Lately I’ve been having some right arm and wrist aches. That always freaks me out a bit and I try my best to slow down with the knitting. I’ve been trying to help things by alternating between sport weight socks and a worsted weight sweater, but nevertheless I had some pain. I’m taking care to stop and take breaks when my arm feels tired, and I’ve gotten proactive by visiting a chiropractor and that’s been very helpful.

In the meantime, I thought that a lightweight yarn at a looser gauge might be easier on the arm. I went on a shawl search expedition on Ravelry and came across Fantoosh! It was already in my favorites, so it seemed fated. I have no end to potential sock yarns, so I picked one that’s practically neutral for my wardrobe (aqua/teal/turquoise colors fit that bill). I pulled out some long ago stashed Colinette Jitterbug in a much loved color called Elephant’s Daydream, and I excitedly cast it on.

I love it. This might just send me on a shawl bender. That’s a thing, right? I’ve missed lace shawls, and spring is the perfect time to work on these, in my humble knitting opinion. My office temperature is not always controlled by me (and sometimes becomes a quite passive aggressive game), so I have to be armed with lightweight cardigans and/or shawls come warmer weather, just in case. This is definitely easier on my arm than Flaum or sport weight socks on size 1 needles. The pattern is also easily memorizable and becomes intuitive after about 1-2 repeats.

I am making the smaller size because the shawls I wear most often are the small triangular lace shawls I’ve made in the past. Occasionally I deviate from this, like with Marin, or Ashburn, or the giant Nuvem, but I hardly ever wear those. Marin is cute, but the two I’ve made aren’t long enough to stay around my neck without being tied or tucked in. Ashburn is lovely, but must be put on in just the right way to keep the longer tail from flopping out constantly, and Nuvem is just a beast. I use it more often around the house. My all time favorite shawls are Ishbel (I’ve made four), and Damask, which was a super fun piece that I may just repeat this spring.

Flaum might be on a break for now because I’m much more engaged with this bright spring lace knit. What are your favorite lace shawls to knit?

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