Knitting soothes the souls and clears the mind, bringing a sense of calmness and peacefulness. I crave knitting time, as I find it relaxing and soothing. When I set off on vacation to Europe, 3 weeks ago, I took knitting needles and yarn with me. About a week into our stay in Germany, I took a day off from touring to sit and knit. The effects of jet lag had taken it’s toll on me-and I just needed a day to stay off my feet. I cast on “All About Love”, a sweet little lace shawl, using my dark Gotland wool yarn, and I knit the first 20 rows.
From Germany, we traveled to the small island of Gotland, Sweden, which lies in the Baltic Sea. There, we sought out shepherds and their flocks of Gotland sheep-to learn from them. We visited with farmers by day, and I knit my Gotland shawl by night. In the mornings, I read, Gateway to Gotland, a book we found on a shelf in our Scandinavian cottage. The book told the secrets of the island, its history, its people, its landscape.
I knit the last rows somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean on our return home a week ago. Over the weekend, I cast off and blocked the shawl. Once again, I am in love with my Gotland yarn. Lighter than air, the shawl provides a gentle warmth across my shoulders, and will be a constant reminder of the kind and generous people I met while on Gotland Island.
Keep an eye on my blog for more posts and pictures to come from Gotland! In the mean time, pop over to instagram to take a peek at this wonderful little island, its sheep, and its people.
Would you like to knit this shawl too? You can purchase the yarn here at Gotland Wool Company and download the pattern for free here on ravelry!
Tales of More Gotland Wool Shawls:
Knitting Lace Shawls-Tricks of the Trade
So What’s the Big Deal About Knitting With Gotland?
Greetings to all those from Ginny’s Yarn Along and Nicole’s Keep Calm Craft On!
Leyla - Silk&Wool
I admire both the yarn and the shawl!
Kim Goodling
Thank you!
Carie
Oh how wonderful to have knit a shawl from gotland in Gotland – what a fabulous souvenir!
camilla
What an incredible shawl.
Lisa
Beautiful shawl and a lovely tale of your trip. We’ll be traveling to Scotland next year, Lord willing, where I plan to do a little yarn shopping…
Kim Goodling
While in Scotland, maybe you can connect with the shepherds that produce the yarn!
steph
can’t wait to read all about your trip (just returned from Scotland….we did just a wee bit of sheep-ish things)….lovely souvenir!
Kim Goodling
Oh Scotland!! That is on my list of places to visit too! 🙂
Amanda
What beautiful shawl with a wonderful story. Such a treasure. 🙂
Pom Pom
Wow! I popped to over to follow you on Instagram.
I love your shawl and I love the idea of you gleaning so much wisdom while on your trip!
karen
beautiful shawl 🙂 Love the lace edging.
Tonya
Oh so wonderful that you got to go and have those experiences. And I agree about the yarn just amazing to work with.
Debbie
it is just beautiful and what a history it has already!!!! i especially like the finishing clip!!!