Wingspan, a shawl? a scarf?

If you knit and are a member of the Ravelry community (a free site with lots of help, lots of ideas, lots of patterns for knitters and crocheters) you probably have seen or heard of the Wingspan shawl or scarf. I'd post a link, but non-members wouldn't be able to see the pattern there. You could Google "wingspan scarf" or "wingspan shawl" and choose images to see lots of examples.

Hopefully I won't bore the non-knitters as I say that this is an easy pattern featuring garter stitch and short rows. It can be done in any weight yarn and the pattern suggests adjustments for a few weights.

I have been trying NOT to amass hordes of yarn. I do have yarn from various shops that has yet to be worked into anything more than a ball, but when I go to the knitting group, sometimes twice a week, I need to work on yarn purchased at the store that hosts the group. That is only fair, and not a complaint on my part, but it means that the untouched yarn at home remains untouched while working on a shop project.

A while ago I needed a new project to work on in group and didn't want to purchase new yarn. I had sock yarn from the store but wasn't in a sock knitting mood. There were projects that might have interested me but required more yarn than I had available. What to do, what to do.....

Aha! Time to knit the Wingspan pattern!

I used  this Ty-Dy yarn from Knit One, Crochet Too

Color: Cherry Cola #1233

According to yardage, I should have been able to get 8 full repeats before ending with four rows of garter stitch the width of the shawl and binding off. I tried weighing the yarn after part way through the project on a digital postal scale but either that was off or my calculations were. Wait...I didn't just say that....it must have been the scale! Just like that darn scale in the bathroom!

* Ahem *

Anyway, I will be wearing this as a scarf so the size doesn't matter. Here is my finished project. I guessed correctly when I stopped short in knitting the last section and finished off with two rows of garter stitch before binding off (the inner curve in this layout). I had 8" of yarn left. Gulp! That was close!

I will make this again because it was such a relaxing project while watching TV or carrying on conversation. This particular self striping yarn isn't my favorite color wave but I will wear it with beiges and browns this winter. They aren't the best colors near my face and the reds and pinks should brighten the look.

Here is an example of Wingspan using a yarn that stripes, but is more subtle.

And lastly, here is a lace variation that I want to try soon.

 See ewe by the pool with a cold drink and a cool project!