The Shawl Society Season 5 is just around the corner, and I’ll have lots more information to share on that very soon.
But I know that unless you’re knitting entirely from stash, getting the right yarn can take a little (or a lot) longer than it used to, with shipping disruptions.
On a less practical and more delightful note, pondering all the possibilities for a new secret pattern project is one of the best parts, isn’t it?
So I wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to savour the experience and get your perfect yarn ready and waiting.
The theme of the collection is yet to be revealed, and I won’t be releasing any details of the first shawl design other than the yarn I chose for the sample, but I can give you a few hints to get you dreaming:
1. The collection is a sister collection to the Handmade Sock Society 4
2. This first shawl was designed for one colour, but could be knit in two
3. Semi solids and speckles will be perfect for this shawl, but you can use any colour or style you like (highly variegated yarns could obscure some design detail, but it really just depends on your taste!)
4. This shawl was designed for a sport-weight yarn, but because gauge isn’t crucial, you could also easily knit it in fingering weight/4 ply/sock yarn and get a lovely result, just a slightly smaller shawl.
Now, on to the actual yarn requirements:
I chose the very wonderful Skein Yarn Merino Silk Sport from Skein Yarn for the sample.
Skein Australia has been one of my favourite indie dyers for years: Kristen makes such magic with her colourways and the bases she choses are sumptuous. The 50/50 blend of this particular yarn makes a luxuriously soft and drapey fabric, perfect for shawls.
Yarn
Skein Yarn Merino Silk Sport [50% Silk, 50% Merino; 332m/363yds per 100g skein],
3 x 100g skeins, Colour: Coffee Grounds
Actual yarn used in sample:
Sport weight yarn 830m/908yds; 250g
Needles
4mm (US 6), 100cm (40″) long circular needles (or size to obtain gauge)
Gauge
22sts/32rows = 10cm (4″) in garter stitch after blocking
Note 29th April 2021: Kristen’s TSS5 updates have sold out but she adds new yarn to the website every Friday; there are some skeins of Merino Silk Sport available at time of writing.
She has chosen 11 magnificent colourways to dye for this project, including Coffee Grounds, the lovely warm speckled colourway I chose for the sample.
Any one of them would make a breathtaking first shawl of the season.
I can’t wait to witness the many beautiful projects that will be cast on using this fabulous yarn.
Skein Australia does ship worldwide, and you should have enough time between now and the first pattern is revealed to order from overseas and receive the yarn in time. (But of course, we all know what the mail has been like over the last year, so please have patience and grace if it’s a little slower!)
With the info in this spoiler, you should be able to pick an ideal yarn out of your stash or your local yarn shop with lots of time to spare.
I share this yarn information as inspiration and to share some of the Shawl Society love with wonderful indie yarn businesses, but there’s never any pressure to use the recommended yarn.
Hopefully, I’ve piqued your curiosity. And of course, I’m curious too: I can’t wait to see what you choose!
I’ll be back with more hints and info about The Shawl Society 5 soon. For now, have fun shopping or stash-diving!
