skein, this particular base is worth a try. It can be a little tough to track down stateside; I was fortunate to snap up a few skeins from Doodlebug Yarn before they closed. 

In other news, I had a really cute visitor on my back porch the other day - this little baby squirrel was making quite a racket trying to get someone's attention! He seemed a bit dazed after falling from a satellite dish that was on the second story of my house, so I kept a close eye on him until he snapped out of it and wandered back to his momma (at least, I hope that's what happened!). Apparently squirrels are quite durable critters! 

Thanks for stopping by this week - for FO Friday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis blog.


Have a crafty weekend! 

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  1. UnknownMay 9, 2014 at 9:21 AM

    Great shawl! I like the fringe. I hate when fabric curls, though, too. Even if it isn't visible it bugs me.

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    Replies
    1. Handmade by StefanieMay 9, 2014 at 12:49 PM

      Thanks! I have never made myself anything with fringe before, but I really like it! Could do without the curly edge issue, but hopefully I'll learn my lesson in the future!

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