Ishbel Off the Needles

A couple weeks ago I officially jumped on the Ishbel bandwagon. Unfortunately, somewhere between the new patterns and basement renovations, I forgot all about posting my finished shawl. The good news is, I got to try my hand at taking pictures in my new knitting studio.


Although the walls have yet to be painted (and yes, there are even more swatches on the walls now), and finishing touches need to be made, Joe and I did start installing the floor this past weekend. I am loving the light I get in the studio. Even though it's in our basement, it's not dark by any means. There are actually more windows in this area than most rooms in our house.

I have to admit, this Ishbel is a copycat. A couple months ago, when I was visiting Chicago, I went to see Carol at My Sister's Knits in Beverly. Carol had her very own Ishbel on display, in the lovely Malabrigo Pearl Ten colorway. No one had to bend my arm- I was sold and left with two skeins (but actually used less than one for the larger version- there may be another on the way!).

But Everyone Else is Doing It...

If 'everyone else' decided to jump off the top of the Empire State Building would I do it too? No. But how can I resist the Ishbel Shawl from Ysolda that everybody and their mother has made?! I know by now, most of my readers have seen this shawl as it is hard not to come across it on Ravelry, but I am still super excited to share my progress.

I cast on for this shawl last week in attempts to keeping up the 'knitting for myself everyday' resolution that I made last month. Believe it or not, after I finished my Girasole blanket I had to quit the resolution. I'm not really the kind of person who has many projects going at one time. In fact, I get so focused on the project that I forget about everything else in life until I am finished.

For a few weeks in February, when I should have been working on some new designs, I was solely working on the blanket. Since I finished, I have been typing up patterns, contacting test knitters, and re-knitting my designs myself.

So, with this project, it is my new resolution to not let it take over my life. I'm practicing moderation...we'll see how that goes.