New Year, New Pattern: Leucania Shawl

Happy New Year, friends! I’m excited to begin 2022 on a positive note—with a new pattern added to my Ravelry, Etsy, and Payhip shops: an all-season textured shawl called Leucania.

Save 20 percent on the Leucania Shawl pattern at either Ravelry or Payhip with the coupon code NEWYEAR. You can also save 20 percent at Etsy, where no code is needed. The sale continues through January 9 in all three shops.

Knit in fingering weight yarn, Leucania is an all-season piece—it’s perfect for casual wear (wrapped around your neck, it will keep you warm on winter hikes!) but equally suited for weddings and other special occasions that call for a light and elegant accessory.

Named after the Obscure Wainscot Moth (Leucania obsoleta), this triangular shawl is worked top-down from a garter stitch tab cast-on (instructions provided). The upper part of the Leucania Shawl is worked in a wide rib pattern, creating a light but warm fabric. The knitting goes quickly, and before you know it, you’re at the ornate stitchwork border. The design ends with an easy-to-knit scalloped edging.

Do you recognize the edging? I used it on a much earlier shawl design—the Peppernut Shawl that I published back in 2013, using the same yarn (the beautiful Stone Soup Fingering by Bare Naked Wools). An an extra bonus, I’ve set up a sale for Peppernut as well—save 20% at Ravelry or Payhip with the coupon code NEWYEAR (or, at Etsy, with no code), also through January 9.

We’re having a rather gloomy New Year’s Day here in western Massachusetts—foggy and rainy. I like to take a long walk on New Year’s Day and I think I’ll continue the tradition today in spite of the poor weather. After all, that’s what umbrellas are for! The weather was much more amenable a couple of days ago, when I went on a rambling walk on trails around the Mill River and Puffer’s Pond (below).

Do you have a New Year’s Day tradition (other than sleeping late)? However you are spending the day, I hope your 2022 is off to a peaceful start.

Puffer’s Pond, Amherst, Massachusetts

Socktober Pattern Sale

Socktober—the annual celebration of the joys of knitting socks—is winding down. I was so busy with other projects (plus going to Rhinebeck), I didn’t finish a pair. I did, however, finish one leg and most of another—better than nothing, right?

Clockwise from bottom left: Hulst, Rowhouse, Couplet, Mill River, Tortoiseshells, Plumtree

If you had great plans for Socktober but life got in the way, and maybe you didn’t even get around to picking out a pattern, don’t feel bad. There are still a few days left, and no law says you can’t keep up your sock knitting beyond Socktober.

To end the month on an up note, I’m having a sale on all of my sock patterns. Through October 31, take 25 percent off any Blue Peninsula sock pattern at Ravelry and Payhip with the coupon code SOCKS2021.

Rhinebeck was fantastic, by the way. A bit too warm on Saturday, but nice and cool on Sunday—perfect sweater weather. It was so good to be back among our tribe, and get to pet yarns and sheep, catch up with friends, and enjoy an awesome lunch of Aba’s falafels.

Rhinebeck weekend was over too soon, just like Socktober. But it was joyful, in so many ways.

If October flew by for you, and you didn’t get around to any sock knitting, I hope you’ll enjoy this little sale. You can always cast on in November!