Exploration Station Shawl

Happy Wednesday! I feel like I'm always saying this, but I have a decent backlog of projects to share here. I'm going to try over the coming weeks to share quilting/sewing projects on Mondays and knitting projects on Wednesdays to get caught up. Hopefully having a schedule will help me actually stick to that!

Today I want to share the shawl I finished just before the end of the year. I was excited to tackle the Exploration Station pattern by Stephen West this Fall. Last Spring a few of us decided to knit it together, and while I did pick out yarns right away, it took me a while to finally start mine. Yahaira and Jacey finished their shawls too, and they're both beautiful! It's cool how different the pattern looks in other colors!


I used three skeins of Madelinetosh Sock (Moonstone, Curiosity, and El Greco), plus a skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label in Lilac. My selection is pretty subtle in terms of contrast, so I ended up with a softer design, which I really like. Plus I love purple, so this is basically my favorite thing I've ever knit.


This shawl was such a challenge, there were so many things I had never done before: Short rows, double yarn overs, brioche, and i-cord edging/bind-off. I think the biggest challenge for me was staying focused and committed to finishing it at the end. By the time I bound off, there were nearly 500 stitches, so each row seemed like it took FOREVER. The i-cord bind off took several hours, and definitely tested my patience.


I am so happy with how this shawl turned out, it was totally worth the effort. I soaked it (with Soak, of course!), and blocked it pretty aggressively. This is officially my first finished knit using fingering weight yarn! Yay! It is a huge shawl, which makes it super cozy and warm. Perfect for the winter weather we've been having!


For more info on my shawl, see my ravelry page.

Happy Knitting!