Shawl Love: Holyrood

In today's shawl love post I thought I'd feature Holyrood by Justyna Lorkowska aka Lete's Knits. This huge, beautiful shawl was created to celebrate Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016, and we had on display the original grey/pink version and the copper/beige version below.

I made my green/cream version just after EYF. I was in and recovering from a hospital trip at the time and this was somehow the perfect project for it - it's easy enough to do when you're fuzzy with painkillers, and yet it remains interesting all the way through.

Anyway, I've just re-stocked on kits (HERE) for all three versions - all in Harewood 4ply (100% superwash BFL) though as Bedale 4ply (baby yak/silk) isn't available at the moment.

This is the Hedgerow/Mellifer one:  

This is the Steel/Alpine one:

And this is the Twig/Driftwood one:

(Thankyou to Justyna for letting me use her gorgeous photos of the latter two shawls)

As you can see, this shawl is huge, and it's both cosy and pretty. Justyna's Twig/Driftwood version calls for Harewood 4ply and it's what my Hedgerow/Mellifer version is made in, hence my choice to create the Steel/Alpine kits in the same base. It's a firm-looking yarn in the skein but knits up with great drape and delicacy, particularly once blocked. And yet smushed around your neck it is nonetheless warm and snuggly. It's spun as a high twist two ply yarn, which gives it that uniquely textured appearance and good stitch definition.

Here's a closeup: The kits include the pattern, an ECY drawstring cotton project bag (with the logo on - did you know the sheep (Thelma) is my own illustration??), a sachet of Soak (random scent) for you to block your shawl with, and of course the yarn. If you're buying online I do put an A4 hard-backed envelope in against the pattern to protect it from getting crushed, and I put DO NOT BEND stickers on the outside of the parcels too.

Please just be aware that because the skeins are hand dyed, and this base isn't always available from the mill, these kits are available in limited quantities at a time.

I hope you like them anyway. Which colourway would you pick?