I Freed My Fade!

I finished my Free Your Fade shawl! I actually cast off the week before school started, but between the lack of sunlight and the craziness of the beginning of the semester, I couldn’t get pictures until today. Even this afternoon, the sunlight was a bit meagre, but I think it might be as good as we’re going to get for awhile. So . . . here’s my first fade!

This is a well written, fun-to-knit pattern. It’s absolutely straightforward, but the eyelet rows keep it from becoming boring. Plus, I love the picot bind-off. It’s one of my favorites, both in the knitting and in the look of the end result.

The one thing that makes me think this shawl won’t get as much wear as some of my others is the DK weight yarn. The pattern is written for both fingering and DK weight versions, but I opted for the DK. I didn’t realize how much I’d gotten used to wearing fingering weight scarves and shawls, though, and as it turns out, I really prefer them. Somehow, the DK works for The Rain Outside, so I’m not entirely sure what the difference is. I do know I’ll probably end up saving this piece for the super cold days when something bulkier seems like the way to go.


And then there’s the fading. Why is this so much fun? It’s ridiculous how much I enjoyed watching it happen each time. I can see why the much larger Find Your Fade is such an addictive knit. As a matter of fact, while I was deep into knitting the Free Your Fade, Miss Babs was having their Annual Gratitude Sale where everything is 20% off. I went a little crazy with the Sojourn fingering.

Here’s what I ended up with.

 

Now I can spend a year or so changing my mind about which color combination to use. First. Since there’s more than enough yarn for two Find Your Fade shawls. Oops.

I’m feeling a little crazed so far in 2018, but having more time to knit is making a huge difference in my frame of mind. Be well, my friends, and knit on!

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24 Comments

  1. melinda

    Thank you, Fran! I had to go look up True Colors. Wow! I like that a lot. I don’t know which one to recommend. I kind of want you to knit True Colors so you can let me know how you like it. LOL!

    • melinda

      Thank you so much! The mustard isn’t usually something I’d choose because I’ve never thought it was a good color for me, but I’ve been seeing it everywhere lately and loving it. The whole time I was knitting with it, I felt like I was crossing some kind of personal sartorial line. It was wonderful!! 😉

  2. Cari Jarman

    damn, girl! It’s awesome! I haven’t even started mine yet! I’m hoping to finish my Trillium soon, though, so it can move up on the queue. I’m doing the Trillium in DK, too, and wonder now if it’ll be too hot. I just don’t like working with fingering weight yarn (gasp! can we still be friends!!??) so I probably will end up with something heavier than most people would want.

    • melinda

      Lolol! Can’t wait to see your Trillium! That one might be fine in the DK. I love my The Rain Outside, and it’s DK, but for some reason this Free your Fade in DK makes me feel a little claustrophobic unless it’s really super cold out. Maybe because the overall area is smaller and it can’t drape as well as The Rain Outside? Don’t know. Be sure to let me know about Trillium.

      P.S. You could arm knit, and even then we’d still be friends. 😉

  3. Beautiful! And I’m so jealous of your yarn purchase – I’ve checked Miss Babs yarns, wish they were available here!
    I also prefer fingering yarn for shawls, or to be honest, pretty much for everything 😉 I’m trying to knit in heavier yarn in winter but truth is, I just prefer the feel of 2 or 3 layers of fingering than 1 layer of something bulkier. My queue for this year consists mainly of fingering yarn projects;)

    • melinda

      Thank you, Kat! That’s so interesting that you prefer to knit with fingering. I actually like knitting with Sport or DK or even worsted much better, but the fingering just give things such wonderful drape that I keep reaching for it. I’m looking forward to seeing all of your projects!

  4. I just love that shawl!! Beautiful!

    Beware the fade… I have made three of them. It is cold today and I plan to shopped the afternoon wrapped in one of them while I knit. My cats love the alpaca I used so much I have to battle them for the shawl, so I am making them (wait for it) a face blanket with the scraps. It’s the fading… I just love it!!

  5. Oh my gosh, Melinda! That is absolutely stunning! I ADORE the color palette you picked out and the way it fades together. That must have been so fun to knit. I’m happy you’re happy with some extra knitting time lately. I wish I were getting more in; however we all know that our free time ebbs and flows 🙂 Especially with busy careers 😀 Lucky you with all that gorgeous yarn too! I want to do a fade shawl and need to go through my stash to see what would work. I’m still trying to knit only from the stash. I will tell you that a shawl I knit in DK may not get as much use as my ones in fingering, it does still get used. Especially when it’s colder out.

    • melinda

      Thank you so much, Paula! It really was fun. I can’t wait to see what colors you pick for yours. I think choosing the colors is one of the best parts of the whole thing. Thanks for letting me know about the DK! I’m hoping that’s how it will work out. Take care, my friend!

  6. Such beautiful work, Melinda. You’ve photographed it wonderfully, too (the overcast background makes the colours pop even more, I think). This magenta-purple-fade is SO delicious; it’s telling a beautiful story in colour! The eyelets are cute, and this is inspiration for me to try a picot edge one day. Wonderful to see the recent additions to your stash, too – I can see why this project would be a repeat!

    • melinda

      Thank you, Shirley! That’s so nice of you to compliment the photos. When I first took them, I almost decided not to post them because the light was just so dull. The more I thought about it, though, I started to wonder if what you’re saying wasn’t the case. Regardless, I’m very happy you like them! Definitely, try the picot edge at some point. It’s really enjoyable to knit–not at all tedious like some other decorative bind offs I’ve tried.

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