Nordic Shawl

The dressmaker’s dummy always wears these triangular wrap things with such aplomb. I myself am never quite sure what to do with the long ends. Tying at the front makes me feel matronly, and wearing like a poncho makes me feel short. It’s too big to be a scarf. There’s this, where you just tie the ends at the back and get on with your day, but that always leaves most of the front of me uwrapped, and then my bellybutton gets cold. I think the real secret to my pulling off something like this is to wear it like the French, to just fling it around my neck, like I don’t even care, letting the ends go where they will. Insouciance. Everything about me is fabulous. I know I look good, I don’t have to keep fussing about it. That’s the trick.

This is the beautiful Nordic Shawl. I used fingering weight yarns because that’s what I had in the cupboard, and I wish I’d gone down a hook size or two, because the drapeyness level is a little high. The scritchy Araucania Ranco needed a bath, so I wet-blocked it, which of course makes yarn relax—yep, this thing is relaxed, all right. Drape city. The pretty colorwork section is all draped out. Naturally, I am in love with it. It’s one of those thingamabobs that isn’t a scarf, nor a blanket, nor a poncho. It’s a thingy. A big, floppy, comfy thingy that I can just fling around my shoulders and look great.

Over a column dress with boots, I think. With some kind of serious-looking leather tote, and a big bangle bracelet. A good manicure. A little bit of attitude. Nice.