Details:
Pattern: Mara free as a download from Madelinetosh on Ravelry
Yarn: 3 skeins of Madelinetosh dk in "Silver Fox" from stash, originally purchased from The Backwards Loop
Needles: 5.5 mm circs
I'm way behind in posting, Mara was cast on and off beginning of January just before I broke my finger.
The yarn is delicious, the colourway is one of my favourites.
Love my grays either darkly saturated or light and fresh.
Very simple pattern and a pleasure to knit.
This shawl is going to see a lot of wear. It's an accessory that can easily be dressed up or down.
Autumn is my favourite time of the year. I love the colour, the produce and especially wearing sweaters and boots. I'm a boot gal and newly shod too! My well worn, comfy barn and hiking boots have seen better days. These are my brand spanking new ones.
Love. Me. Some. Great. Boots! Definitely not office or going out wear, but for outdoors, I'm most comfortable in something solid and warm. They're "Lowa" brand and extremely comfortable. I can feel a sock knitting spree coming on...
My funky boots are "Bogs". They come in various heights and styles. The colours and patterns range from plain black to all sorts of flowers and designs, are rated to -65 degrees and truth be told - there's never been a more comfortable rubber lined boot. They take rain/winter boots to a whole new level with neoprene uppers and handles for easy on and off.
Been doing a lot of painting in the house fall makes me feel nesty and creative. My favourite blog to fuel my reno mojo is Kevin and Layla Palmer's The Lettered Cottage. Fall is also when I drink tea non-stop. Visit Claudia at Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog for great info about tea. Thanks Claudia, you've upped my tea learning and pleasure. I never thought to use a French Press and can't wait to try it.
Be well, be happy and have a great day,
Renee
I love your Mara how was the pattern?
ReplyDeleteI have 3 skeins of MadTosh in Tart I have been saving for this also love your bogs:)Hugs Darcy
That shawl is GORGEOUS! I may have to get that pattern for some MadTosh I have had in stash for a bit.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the bogs are cute.
Your shawl is perfect! A great accessorry for fall. Love it!
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ReplyDeleteYour Mara is incredible! Lovely in that cool icy gray.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to see you back blogging!!! Love that shawl ~ it's absolutely stunning and the photos are just beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteLike you I love Fall and agree it's a great time of year to wear and enjoy sweaters, boots, and wraps and, of course, drink lots of cups of tea ;)
Beautiful beautiful shawl!! I may have to queue that pattern once and for all. Happy fall to you!
ReplyDeleteswoon. this makes me think that i really need to make another one of these -- maybe in madelinetosh -- that shine! that stitch definition. sooo lovely. hooray for knitwear weather!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful past - starting with that shawl - wow - breathtaking! Your whole attitude sounds wonderful and ready for fall!
ReplyDeleteYour Mara is GORGEOUS! I love the color. Mine was blocked yesterday! It was a "Mara" kind of week!
ReplyDeleteLove the stony gray and the way the shade varies. You show the versatility of Mara with the different poses. I'm envious of your cool boots. The tea blog looks very interesting. Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteYour Mara is beautiful, love that colourway!
ReplyDeleteokay..Renee...that Mara is simply stunning and yes the yarn looks delicious.
ReplyDeletelove your bogs...and glad to see you here again
This looks fantastic! A lovely shade of grey :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely color and versatile piece!
ReplyDeleteOooooooh, I know what my next knitting project will be. That is scrumptious. I love your color choice and I am heading straight to it.
ReplyDeleteYour shawl is beautiful as can be. I love the color, it will go with absolutely anything!
ReplyDeleteemily
Great to have something so beautiful and versatile.
ReplyDeleteAwesome shawl! Sorry about your finger :(
ReplyDeleteLove Bogs! They're so much fun!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your back, missed you dearly! I had a hunch autumn would bring you back!
ReplyDeleteLove Mara shawls and yours is a stunning example! Beautifully done!
oh your shawl is just wonderful - it is perfect:)....wow!...
ReplyDeleteThis shawl is GORGEOUS! I've got to make one for myself! Love the colour you chose.
ReplyDeleteLesley
byporchlight.blogspot.com
I really love this! It is starting to convince me that I really do need to learn how to knit!
ReplyDeleteHelen
Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
The most beautiful, ever see, very very attractive ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou can see mine here :
http://wild-hibiscus-fr.blogspot.fr/2012/10/mara.html
Absolutely beautiful patterns, but being new to this can you tell me what 'PM' in the abbreviations means and is a marker something that you add in to the row of knitting? Sorry to be so dense!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and diverse! I'm going to knit this with my homegrown Shetland! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI adore this shawl and have it on my Wish List board on Pinterest. The problem is I don't knit ! Do you make and sell them ??? It is beautiful !! Thanks
ReplyDeleteHow do I get the Mara pattern?
ReplyDeleteYou can find the Mara pattern from Madelinetosh for free here:
ReplyDeletehttp://madelinetosh.com/store/index.php/patterns/mara-shawl.html
Beautiful shawl! I am not able to find the pattern on that site:( Canyou help please?
ReplyDeleteMara pattern is no longer available on the Madelinetosh site, but can be downloaded for free from Ravelry here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mara-3
Hi Renee! I stumbled across your lovely site looking shawl patterns and fell in love with your Classic take on the Mara. I have the pattern and some lovely madelinetosh dk ready to go but there is such trepidation in the comments and disagreement over the pattern particularly in relation to keeping the spine on center and attaching the edging. I know you made yours ages ago but was wondering if you had any pattern notes to share. Thank you for considering and keep up the beautiful work! I spent hours looking through your lovely creations!
ReplyDeleteI'm late with my comments and compliments on your lovely shawl. Sometimes it pays to be late, however, in that I've had the advantage of reading all the "version issues".
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised to see that this is a DK weight as the photo makes it look like a heavier yarn, more like a "worsted" or even a bulky. And I see you were using a size 9 needle; do you remember what gauge you got? I don't have Madelinetosh in my stash, but this would make me get some :) The plumpness is what I like about it as it gives it such a cosy look. Very nice.
love this shawl. I have b
ReplyDeletelooked at it several times but pretty new at knitting & patterns so I'm a bit scared to give it a try....Can something like this be made for the Fall and/or Winter months? I live in the Midwest and a shawl would be perfect for our long, cold winter! Please share with me on your thoughts and what yarn/needle recommendations. I am not able to figure this out myself but would love to give it a try. Thanks.
Help!
ReplyDeleteWhat gauge did you use for the Mara? Ravelry suggets 4.5mm needles and 4 stitches = 1 inch??
I'm not a really experienced knitter and can't get either size to work to that gauge. ( 4.5 or 5.5 )
Thanks
Deborah Hunt - I hit gauge on 5.5" needles with my choice of yarn. I'm a fairly tight knitter. If you are finding you have fewer stitches per inch try a smaller sized needle, if you are getting more stitches per inch on your swatch then try a larger sized needle. Depending on the yarn you use you may want to wash and dry your test swatch and then measure your gauge. Make sure your swatch is wider - maybe 4" wide and tall, and measure the inner stitches for the 1" gauge. I hope that helps :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!! I've got it!!
ReplyDeleteI'm using Tosh ( pelican ) It's the closest I could find to your Silver fox, which has been discontinued.
I only have the 3 skeins. How close did you get to using every bit with your project?
Also, I was told that since this brand has no dye lot, I should alternate skeins every couple of rows.
It doesn't look like that was a issue for you? Your end result is lovely!!
I didn't alternate skeins, but did have a dye lot. If the tones are varied alternating would be a good idea but make for a thicker side seam. I used all but a couple yards of the 3 skeins. Happy knitting, it's a great project and so wearable.
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