This is my aunt Sandy. Isn't she lovely? I mean, just look at that smile. This picture was taken in the kitchen of my grandparent's house in Enterprise, WI. I started knitting this shawl for her shortly after chatting about one during this past visit at same said grandparent's house.
The yarn is Classic Elite Silky Alpaca lace hand painted. It was purchased at the absolutely perfect Churchmouse Yarns on Bainbridge Island. Always worth the trip to such a wonderful yarn shop. I chose the yarn because Aunt Sandy (like my dad and many relatives on his side of the family) is irritated by wool. I, of course, love wool and am adverse to artificial fibers. Luckily, there are many types of "wool", so there's usually something out there that will strike a balance between being a high quality natural fiber and also something that's okay for sensitive skin. This particular yarn is 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk. Alpaca is one of my favorite fibers. It's soft, warm, and durable all at the same time. Combine it with a little bit of silk and it's very pleasing indeed. It was nice to knit with and the finished product had a beautiful drape. My only complaint with this yarn is that it was far from color fast. In fact, it was so not color fast that the dye was coming off on my hands as I knit. This was easily fixed by adding a capful or so of vinegar to the pre-blocking water soak, then rinsing until the water ran clear and it no longer smelled of vinegar.
Pattern is Ishbel by Ysolda Teague. Although I've admired Ysolda since first learning of her through my friend Rachel, then picking up one of her pattern kits at K1Yarns in Edinburgh (another all time favorite yarn shop...although this one is now a little more than a ferry ride away), this is the first of her patterns I've actually knit. It did not disappoint.
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