Orchid Shawl

Pattern: Golden Orchids

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Berry Pie

Needles: US6 (I use ChiaoGoo Twist)

Beads: 108 size 6 beads

Measurements: 44in X 19.5in

This is probably one of my favorite projects to date.When I happened upon the pattern in Ravelry, I knew I had to make it for my Grandmother. She is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet; and, no joke, one of my very best friends. I hope she’s really enjoying it. She’s probably making all of her friends in church jealous.

Let’s talk details. This was a tough pattern. It was one of my first times following a charted pattern. I have been knitting for a long time, but I was intimidated by charted patterns and the symbols they use. It turns out that when you have this level of detail, charted patterns are much, much easier. So, if you’re hesitating, give it a shot.

 

My shawl ended up being significantly smaller than that of the original pattern. In the original it measured 70in across by 25in down. My blocked measurements were 44in across by 19.5in down. This is because the pattern calls for a fingering weight yarn. I used a finer yarn that would be considering closer to a lace weight. I chose it for several reasons. The first being that the color caught my eye. The second was the feel. The alpaca was so soft, but still provided enough structure to define the detail of the orchids. The third being the price. Berroco is a good way to get a “fancier” yarn than you can just pick up at a craft store, without the hefty price tag of, say, a Madelinetosh. And anyone who knows me knows my weakness for Madelinetosh, but it’s not always practical. Back to the size. I did attempt to make it larger by following the pattern’s instructions and adding a repeat of the body chart. This was successful until I got to the beaded section at the end and realized I wouldn’t have enough yarn. This resulted in me starting over for the second time.

In the end, the most time consuming part was the beading. You don’t have to use them, but they really add so much, and draw attention to the orchid petals. If I were to make this again, I would definitely use a fingering weight yarn. I also blocked a little differently so my bottom edge is not as “scalloped” as the original, I would probably change that as well. All in all, this was a fun project. I would definitely do it again, and I don’t often say that.