Three Shawls, Two Pins

Well, Christmas is approaching faster than I wish it would but then I'm not the world's leading Christmas celebrant anyway. I love the events, gatherings, concerts, and plays but I'm not real crazy about the whole shopping thing. Consequently I often make a lot of gifts. I've been considerably cheerier since the advent of the internet and the invention of cyber-shopping.


But three special people in my life will be receiving handmade shawls this Christmas and I wanted to post pictures before they go off to their new owners. The one at right is going to Erie, Pennsylvania to my dear godmother. Her name is Rosie and this yarn matches her name beautifully. It is a very soft blend of mohair, wool and sparkly metallics and rayon that I bought from an eBay vendor in Hawaii. It is a simple rectangle -- the center knit in garter stitch on the bias for super, snuggly drape. The border is Old Shale, the most adaptable of all stitches.

In the photo above is the shawl pin that will be going with it! This pin and the one on the shawl below were handmade by my lovely friend Leslie Wind. Leslie is a metalsmith par excellence who hand makes each of the pins and sells them in her shop in Folly Cove or through her web site www.LeslieWind.com. She has six styles available in bronze and silver. Each can be engraved and they start at $25. All you have to do is call her at 978-546-6539 and she'll send them to you!
The shawl above right and left is going to Crested Butte, Colorado to live with my friend Trudi. Trudi and I met when we both lived in Marblehead close to twenty years ago and have been friends ever since. Even though she now lives in Colorado we still talk several times a week. The shawl is another rectangle made of wool, mohair, alpaca, and silk yarns carried together. It is a simple Old Shale with a Seed stitch border. Trudi often calls me to tell me that it is 20 degrees below zero and the coyotes are freezing to the driveway. I figure a warm shawl is a good thing to have in such a place.

The shawl at left is going to Pittsburgh, PA to my darling niece Emily. Emily, her husband Joe, and two little ones, Drew and Claire, live there. Joe is a professional baseball player who pitched for the Pirates for a couple years. It's a busy life for a young family as Joe is with different teams all the time but they are based in Pittsburgh and this shawl just looked like Emily when I finally finished it.

At right you can see the shawl with another of Leslie's beautiful pins on it. The fiber the shawl is made from is a blend of wool and angora, is unbelievably soft, and a lovely, delicate natural shade.

Below is the shawl spread out. I used the instructions in Meg Swansen's Snowdrops and Snowflakes but instead of the snowflakes pattern in the center I used Ostrich Plume. The photo below gives a pretty good idea of the stitch definition.

And again I want to say how beautifully Leslie's Shawl Pins compliment the fibers. She made one for me and I wore it with my Mermaid Shawl to a dinner last night. Not only did it look great and afford me many compliments but it held my shawl in place on a very chilly evening. Ever since I became a convert to shawl-wearing I've used an old moonstone and garnet hair clasp as a shawl pin (above, left). It's a beautiful piece that I received from an old boyfriend many years ago when I had very long hair. It makes a good shawl pin but it is a little heavier than a good shawl pin should be. If you are giving shawls and scarves, or if you just love wearing them, a Leslie Wind pin is certainly an elegant accent.

Thanks for reading.