“The Winter was coming to an end; the forest floor, a springy mattress of plump, damp earth beneath her boots. She took rest at her favourite spot, gently placing her trove of nature’s treasures on the wooden table top, before retrieving her journal from her backpack. A perfect time to sit, contemplate and write”

The inspiration for making this shawl was from a skein of variegated fingering-weight yarn, in beautiful earthy tones. However, to create the natural ‘mottled moth’ appearance I held it together with another, solid-colored yarn of the same weight. This prevents any ‘color pooling’ from occurring. So this pattern is written explaining how to achieve this same look.

You can actually choose any yarn weight, simply use the hook recommended on the ball band (or adjust according to your tension). The bulkier the yarn, the larger the moths… the finer the yarn (you guessed it!), the smaller the moths! Simply stop working once you have reached the desired size (if you want to add the border, ensure to stop on the instructed row of the pattern).
Have fun with color choices; make your moths look like vibrant butterflies and opt for a bright slow-changing variegated yarn in any weight of your choosing. If delicate and pretty is your thing, try a pastel-tone yarn with some mohair within it’s fibers. The possibilities are endless!

It is a relatively simple pattern repeat that soon becomes second nature, once you have worked a repeat or two!

With love, Lorraine, x