FO :: Bridgewater Triangle ::

Just when I wanted to set a link to this wonderful shawl I had knitted for myself back in June and July I discovered that I hadn’t ever posted anything about it. How is this even possible?

Brooklyn Tweed’s Bridgewater shawl had caught my eye back when it first appeared online. It is the iconic Shetland shawl – but with a bit of a contemporary appeal, as is the norm for a Jared Flood design.

Bridgewater Triangle in FairAlpaka Fingering

What in the end motivated me to cast on for this shawl was the arrival of a new yarn. I had discovered this company – FairAlpaka – who specialized in baby alpaca and was selling in bulk (200 grams for the lace weight quality/300 grams for the thicker yarns) for a very attractive price. On the Internet people were applauding the yarn quality – soft, no itchy fibers, lovely colors. And the ethics behind it are certainly commendable. I’ve always had trouble with alpaca – didn’t like knitting with it, didn’t care for spinning it, couldn’t really wear it because it made me itch. I still went and bought a bag of fingering weight burgundy red baby alpaca. Crazy, huh?! But isn’t it pretty?

FairAlpaka Fingering, burgundy heather

After some deliberating I decided to make a go of the Bridgewater shawl – but 300 grams of yarn would not get me a large enough square shawl. It would make a nice big triangular shawl though. Which is what I did. Just worked half the pattern, basically and ended up with a nice sized shawl.

Bridgewater shawl in progress

My verdict about the yarn: This is by far the nicest alpaca yarn I’ve ever worked with. I was prepared to put this shawl into the gift box because I would not be able to wear it. But alas, it does not itch! I can wear it around my neck without going crazy. I was stunned. My only complaint would be that the yarn bled like crazy in the wash.

Details Bridgewater Triangle

Sooza’s Bridgewater Triangle on Ravelry

• Pattern: Bridgewater Shawl by Jared Flood – Worked half of center, 3 edge stitches alongside the frame
• Needles: 4mm
• Yarn: 200 g FairAlpaka Fingering, burgundy heather
• Size: wingspan about 190 cm, depth 95 cm

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