Albedo Shawl

A new pattern! And a bonus chance to win yarn! Glee!

Back in June I posted about some swatches I had knitted for the summer TNNA show. One of the swatches was done in Crystal Palace Moonshine, a lovely yarn with color, shimmer, and just a little halo. In late August, I got an e-mail asking if I would be willing to make a project using this yarn. I had hoped to get it cast on during Dragon*Con, but that just didn't happen. I even tried to work on it some during the convention, but the muses refused to help me. (I'm sure they were just too busy inspiring all the serious Cosplayers.) But I did get the project worked out and cast on in September. And in about a month, I knit up this lovely shawl.

The name? Albedo is the reflectivity of a surface. Astronomers use the albedo of a planet, moon, or asteroid to make guesses about its composition. A shiny, icy surface is much more reflective than an ashen or rocky surface. Since the Moonshine yarn is glimmers and shines, it seemed like a good fit.

I like to think this would be a great accessory for a black tie occasion, such as a prom or a wedding. But it would also be nice for cocktail parties, New Year's Eve parties, or fancy outings to attend Broadway plays or opera performances. The yarn has a little swing and bounce, which I think gives the whole project a slightly sexy, sassy quality.

Of course, I've also tried to give the project some interest in the knitting. There is a little bit of linen stitch and i-cord at the selvedges to make the edges lie flat. I've used some lace trellis running both right and left to make the chevrons at each end. The plaited basket stitch in the middle incorporates an interesting maneuver. And, of course, I ended up making something up when I decided I wanted a horizontal line to separate the plaited basket stitch middle from the border patterns at each end. As always, there are videos (posting over the next three days) to walk you through anything in the pattern that isn't common procedure.

Bonus! I have enough yarn to make another shawl. The pattern is now for sale as a Ravelry download for $3.00. You can follow this link. On the first day of the new year, I will randomly pick a name from those who have purchased the pattern on Ravelry during these last four weeks of 2012. If you win, I will send you a private message on Ravelry asking for your postal information so I can ship a padded envelope full of yarn to you. If you would like to win 5 skeins of Moonshine so you can knit yourself a sexy shimmery shawl, you know what to do!