December weather calls for a cozy project of the month! We wanted to take this month to highlight one of our favorite store samples. Bundle up in Andrea Mowry’s Nightshift Shawl!

This project is a gorgeous 6-skein color shifting shawl that perfectly captures a handspun look no matter what yarn you use.  Our staff used our very own Nightshift Shawl Kits to capture this colorful, marbled effect.

Techniques

The Nightshift is a just beyond-the-basics knit, a perfect next step on your knitting journey! The pattern uses slip stitches to create a simple colourwork look, and a stockinette front for a textured finish. 

Handspun Look

Mowry’s Nightshift is designed to give a homemade look, without necessarily using handspun yarn. While there are some great results using variegated and tonal yarns (like Malabrigo Rios), the pattern calls for dyed-in-the-wool yarn, a technique that adds dye to the wool before it is spun. The results are a gorgeous, multicoloured-ply yarn that looks handspun! Spincycle Yarns is a great example of this technique.

As an alternative, we have used the Cascade 220 Superwash Waves, another marble-plied, color changing yarn.

Fibres:  100% Superwash Wool
Gauge:  20 – 22 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Needles:  4.0 – 4.5 mm (US 6 – 7)
Weight:  Worsted (4)
Length:  100 g / 220 yards (200 m)

More Color Changing Projects!

A staff favourite knit-wear designer, Andrea Mowry‘s collection contains numerous colour shifting patterns, including the smaller Shift Cowl.

Check out some of her other colour shifting patterns like the Shiftalong hat and Shifty pullover.

(Shift Cowl made by staff Janice in Cascade 220 Superwash Waves: 109 Roses, 108 Solar, and 101 Woodsy)