Allow me to introduce you: this is my Tatto shawl. Just like the original by designer Paulina Popiolek, my slightly asymmetrical triangle scarf in garter stitch spoils me with its wonderfully soft and voluminous texture. It's the same size, too. However, it looks completely different. I'm referring not only to the autumnal, warm colours but also to the partially divergent stripe gradients.
My Tatto shawl had not been planned long beforehand. It is not even really thought out. But rather the surprising result of a spontaneous relaxed knitting experience, which I scrammed in on very short notice. For the World Wide Knit in Public Day, on which I wanted to knit outside in the city, I needed something new on the needles in a hurry. And that hadn't occurred to me until the night before. So I scoured my stash and the knitting patterns on our website. To find something uncomplicated that could be knitted with yarn I had on hand. And, of course, it should look harmonious.
So first, I selected yarns of the same type, in colours that I like together: I found Lovely Merino Treat in Red Beech, Amethyst, Caramel, Tea and Cream. Now I just needed an idea of what to do with it. After lots of knitting for babies and dolls from leftovers, I still had the scraps of scraps. There was a total of 340 grams in front of me on the kitchen scale - the equivalent of more than three skeins. Maybe enough to knit myself a nice accessory with? With the help of the filter, I searched for a pattern that met the criteria Lovely Merino Treat, shawls and simple. And that's when Tatto popped up. I thought, yes, a striped triangular shawl is fun to knit and also adds colour to plain outfits.
Recently, we started adding the information on how much yarn is needed in grams for our own patterns (and also for the patterns of indie designers in the shop, if we have the info), not just skeins. This is extremely helpful if you want to use up existing yarn supplies. For Tatto, it says:
You will need 4 skeins of Lovely Merino Treat: 2 skeins (155g) in colour A, 1 skein (95g) in colour B and 1 skein (80g) in colour C.
We get the numbers by weighing the test knits or the yarn used per colour and then extrapolating for the different sizes. Then add the amount of yarn needed for the gauge swatch - in the most sensible place possible- to the number of skeins, and: Voilá. But let's return to my Tatto shawl.
I didn't have four skeins available, but after adding up the amounts of grams, I knew that my yarn was precisely enough to knit the full-size shawl. True, I had five colours instead of three and a completely different distribution of quantities. But at least I could use the instructions for my shawl as a basic framework, as a guide - and I was able to improvise with the colour and stripe sequence. That was good because I wanted to knit outside and talk to people, and constantly looking at the instructions would have been a hindrance. A few relaxed knitting sessions later, I held my finished Tatto shawl in my hands - and must say: It is super cuddly and warm. And it contains the colours of the sweaters of my three loved ones. I really like it!
Maybe you also feel like giving free rein to your ideas. Just take a look at what you have in your stash, take advantage of our gram-precise quantities and feel free to modify a design according to your preferences or existing yarn selection.
By the way, I could have easily made Tatto larger or smaller by knitting more or fewer rows - depending on preference and stash. With other shawls in simple patterns like garter stitch, like Drachenfels or Joyful, you can also easily adjust the size. So it doesn’t always depend on whether you have a few grams more or less - but on your desire to create and improvise.
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