Knitting laceweight yarn always scared me a bit. I had a bad experience when I just started knitting. I saw a beautiful shawl in a Knit.1 issue, and I thought that it would be a perfect gift for my mother-in-law. So I went, full of enthousiasm, to my LYS. I choose a yarn with the help of the sales person, I bought needles... I was more than ready! Well ... It was a complete disaster! The center stitch wasn't hem... really strait, I had forgotten way more than 1 yo... Long story short, my yarn slept in my stash for over a year.
But then, I was ready. I knitted easy stuff and complicated stuff, and I felt like I could knit with laceweight again. And this pattern, Citron by Hillary Smith Callis (ravelry link), was soooo lovely that I HAD to knit it! (and it fits with my late resolution of knitting only with stash yarn!)
The yarn, Alpaca with a Twist Fino, is like a dream. Soft, soothing color, incredible feel, wonderful drape... Alpaca is definitively one of my favorite fiber!
I consider this shawl a revolution, or a testimony of the modernization of knitting: innovative construction, modern feel, très wearable, fun detailing and texture, youngish vibe... It's not a surprise if 2700 yarnaholics have knitted this gem!
With this shawl, I conquered my fear of laceweight yarn. I would recommend it to anyone who's afraid of tiny tiny yarn and needles! At first, it doesn't look like anything (like any other shawl...) but when you get use to the tiniest of the yarn, you get amazed at the upcoming result : it's light, flowy, soft and incredibly satisfying!
I will shamelessly say that Citron is one of my favorite knitted project so far. I absolutely love it! And right in time for summer!
