A Shawl to Wear While You’re Reading and Knitting

I know there are a lot of knitters who have to really concentrate on what they are doing and can’t do anything else while they are knitting. In time you can probably graduate to watching TV while knitting, but I’m surprised by how many people are impressed that I can read while knitting and do it often.

(I mean, I can’t read and crochet at the same time yet, so I get it. It takes practice to know where you are without looking and to trust your hands without your eyes there to help. I’m working on it.)

Whether you knit the Book Club Shawl while you’re reading or just to wear while you’re reading and/or knitting in the future, it’s still a fun knit and a cozy shawl for whatever you’re up to.

Designed by Gavriella Treminio, it’s a triangular shawl worked from one corner of the wingspan to the other. It features an I-cord edging and uses simple cables and slipped stitches to make textured horizontal stripes across the body.

The shawl is worked in worsted weight yarn, and while it’s lovely in a neutral that helps the stitching to pop, I think it would be fun in jewel tone yarn as well.

There are options in the pattern to make a shawlette and a bigger shawl. The smaller version has a 53 inch or 132.6 cm wingspan, while the larger version is 78 inches/198 cm across.

The little one is shown here and it looks like a perfect size to throw in your (book) bag to keep it handy to toss around your shoulders when you need an extra bit of warmth. Which is always a good idea, even if you’re not a big reader.

Get more information about the pattern and buy your copy on Ravelry.

[Photo: Gavriella Treminio]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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