It was bound to happen sooner or later. I’ve had a good streak of being satisfied with small projects and I was super excited when I saw Puaka by Aroha Knits.
The textured fabric and Japanese lace border of the Puaka Shawlette
Right away I was very drawn to the texture of the body of the shawl and the border was just lacy enough to be interesting without being too fussy. I thought this could be a very nice gift shawl for a colleague and be an interesting knit to boot.
The fabric did knit up beautifully in Tosh Merino Light and I think the Moonstone colourway is perfectly suited to the project. My gauge was just a little on the tight side but I wasn’t too worried.
I realized pretty soon after beginning that the shape was a little odd. The shawl had almost a point at the center top. I soldiered on despite concern thinking perhaps it would block into a crescent. The construction wasn’t too different from a shawl I had knit by Boo Knits so I was hopeful. Alas, blocking offered no solution.
The odd shape leaves an abundance of fabric at the base of the neck which bunches and reduces the depth of the shawl.
Given the unusual shape of this shawlette I’m reluctant to gift the finished object. I’m happy enough however to acquire such a fabulous neutral accessory. I’ve been experimenting with different way’s of wearing it and thanks in large part to the lovely softness of the Tosh Merino light after blocking, it seems to work really well as a neck warming scarf tucked into a fall jacket.
Puaka wears reasonably well as a neck warming scarf
I do think the beauty of this fabric deserves another chance. I’m thinking of knitting another but changing the construction. What if I cast on the same number of stitches that one ends up with, but knit short rows increasing one column of pattern stitches at a time? Might I end up with more of a crescent?
Oh for more time in the day!