Over the years I have created many things I was proud of and thought lovely, but I think my yellow Adamas shawl is my most beautiful creation yet. I’ve always loved looking at intricate shawl designs and put a lot of them on my Ravelry queue, although a little voice called Common Sense told me they were too impractical to warrant the enormous  effort any time I considered actually knitting one.

Consequently, the 1 000 metres of yellow laceweight yarn I had bought years ago from a local indie dyer and spinner languished away in my filled-to-the-brim yarn box. I tentatively started random projects with it from time to time, but gave up almost immediately and back it went into the box.

After handing in my master’s thesis and my brain (slowly but surely) stopped being a scrambled, exhausted mess, I found myself yearning for the zen of knitting, the endless repeats that make it compelling to some and utterly boring to others. In short, I needed to knit a laceweight shawl whose pattern is repeated row after row, only increasing but never changing. I decided on the Adamas Shawl by Miriam Felton, because the diamond pattern is a particular favourite of mine.

It took a few stops and starts and several repeats until I had memorized the pattern, but as the rows grew longer and I became more and more familiar with the pattern, it proved to be the experience of blissful zen I had hoped for. I could already glimpse the pattern’s potential while knitting, a special treat for lace since it usually crumples up in a rather unaesthetic way before blocking.

I suppose there’s a right time for each project – I couldn’t have knitted a sweater with all the changing patterns, picking up stitches and handsewing it entails at that time. Any other time I might have become impatient and bored by so much repetition. But right then and there it gave me joy to see the shawl grow repeat after repeat, more stunning by each knit, purl and yarn over.

As you might have deduced, dear reader, I’m extraordinarily proud of this project. I’ve worn it on evening walks to protect my shoulders and arms from chilly breezes (and to boast about its beauty), but it’s waiting for a special moment to be worn. Incidentally, my official graduation is at some point in the fall … I just need to find a suitable dress that goes with yellow!

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Pattern: Adamas Shawl by Miriam L. Felton

Yarn: Drachenwolle Lacegarn (Lace, 100% merino)