I decided to knit the Vedbaeck Shawl by Karie Westermann almost as soon as the pattern came out. I put it in my favourites and then promptly got distracted. Then I was inspired by Sarah and Morgan on the FiberTrek podcast. They both knit one and they looked so warm and snuggly I had to join in with their Serendipitous Vedbaeck KAL. I looked at my stash and decided that I wanted to knit the shawl in some long treasured yarn. I got this yarn in November 2010! My sister-in-law offered to get it for me at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show, for Christmas, and I leapt at the chance. The yarn is Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift and I got 8 x 25g skeins, divided into 4 colours; Caspian, Mermaid, Peacock and Nighthawk. Spindrift is a 4-ply or fingering weight yarn and it's a woollen spun yarn.
I'd struggled to find the right project for this yarn and this shawl seemed a perfect match. As there were long sections of fairly simple knitting, the colour changes would become a feature rather than a distraction.
To stop the colour changes being too harsh and jarring I alternated 2 row stripes, three times, at the change over of the colours which helped ease in the changes.
This shawl is a lovely simple thing that allows your mind to wander, once you have the pattern set into your mind (which doesn't take too long).
It is also really simple to change the size of the shawl. This meant I could use up as much of my yarn as I liked. I wish I'd been able to use a bit more of my final skein but I wasn't sure how much the border stitches would use up.
I think I could have added in another repeat of the shawl body pattern, but I wasn't sure and I couldn't face ripping back if I was wrong. Besides, my shawl is a great size for me.
It's a wonderfully warm and woolly shawl that wraps me up in a fabulously cosy way.
The shawl ends right at my elbow, which means it won't get in my way. It also works well as a big swoopy shawl/scarf over my Winter coat. Now THAT is cosy. Spindrift is a wonderful robust yarn that is hard wearing but softens over time. After washing the shawl and wearing it for a while, I can't feel any prickle at all. This shawl will last for years, but if I'd done it in merino, whilst it would have been gloriously soft, it would have started pilling the first time it was worn.
I would happily knit this shawl again, as it was a very enjoyable experience. I might even be tempted to try the yarn that the pattern suggests, Snaelden 3-Ply. That yarn is blended from Faroese and Falkland fleeces to get the best of both worlds, softness with strength. I am very tempted by that combination!
