As my body continues changing, and the seasons are starting to do the same I am so grateful to be able to have this stunning layering piece for my wardrobe. The brand new Moonshiner Shawl by Caitlin Hunter is my first-ever test knit!
Test knitting is something I’ve had on my mind for a long time but with a full-time job it wasn’t always possible and deadlines were a no-go for me. Now that I’m a part-time freelancer and can control my schedule, I was freaking thrilled to see this test-knit call on Instagram!
Keep reading for details on this new pattern, my personal version, and my first test knitting experience!
The Pattern
This shawl is lightweight but a fast knit! Even though we’re using a thicker yarn than the typical fingering weight for a shawl, the yarn is still nice and light and creates a fabulous layering piece for the winter.
I ended up knitting the smaller version of the pattern because I could tell I was getting a little burnt out on the pattern. I usually have a hard time wearing larger shawls so it was the right choice. Plus, mine still turned out to be fairly large regardless!
Another mod I ALMOST made and will beg you not to do, was to only knit one repeat of the colorwork border chart. Trust me, on the needles you’ll be like “I really don’t need two repeats of this, the proportions are going to be off.” But you are WRONG my friend! Once the shawl and the lace pattern opened up for the main body I was so beyond relieved that I knit the pattern as written.
Only to repeat myself even further, this shawl is absolutely gorgeous, and I wish it was cooler at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival so I could have worn it there! I adore the colors I chose, and the yarn is so bouncy and soft, it really lends itself well to all of the different design elements you’ll see here.
There were a few new to me techniques for this shawl. First was the different setup of the garter stitch tab for the shawl! I’ve knit a lot and it was so nice to work my brain on a pattern a little bit. The last new technique for me was knitting colorwork flat. I can’t say I’ve ever done this, and I was a little sketched out about it. But, if you’ve had any experience with colorwork, there’s really no difference in technique! And I love the way the colors weave throughout the piece.
If you’re in for even more of a technique test, Caitlin recommends knitting the colorwork by backwards knitting. Doing so this way you never actually flip your workaround, you’ll always be knitting from the right side. It was so interesting to see her do this on her Instagram because this was actually the way I was taught to knit by my great-grandmother. As a baby knitter, this was super confusing because I could never remember which way I was working when I’d pause my knitting. It was nice to see that touch from the designer, but I ended up knitting my normal way since my yarn arrived a little later than expected for the test.
Materials
Speaking of yarn, I had the pleasure of using O-Wool O-Wash Sport. I used the colorway Pasture Rose for the main color. My contrast color was Oyster Mushroom.
I have half a skein of the Mushroom remaining, and a whole skein and then some of the Pasture rose. Maybe I’ll pull together a matching hat, or I actually need sport weight for a few baby knits I’m looking at so I might snag these for something for the babe!
First Test Knitting Experience
Like I said at the top, test knitting has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m so honored to have been chosen as a part of this test, and it couldn’t have been a better experience. The whole test was streamlined, well run, and overall fun! Maybe mostly fun though because I was working out a new beautiful pattern, but that’s not the point here.
I’ll definitely be looking to test other patterns in the future, especially if it can help me eat up my looming stash!
I hope I’ve inspired you to possibly find some stash (or go shopping) to cast on this beautiful new pattern! Definitely post a comment below if you end up making it. I’m so excited to check out everyone’s versions as they start knitting.
Happy crafting,
Katy
