On the Needles

  The loveliness which is the Woodland Shawl made in Rowan Bamboo. Rown bamboo, thy beauty is to me like those stately Chinese temples of yesteryear...seriously, it's beautiful yarn. It's very matte somehow. No real sheen but great drape and silkiness. It seems to swallow the light.

I bought it at the Cleggs sale. It wasn't on sale, of course. Just ten percent off, which was something at least. I didn't like the pink they had - well I liked it but it wasn't going to like me at all. This charcoal was the best colour for a wrap-thing - and it had to be a wrap thing because there was only six balls left. However, they also had Anny Blatt yarn including Trianon - a wool, mohairand polymide mix. This has charcoal accents mixed in with silver and gold sparkly bits and some rather lovely plum.

My original idea was to use a ball of this either side of the charcoal bamboo and create a deep ruffley flounce. I'm not so sure now that this will work, given the nature of the pattern and the contrasting yarns. I'm still thinking about it. What's definite is that this bamboo is delicious and holds the patten like cotton would but with a silky drape. I love the definition of the little leaves. Also, and this is a huge plus for me - the lace pattern isn't difficult. Partly this would be because it's not increasing the way a triangular shawl does and partly it's because I can actually see what I'm doing. Unlike the Shetland Shawl.