Hello Friends, welcome in 2020! I hope you are all well and happy in this new year, and that all the days ahead will bring you happiness, many good surprises and even more great crafty projects ๐
I’ve been sick for most of the holiday season, and generally spending a lot of my time at home, resting and trying to get better. Christmas was a quiet time for us, and so was the New Year’s Eve, which I always spend at home, as my cats get nervous with all the fireworks around and I don’t want to leave them alone at this time. To be honest, it’s also a perfect excuse to avoid going out anywhere, as I’m not the biggest time of New Year’s celebrations.
I haven’t updated the blog since before Christmas, but I kept knitting slowly whenever I felt like it, and it’s time to present my recent finished project – the Toruล Shawl. It’s a soft, squishy and beautiful shawl designed by Hanna Maciejewska and I decided to knit it with four different shades of Knit Picks Hawthorne sock yarn. The pattern is simple, and consists of four repeated sections (the last one is a little different but still uses the same elements), which are easy to memorise and can be knitted mindlessly while watching a TV show.
What does the name mean? Toruล is one of the oldest cities in Poland, and a very beautiful place with unique architecture, located by the Vistula river. Beside it’s gothic architecture, it’s known in Poland as a birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus and a centre of gingerbread production (the specific type of traditional Polish gingerbread is called piernik). And for knitters, it’s a place of an annual knitting meeting, which inspired this pattern.
Although I have never attended the meeting, I loved the look of the shawl and decided to knit it almost immediately after first seeing it. I haven’t changed a lot in the original colour combination, as I think that the variations of blue and white (with an addition of purple) work great with the design resembling the flow of the river.
One minor problem I have is that the shawl is big – too big to block it well in our apartment, as it doesn’t even fully fit on the bed which is my last resort for when the blocking mats are not enough. It’s doesn’t really mater though, as I wear it wrapped around my shoulders or neck anyways.
I probably need a hat in similar colour scheme now, or at least in some shade of blue, but I don’t really feel like knitting it, so I’m going to wear a grey beanie with the shawl for now.
Happy New Year, Kat! This shawl is stunning! The colors are just perfect. It looks wonderfully warm and squishy to wear. ๐
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Thank you, and Happy New Year to you as well!
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That’s a lovely pattern. It looks very snuggly. A very interesting pattern stitch to produce those wavy lines on the border. Oddly enough, I’m working on a shawl myself, itself a simple pattern and perfect for TV knitting.
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It is very snuggly, garter stitch makes it really soft!
I could knit only shawls and be perfectly happy ๐
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Beautiful! Love the shawl and its background story.
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Thank you!
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Kati ! Sreฤna i vesela Nova godina !Szczeslivego Nowogo Roku ๐๐พ
i Wszystkiego Najlepszego ๐ฏ
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Dziekuje ๐ happy new year to you too!!! โค๏ธ
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So pretty! My cats hate fireworks too and I also love the opportunity to stay in and avoid crowds!
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Thanks! It’s much easier to just use this excuse instead of trying to explain that I really don’t feel like partying, right? ๐
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Happy New Year! What better way to ring in the new year than completing a gorgeous shawl! ๐ Garter stitch shawls look and feel amazing, and the colors in this one are beautiful. I’m sure you’re enjoying wearing it as much as you did knitting it.
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Thank you Anita, happy New Year to you!
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Toruล (both the shawl and the city) looks great. The shawl should keep you toasty this winter. Happy New Year! I hope you feel better now.
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Happy New Year and thank you! ๐
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Happy New Year Kat! Sorry to hear you were not feeling well during the holiday season. We too keep our NYE celebrations pretty quiet…Apollo hates fireworks! We were surprised that no one set off fireworks this year…it must be the three cops living in the neighborhood :p
I love the shawl! And can see how the design resembles a river ๐
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Thank you Jenny ๐ Happy New Year to you as well!
Animals and fireworks don’t mix… but I’m glad Apollo’s New Year’s Eve was peaceful this year! And yours too ๐
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