Alma's Song or Why I Felt Compelled to Knit Yet Another Shawl. . .

When I look at my projects page on Ravelry, it's clear that I gravitate towards certain designers - Kate Davies, Stephen West, and Tin Can Knits are perennial favourites.   And Karie Westermann. Every time she releases a pattern, it usually takes me about five minutes to hit the buy button and then I'm digging through my stash (see my Byatt and Mahy, Scollay and Chard, and Lausavisa ).
Last week she released her latest pattern in her Authors & Artists series ( I do love a story behind a design). This is Alma's Song, named for Alma Schlindler-Mahler, married to Gustav Mahler, but a composer in her own right.

Karie's glamourous version channels the deep, rich colours of early twentieth-century Vienna, but I chose a much softer palette.  It is a great pattern for showcasing a special skein of yarn.  The multi-coloured one is Ripples Craft Reliable Sock in the Hubble Bubble colourway.  I was originally going to go with a deep red or charcoal grey for the border, but when I found this skein of duck blue Rowan Fine Art 4ply, it just seemed to complement the soft greys and mustard colours in the variegated.

It's a happy, spring shawl and I love it.  The crescent shape is really wearable.

And I think the large picot edging finishes it off perfectly.

It's a quick knit and even though there is lace and a small cable in the frieze section, the pattern repeats are quick to memorize and make good telly or travel knitting.  And it's so nice to finish and wear a project while in the middle of several time-consuming garments.   Thanks Karie for another beautiful design!