Last weekend,  I finally managed to block my Stripe Study Shawl.  I started this in May when the design, by the very talented Veera Välimäki, was still new.   A quick check of Ravelry today shows 1371 projects with no signs of its popularity easing.    The shawl is compelling to knit – there is something intrinsically soothing about garter stitch, and the colour changes and variations in stripe widths mean that it never becomes monotonous.

I used two skeins of Wollmeise that were sitting in my stash – originally they were destined for a pair of fingerless mitts (Cheesehands by Julia Mueller; a very cute pattern).   There is a luminosity in the Wollmeise that is hard to describe, and to photograph.  These photos, taken by my daughter Emma, do a great job of showcasing the shawl – she has caught the project  in many different lights, since I first cast on.  This is my first time knitting with Wollmeise.  It  has become something of a star in the knitting world – at the Knit Nation 2010 in London there was nearly a stampede in the marketplace as knitters descended on the Wollmeise stand.  I am not sure that this one project is enough for me to become a fanatic, but I am completely taken with the richness of the colours.

One of the things that attracted me to this pattern is the asymmetry.  I had begun to wonder whether that will make it virtually impossible to wear.  I’ve worn the shawl several times this week, however, and find it very wearable.