Our Mother's Day Shawl 2023

Did I say Mother's Day shawl? I meant Mother's Day shawls, of course! That's right. We offer Zoe in two variations - one as a stole and one as a triangle shawl. Actually, we were going to save the shawl and publish it later, but then Marisa was so blown away by the samples that we decided without further ado to offer you both at the same time.

So now you can choose and see what fits better in your wardrobe. Do you prefer a stole or a triangular shawl? I favor the stole this time, even though I usually love wearing shawls. Material-wise, both versions are the same: Zoe is knitted double-threaded from Merino Baby by Pascuali and Cashmere Dreams by Lang Yarns. Since especially the yarn with cashmere content is price-intensive, we have created knitting kits with Merino Baby by Pascuali and Soft Silk Mohair by Knitting for Olive as an alternative. But let me tell you: The original combo is so, so cozy - the purest pleasure to knit and wear.

No matter what you decide: This year it's all about cables. Maybe we'll establish the motto "O'zopft is" - or what do you think, Maschenfein girls? Here's to a peaceful Mother's Day Knit-Along!

To make sure it stays peaceful and you don't despair while knitting the cables, Marisa has already prepared a couple of videos that will help you with knitting and also with a possible error correction. Because the fact is: Zoe is more a project for advanced knitters, the shawl is also a bit more complicated than the stole (but every cable is worth it, I promise!).

Of course, "advanced knitter" is a stretchy term. You don't necessarily have to have knit cables before, but for newbies to the knitting needles, Zoe is rather nothing (I ill offer an alternative for beginners below, so you can still knit a beautiful shawl for Mother's Day!).

Washing and blocking must be!

For both the shawl and the stole, several groups of stitches intersect - so we highly recommend using a cable needle to work with. For the shawl, you also work with increases, starting from the long center. Be careful with the final blocking! Don't let the shawl go in the wrong direction afterwards...

Washing and blocking is essential for both variants. Because only then the pattern unfolds its true beauty. To ensure that Zoe keeps its shape while drying, it is advisable to work with blocking wires. Thread them through the respective edges and then fix them to your mats with comb or T-pins. After all, two meters in length (for the stole) or width (for the shawl) need special attention!

Once you have decided on a variant in the form, of course comes the question of all questions: Which color variant may it be? We had our samplers and stoles knitted in light and dark blue, green, gray, red and wool white (thanks to Sibel, Louisa, Marta, Sandra, Lina and Silvie!).

But how about a very delicate rose quartz shade? Or a bright yellow (Marisa knits this, for example)? Jule has put together color combinations for you in all kits, so that you get the best matching colors for both yarns.

The official end of our Knit-Along is May 7. Then you'll have plenty of time to wash and block your knit before handing it over to its new owner on Mother's Day.

Of course, you don't have to be finished by then and of course you can keep Zoe yourself. The date is rather meant as an orientation for all those who actually knit the Mother's Day shawl as a gift.

If you give Zoe as a gift, you can also use our banderole and the matching card. On it a dear greeting - ready is the perfect Mother's Day gift! And whether it's for your mom, a dear friend, or even yourself, it doesn't matter in the end. Either way, a homemade shawl is a true token of love.

You're really wild about a knit-along, but don't trust yourself with Zoe ? Then take another look at Luna . The shawl is from 2019, so it's only a few months younger than our first Mother's Day shawl, Zora. Both Luna and Zora are suitable for ambitious beginners at the knitting needles. Luna is made of plain and curly knit knit stitches, following the Fibonacci series. Fibo - what? Jaha, that's how I looked at the time. A little excursion into the still mysterious realm of mathematics: Leonardo Fibonacci was one of the most important mathematicians of the Middle Ages. The Fibonacci sequence, an infinite sequence of natural numbers, goes back to him. Yes, that's right. And yes, I for one admire people who implement it like that and drink an Aperol Sprizz with it in amazement.

It's funny: many knitters have a soft spot for math. I love knitting, but I only ever got through math because - in the words of one of my teachers - I could describe so beautifully what the problem was and why, unfortunately, I couldn't solve it. So you see: I have turned my strength into a profession.

What I'm also good in: spotting beautiful yarns. And that's why I only agree with Marisa that Grace by Lang Yarns is a wonderful alternative for the discontinued Sultano Fine by Rowan, which Marisa originally knitted for Luna . Grace is 60% silk and 40% cashmere, giving it the Maschenfein seal of approval. It is very similar to the original and - according to Lang - the softest yarn the Swiss yarn producer has ever made. Downer at this point: Grace is also a discontinued yarn as of this week. But the stock is still well filled and some Luna shawls can be knitted. And of course we will start looking for an alternative again.

Before I show you a few pictures of this year's knitted Mother's Day samples, an important announcement: The knitting label kolibri by Johanna is celebrating its third birthday these days! Johanna stands for cheerful colorful designs that simply make a good mood.

To celebrate their anniversary properly, there is a 25% discount on their self-published tutorials until tomorrow evening. You don't need a coupon - both on the homepage and on Ravelry the discount is already deposited.

Beautiful colorful with Kaos Yarn

By the way, our latest yarn acquisition fits perfectly to the designs. Creative chaos is sometimes quite conducive and if the yarns are then from Kaos Yarn, it's hardly better, right? Go colorful, I tell you! Have a look at the qualities here.

You want to know more about Johanna and her designs? Then you can already look forward to April. Because maybe I have something planned for you ...