Shawlette Knit-a-Long

I've been wanting to try knitting a small shawl, or shawlette, for a while now.  Although I've never thought of myself as someone who would wear a shawl, I do wear scarves a lot.  The shawlette might be a good fit for office and church wear.

When the Beginner's Knit-Along group I belong to on Ravelry announced a shawl KAL, I jumped at the opportunity.  They suggested two different designs - the Garter Stitch Shawl, and the New Oaklet Shawl, both free patterns on Ravelry.  I like both designs, but decided on the Oaklet.  There is some yarn already in my stash that is perfect for this project, and I could get started right away.

So I did.

But beginning turned out to be harder than I expected.  Despite the pattern's detailed instructions, I restarted at least 7 times.  

Finally I happened upon a youtube tutorial by Knitting Pipeline that helped immensely. She suggested using double pointed needles instead of circulars for the first few rows, and her way of picking up stitches for the garter tab worked for me.

Here is a photo of my shawlette so far.  

I am surprised by how excited  I am about this project.