amimono note

Zen Color Shawl

(Click the picture to see a larger image.)

I crocheted it for my friend who just came back from Zimbabwe. The country's situation was not good and it seemed she sometimes had a difficult time over there. I wanted to make something fun and also dressy to welcome her home.

At first I knitted a dropped stitch shawl with #13 needles, but the gauge was a little tight for Zen. I wanted a more airy stitch, so I tried this crochet stitch. The result was far better than I expected! Usually my knitted stuff is better in pictures than in "person" (because I try really hard to make them look good :-) ), but this shawl, the photo does not do it justice... It's really pretty. I think the stitch was perfect for the yarn and the color of the yarn looks good on it too. It reminds me hydrangea. I wonder what the name of the stitch is in English.

However, I have a little concern about the fringes. This ribbon yarn seems to eventually loosen up, no matter how how hard I to try to tie it tightly, so I worry it might come off when it is pulled.

I didn't have much interest in Berroco yarns because I thought they were a little too flashy, but this Zen yarn made me think again about them. Zen knitted (crocheted?) up quite chic, despite the looks of it. I now want to try their other yarn too.

Yarn: Berocco Zen Colors #3139
Pattern: By me. The stitch was from a Japanese book (ISBN:4579108175).