As I write this post, I have to own up to still basking in the glory of finishing my second pi shawl. For starters, the stitch detail in this pattern is incredible, which means the project required a lot of focus to complete. AKA it required lots of counting, chart checking and zero distractions (not a project to work on while watching TV or participating in zoom calls). Next, it’s a deceptively large shawl where moving onto the next chart also means at least doubling your stitch count. This means that the further along in the project you get the longer it takes to complete a row, something that should have been obvious before I got started. Finally, this was a project with a deadline which means that the break I took from the project lead to a period of “you can’t knit anything else”.

Leaves of Grass has been on my radar more or less since I originally joined Ravelry. It’s a gorgeous pattern that’s influences speak to my inner wood elf, and a pattern that I’ve owned for years before finally sitting down to knit it. If I’m being honest, this was not my original choice of project when I learned that I would have the privilege of working with Woolstok Light to help promote it as a Blue Sky Maker. Having worked a lot with Woolstok over the years, I actually planned on knitting a light weight colorwork sweater with the new yarn. As my sample skein sat on my craft table and I waited for the colors I picked out to come in, I found myself coming back to Leaves of Grass. Unlike Woolstok, Woolstok Light is a single ply yarn. This doesn’t mean it’s not usable for colorwork projects (check out the Bainbridge Tam and Cowl!), but it does mean that it had the potential to be beautiful for lace projects.

Minus using a needle that had me slightly off gauge, I’m very happy with the way this shawl turned out! Woolstok Light is spun with multiple colors of yarn that combine to create the color that you see. This technique provides a level of depth that you can’t get with yarns that have been dyed using a tonal technique or with single colored skeins. In addition to the stitch definition provided by the single ply, the shawl also has a light halo (which I love!).

My only word of caution, which is really a “here’s another use of this yarn”, is that I think it will felt very easily. I worked the final two chart repeats with (incredibly) hot hands and my final stitches along the edge did join together a little bit. Also, split splicing to join a new skein of yarn takes like three seconds.

I don’t see myself reaching for the Leaves of Grass pattern again any time soon (although I did seriously consider knitting on in a worsted weight yarn during chart C), but never is a long time and you never know!