Pattern Selection:
This project was a sample knit for a KAL. Accordingly, I have included some tips below which may be helpful to other knitters.

Project Planning:

Yarn composition:
This project has a bit of natural curl to it. The edge section helps smooth that out but for the least curl visible in your FO, choose a fiber that has a lot of memory, like wool. When you block your FO, best results will be achieved if you pin it out using blocking wires and allow it to dry completely before unpinning and handling it.

Yarn I used:
Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the following colorways:

• Color 1 - Lost in Trees (Solid) (“solid” is exactly what it said on the label but the colorway worked up as a low-contrast variegated yarn)
• Color 2 - Newshire
• Color 3 - Librarian’s Dream
• Color 4 - Misfortune
• Color 5 - a OOAK medium blue-grey

Colorway selection:
My recommendation would be to avoid anything too highly variegated or you’ll lose the visual effect of the alternating colors which the pattern has you work hard to produce. Pick solids, semi solids, or gently variegated yarns that appear semi-solid when worked up and viewed at a distance.

Color placement:
To have the most definition between color segments, place colors side by side which are high contrast from each other.

Hook Selection:
I tend to crochet tightly compared to others and typically have to go up a size or two to meet gauge. This project was no exception; I used a larger hook size than called for (and met gauge with it). More remarks about gauge are included towards the end of these notes.

Tips for working this pattern:

Stitch Marker Usage:
Do not overlook the stitch marker recommendation in the pattern. Using it as called for makes things easier especially in the beginning rows.

You may also wish to place a stitch marker in the top of your turning chain at the start of each row, so as to make it easier to place stitches later (the post stitches you’ll work pull on the chain funny and it’s difficult to work into the chain later).

Part 1:

Stitch counts for some of the rows in Part 1:
To help out (since there are almost no stitch counts published in this pattern):

• Row 6: 13 post stitches on each half, and 37 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 10: 25 post stitches on each half, and 61 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 14: 37 post stitches on each half, and 85 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 18: 49 post stitches on each half, and 109 stitches of any kind total for the whole row

Once you have the first part of the pattern done, you’ll have a better idea of how it’s supposed to look and can identify mistakes easier without necessarily having to count every row. This project is much easier once you’re six or ten inches into it and understand how the pattern is constructed.

What will you overlook inadvertently?
I found I occasionally missed the DC stitches that weren’t post stitches. If you have the wrong number of post stitches on a row, it probably means you forgot one of the regular DC’s somewhere on the previous row.

Also, I occasionally accidentally grabbed a post two rows down and worked a stitch - if you turn your work over and see your nice pretty line of V’s interrupted somewhere not near a color change, that’s likely what happened there and you can rip back to that point and redo it.

Part 2:

If you are someone who feels like you need to read the instructions through and understand it all before you begin, this section may feel a little confusing to you. Trust the process, take it one step at a time. You’ll see how it is supposed to work as you do it, and it’ll make sense.

As the pattern advises, when working from the wrong side of the project, it is helpful to lean the project, top towards you, so you’re looking down at the top front of the project and can identify the post below, around which you’ll work your next stitch. Alternately, you can look “through” the back of the pattern, using your fingers to open up the posts a bit to better see where to work your stitches.

Some Part 2 stitch counts:

• Row 5: 127 stitches total
• Row 9: 139 stitches total
• Row 15: 157 stitches total
• Row 18: 169 stitches total

What will you inadvertently overlook?
Don’t forget the ch1’s!

The Rest of the Pattern:

• Row 24: 97 post stitches on each half, and 205 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 27: 217 stitches total
• Row 33: 112 post stitches on each half, and 235 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 41: 283 stitches total
• Row 45: 142 post stitches on each half, and 295 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Row 56: 175 post stitches on each half, and 361 stitches of any kind total for the whole row
• Edge Row 12: 433 stitches total

My Finished Shawl:
I ran out of my final color of yarn about 2/3 of the way through the very last row. Therefore, my FO only has 11 rows in the edge section, not 12. I doubt anyone would ever notice, and it’s plenty large enough as is!

Blocking and Gauge:
I measured and met the pattern gauge as called for after Row 6. The pattern suggests measuring the WIP at that point (presumably unwashed and unblocked). Although this method called for is a convenient way to approximate gauge, it isn’t very accurate, and not surprisingly, my FO size did not match the pattern’s suggested FO size. Since this isn’t a garment, gauge isn’t too relevant but does make it difficult to estimate yardage requirements, which probably explains why I ran out of yarn early.

When I blocked the FO, my unstretched shawl wingspan was 61” wide and my shawl depth was way longer than the pattern indicated the FO size would be.

I knew I could obtain a more even, better looking appearance of the post stitches if I stretched the FO while blocking it.

Therefore, I blocked my shawl to a 76” wingspan and 32” depth. This is bigger than the pattern suggests it will be, but produced the best results for my particular FO.

Yarn Consumption
I was close to out of Color 4 and definitely ran out of Color 5. If you’re using 100g skeins like I did, I’d count on using nearly all of each skein for those two sections. You won’t use all of Colors 1, 2, or 3 if you are using 100g skeins of yarn.

My Opinion of the Pattern:
What a lovely shawl! It has such a nice texture and weight to it. It was enjoyable to make and was simple enough to work on while watching TV. The actual crocheting isn’t difficult, particularly once you figure out the mechanics of the row construction.

I rated this pattern as “medium” difficulty because it isn’t the most clearly written (it could benefit from some tech editing and there is one very minor translation error which didn’t affect my ability to make the project).

Do not let the presence of charts scare you away from this pattern! I found them useful in determining stitch counts, but didn’t need them for the actual crocheting.