If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Stephen West, it’s that the man loves an “-along.” I signed up for his summer camp-themed Yarn-Along this year, and I thought I would start with what looked like the easiest of the three shawl kits.
Yarn-Alongs (YALs) are different from knit-alongs in that the yarn is a fixed asset. In cases like Westknits’ Mystery Knit-alongs (of which I’ve done a couple), participants pick their own yarns. For the YAL, Stephen collaborates with independent yarn-dyers to create exclusive collections for each shawl pattern. Each delivery will also include themed extras. For example, this particular package came with stickers and a friendship bracelet kit.
The Camp Craft shawl appears simple at first glance. All garter stitch, with short rows, eyelets, a three-colour gradient fade, and an i-cord edge (i-cords being Stephen’s other great love, it seems). And on a technical level, it was a nice mindless project; good for multitasking, since I didn’t need to pay close attention.
But as the shawl grew, as Stephen’s shawl designs are wont to do, it became a test of wrist strength more than anything.
Stephen West’s designs are known for being a friendly challenge, whether it be crazy colour combinations, complex stitches, or a combination of both. This shawl’s three-part fade was supplied by Dark Omen Yarns in northern Italy. The cream to burnt orange spectrum was a choice I didn’t expect from West, being the human embodiment of a neon sign, though beautiful nonetheless.
Short rows are a knitting technique where instead of working all the way from end-to-end of a row, you stop short, turn your work around, and work back to where you started. It’s commonly used to shape sweater necklines, so the back sits higher than the front. I was no stranger to short rows as such, but when it’s nearly every single row of a massive shawl, it starts to get a little tedious.
The last step, the triangular short row border, makes the shawl feel like a sunburst on my shoulders. Even though they take months of work to finish, I love how expansive Stephen West’s shawls are. Camp Craft is no exception!
I’ll eventually finish the other two YAL kits, once my forearms get a well-deserved break.
Very pretty. Love the colors. Generally I find Stephen’s shawls too ambitious for me but this one is very nice. I did enjoy knitting his Spiraling Cables shawl.
That shawl is stunning. LOVE the colours!