Some projects need more time and effort than anticipated. Those are often the most rewarding ones as they required so much perseverance. It’s exactly what happened here. I haven’t been that happy with a shawl for a very long time but I went to a bit of pain to finish it.

what is it?

I have a lot of shawls, in my wardrobe (and I mean it, a lot…) but I really only wear 2 or 3 on a very regular basis: my Masgot and my Solaris for instance. As this new one, they are all quite neutral in colors and therefore, easy to associate. This pattern has been created by the amazing Mélanie Berg: Caress my soul… even the name is beautiful!
I had a crush on it since I saw the first pictures on Instagram whilst Mélanie was still knitting it. Ever since, I was waiting for its release and I bought it straight away when it was finally out.

Caress my soul has the perfect shape for a shawl in my opinion: a very wide half moon. You have to increase by 6 stitches every 2 rows so this shawl is growing super fast.  At the end, you get a super wide shawl (2m70 length) but not too wide (40cm). It is very easy to wear as a scarf.

As always with Mélanie, the pattern is crystal clear. No problem at all. However, the lace pattern is not as easy as I though it was. I was convinced that it was the exact same one as my Cocot jumper, but not quite. The chat by itself is not complicated but there is a special stitch which requires a bit of strength. I am knitting continental and sometimes, it is tricky for some specific stitch. At the end, my hands and wrists were in pain.
And trust me, it is a long knit. You got more than 500 stitches when you start the lace.
I enjoyed knitting this project but I was pretty happy when I finally finished the bind-off.

what is it made of?

A big shawl means a lot of yarn to knit it. Caress my soul requires a lot of yarn, 3 skeins of fingering for me. It is meant to be knitted with a sport weight yarn but I used some of my stash and fingering was as good anyway. I have used my 3,75 Chiaogoo needles to increase the drape (instead of recommended 3.5).

I used 2,5 skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Glazed pecan colourway. I am in love with this shade, so vibrant.

Is it modified?

Not at all.

how long did it take?

It took me exactly 17 days to knit this shawl, even thought it felt longer. 🙂

are you happy with it?

I am beyond happy, I am ecstatic with my Caress my soul, you have no idea! It literally brightens my days when I wear it.
It feels so good when you take your shawl out of the blocking mat, try it on and just melt on how much you’re happy with it!