What George Knits - Sea Mist Shawl

My design the Sea Mist Shawl was published as part of Laine Issue 11 in Summer 2021. Now it is available as a single pattern so I thought it would be fun to knit up a new version in some of the yarns we have here at Knit With Attitude.

I have had it in my head to knit a darker more moody version of Sea Mist for a while. Conjuring up images of inky blue skies and foggy landscapes. The perfect yarn appeared in the form of Hillesvåg Sølje and Fyberspates Cumulus.

Part of the inspiration for the design was combining a more rustic woolly yarn with a fluffy soft and airy one. The rustic wool is reminiscent of the earthy land and the light fluffy one creating the illusion of mist. Hillesvåg Sølje works perfect for this, its rich jewel like colours come from over dyeing the Norwegian Pelssau yarn with has a naturally grey fleece. Knit up the Sølje is rustic and crisp with a definite woolly feel that will soften and wear beautifully. It's also wonderfully warm with a slight halo after washing which gently softens the definition. Thats not to say it's flat, but it holds up well to the ridged brioche stitches. Fyberspates Cumulus is a wonderful combination of brushed alpaca and silk that is incredibly soft to the touch, arguably softer than a similar mohair silk. In my mind these two yarns paired together are a match made in heaven.

The shawl has an asymmetrical triangle shape starting from the right point working to the long edge on the left. The texture alternates between panels of lace and single colour brioche that melts into two colour brioche with the two fibres and then back single colour brioche. The idea was how mist and fog seeps around the landscape and feels like it penetrates into the rocks and stones.

The knitting is pretty straight forward and perfect for an enthusiastic beginner. Starting with single colour brioche is a great way to build confidence in brioche knitting if you haven't done it before and by the time you get into the two colour brioche you will be perfectly in rhythm. The pattern comes with both written instructions as well as charts depending on what you prefer.

We have put together a mix and match kit system which will allow you to pick your favourite main colour (Sølje) and contrast colour (Cumulus). My sample was knit in Marineblå 2133 and Slate 913, but if you are looking for some inspiration here are some I like below:

The shawl is knit from two skeins of each yarn but you will have leftovers of both the main colour and contrast colour. I had about 65g left of Sølje and 10g of Cumulus. I'm thinking held double they might make some lovely fingerless mittens.