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Wearing a Shawl

Paul and I travelled to Portland for a few days last week.  It is an easy trip to drive, the weather was supposed to be good and we could spend time with Paul´s son and his son´s future bride.  There was a purpose as well.  Paul is looking to buy a home there as an investment.  We filled two days looking at homes with and without a realtor.  The market in Portland is so hot most homes sell above their asking price unless one is willing to purchase a fixer upper.  I enjoyed the trip a lot and when I have no worries about making a purchase the entire home shopping process is actually a pleasure.

When I looked at the weather forecast in preparations to pack for this trip it appeared we would be in for a lot of sunshine, so I packed accordingly. Not surprising, though, the prediction was off and we looked at homes for a half day in pretty heavy rains. Luckily for me I decided at the last minute to throw in my Mare´ Ashton shawl for good measure. It was worn over a denim jacket in typical ¨granny style¨ adding just the right extra layer of warmth needed when the sun wasn´t out.

As I walked around I got that knowing look from certain folks.  It is the look one knitter gives another that says without words ¨You made that shawl didn´t you.¨  And if it comes with even the slightest of smiles, I know that unspoken recognition comes with approval.  Even a couple of people stated out loud how lovely the shawl looks and I was able to simply smile and say thank you.  It was satisfying to get that type of acceptance for my first attempt at a lace shawl.

This is all a long prelude to introduce an article put together by Knitting Daily about 5 different ways to wear a shawl.  Have a look here.   My Ashton is small so some of the options listed in this article won´t work, like the poncho lacing technique, but I like the idea of using a shawl pin to create different looks.  And as if that weren´t enough look at all the ideas here and here from The Wife Knits.  Again many of the options in the first set of photos won´t work with my smaller Ashton, but the second list is quite clever.

And here are several options for what appears to be a Dummy Clap (although they call it the Sunday Market Shawl) from DIY Heaven.




So if you don´t want to look like a total ¨granny¨ wearing your shawl in public, you can peruse these sites (and more) and find lots of different ways to up your shawl wear.

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