I couldn’t wait to cast this one on…the yarn arrived yesterday, so last night’s knitting was all about Mutsch.

I’ve never used unspun before, and it’s a totally different knitting experience. You need to be gentle so that it doesn’t break, but it’s actually stronger than I thought it might be.

Some people have found the easiest way to keep the yarn ‘flowing’ without breaks is to wind into a ball, and use it from a bowl, but I decided to try just putting it on the floor, so that it comes off like knitting with a cone, without any strain, or turning it round.
Works like a charm, so far! No breaks yet…
I actually only had 3 or 4 breaks throughout the entire knitting, the first 2 were at the very end of the first plate, and another one happened when I accidentally put my foot on the yarn.
I found the Manchelopis much easier to knit with than expected, and remarkably strong once on the needles. Any time I needed to unpick a few stitches, I made sure to hold the yarn close to the stitch before pulling it, and released the yarn from the stitches one at a time.

I started with an 80cm needle, then changed to 100cm as the shawl outgrew it, then added the smallest cable from my KnitPro set, using the connector, which gave me a total needle length of 140cm, tip to tip.
That was the best compromise so that I could stretch out the work to look at it for spotting any mistakes (or just to admire it!), but without too much extra cable. I probably could’ve finished the knitting on 100cm, but the sts were quite squashed.

I’m really loving the knitting experience, and the feel. It’s unbelievably cuddly.

1st plate = 110g
2nd plate = 112g
3rd plate 112g
Starting total = 334g

Finished weight = 326g
8g left.

2nd plate started on lace pattern 2, row 18.
3rd plate started near the beginning of lace pattern 5, row 1.

I just have the bind off to do, and have 12g of yarn left from plate 3.
The bind off took 4g.
I used the Icelandic bind off, as it matches garter stitch really well, and is also nice and stretchy. https://verypink.com/2013/09/18/icelandic-bind-off/

Straight off the needles, it measures 85” wingspan, and 39” down the centre spine. It’s HUGE, and I love it already…
after blocking, it measure 91” wingspan, and 41” down the spine.

This shawl is the biggest, cosiest, and cuddliest that I own, and it’s so light!
It makes a perfect alternative to a coat, or just for cwtching on the sofa…
It’s definitely not going to end up in a cupboard, no, not this one!

We went out to our local Garden Centre, and after shopping for plants walked through their two quite magical gardens, and even found a Hobbit House in the process of being built.
Such a lovely day out!