Here’s a shawl I just finished last week. There was an idea that it might be a Christmas gift, but it was running so late that the planned recipient got something else. Now, I guess it’s mine!

It’s a free pattern from Knitty, called Citron.

I made a Citron last year in Noro Kureyon Sock yarn, but it came out much smaller than this one. There’s a post about it, back here. Here’s the new one:The yarn is a handpaint that I bought at the Kitchener Knitters’ Fair last fall, and (incredibly) it didn’t need to age in the stash before I cast on. It’s from Waterloo Wools and is called Kirkland. The colour is a bit more burgundy than it appears in the pictures – the flash seems to have made it look pinker. The base yarn is very similar to Malabrigo Lace. I used smaller needles than the pattern says, because I like the look of Malabrigo Lace on 3.5mm needles.

This time, I wanted the shawl to be bigger, so I did seven rounds of the pattern before the ruffle. (Yup, I had to figure out the increases myself, but it wasn’t that hard.) The skein had 840 yards and I used most of it – if the hem had been in the same red, I would have used it all up. It’s a good size, though – it comes down to my elbows.

I also added beads to the last four repeats, putting them in the flat part with greater density each round. I wanted them to get more dense toward the hem.

Since the beads were dark (black with red linings) and the yarn is very much like Malabrigo Lace, I dug into the stash of leftover bits and pulled out some Malabrigo Lace in black. I worked two rows of stockinette in black at the hem of the ruffle, but then it curled when casting off – so I added a row of purl on the RS, then cast off on the WS. There are some beads in the black as well. It still curls a bit, but I have mixed feelings about blocking it – the ruffles flattened out when I blocked that last Citron and didn’t really ever come back. Maybe I’ll live with the curl.

It makes me think of flamenco dancers. Fortunately, I don’t have any castenettes!