Are you a Cloud Gazer?

Night or day, I look to the sky every time I step outside. I search for the moon, my favorite constellations and planets, rainbows, and interesting clouds. I can’t put my finger on it, but maybe it’s because the vastness of the heavens makes me feel small and great at the same time. What about you? Do you look up before you go about your day? Are you a Cloud Gazer? Maybe it’s time to start looking up.

Cloud Gazer is my newest shawl pattern. I was first inspired by the yarn—Show Stealer by Leading Men Fiber Arts. Among the hundreds of skeins on display, I was continually drawn to the one called Head in the Clouds. The soft halo alone could have won me over, but the colorway evoked an image I couldn’t shake. I knew this was the one for my next design.

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Soon after that, I stepped outside to a sky filled with bands of stratocumulus clouds. I found a stitch pattern that reminded me of these clouds and how they were shifting in the wind. After a bit of math and some charting, I cast on. Before it’s blocked the fabric really does look like those clouds. After blocking, the texture is more subtle, but the effect is still there.

From the pattern:

Cloudy days get a bad rap, but there’s so much to behold in the celestial mist. Who hasn’t searched for familiar shapes among the puffs of white? From the wispy cirrus clouds to the foreboding cumulonimbus, their ephemeral beauty makes time stand still as the heavens advance. On all but the clearest of days, we have a free ticket to an amazing moving picture show.

Cloud Gazer is a top-down crescent shawl with an all-over knit-purl pattern. The simple shaping and straightforward stitch pattern are perfect for daydreaming. The knits and purls shift every few rows, creating diagonals of stratocumulus clouds. Knit in a luxurious merino-cashmere-nylon fingering, an ethereal halo adds to the reverie. The curling ends flutter in the breeze as you watch Mother Nature paint her happy little clouds on the vast blue canvas.

Big finish?

But how do I finish the shawl? I usually have a good idea of how the design will end before I even begin. This time, I just wasn’t sure. I started with a light ruffle, but I ran out of yarn before it was deep enough to really look like a ruffle. Then I tried a different ruffle. Hmm. Still not quite right. Maybe something else. Well, the third attempt wasn’t even noteworthy enough for me to remember what I tried. When all was said and done, I had picked up about 280 sts and ripped out 35 grams three times. (Yes, one-third of the shawl. Three times. And no lifeline. Three times.)

Then I finally decided that I didn’t need to gild the lily. I’d just knit until I was almost out of yarn and then bind off. I played around with different bind-offs. Then something magical happened. Dare I say, I think I’ve come up with a new bind-off! (Actually, two! Eep!) You can watch the video for Bronwyn’s Kfbf Bind-Off on my YouTube channel. I don’t think I’ve seen this bind-off before, but please let me know if you’ve seen it so I can give credit.

Cloud Gazer is available now in my Ravelry store. The pattern is on sale through May 18, 2019—no coupon necessary. However, if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get a coupon for 20% off any pattern in my store. And if you’re already a subscriber, be sure to check your email for your exclusive discount.