new pattern | lenten moon shawl

The Lenten Moon Shawl is being launched today, Monday 9th March 2020, which is the March Full Moon, often referred to as the Lenten Moon, also known as the Plough Moon, Worm Moon or Chaste Moon.

Now I always thought that the name Lenten Moon referred to the fact that we are in Lent, and that is somewhat true but the word actually originates from the Old English word lencten, which means ‘spring’ and refers to the lengthening days of March.*

So today, in celebration of the moon and her magical influence on our lives, the Lenten Moon pattern is free and it will be free until the next Full Moon on Wednesday 8th April (Seed Moon).

THE PATTERN

Back in 2016 I was asked by Love Crochet magazine (sadly no longer in print) to design a circular shawl for their ‘Shawls and Wraps Collection’, issue 36.

The result was this gorgeous tropical themed shawl, using Cascade 220 aran weight yarn, totally inspired by the amazing Blue Curacao colourway which I think has been (weirdly) discontinued.

I was inspired to keep the main body of the shawl completely plain and then add colour and texture to the border.

Then, as with many of my patterns from this time, I completely forgot about this design. The sample had been returned, put away, and then ripped back so I could use the cream for another project.

So, as part of my long-term project of reviewing my pattern database, this one was at the top of the list for launching as a stand alone pattern, the only problem being that because I had unravelled the original sample (why?), I needed to make a second one and this time, for whatever reason, I went for 1980’s red!

Not satisfied with killing it in the groovy red, I also decided to completely copy the colours from my brother’s 1984 duvet cover and use grey, white and black for the border. I am deeply unsure about this colour combination but also feel strangely drawn to it?! Next thing you know I’ll be getting a perm and listening to Kajagoogoo again!

So this second sample was again made with aran weight yarn but this time I used Buddy Hemp yarn by Wool & The Gang and it worked up lovely, although at a slightly looser tension than the Cascade 220 and thus the finished shawl was also slightly bigger with an overall diameter of 110cm, compared to the diameter of 100cm for the Cascade 220 version.

The beauty of this shawl is you can use any weight yarn you like, just make sure you use a corresponding hook size and try not to mix yarn weights - so if you are using DK for the main section of the shawl then use DK for the border too.

The pattern works up big, like majorly substantial and this is because traditional circular shawls are meant to worn folded in half (see top image). However, my preference for the shawl, and I think a more modern alternative is to use it as a baby blanket or play mat - a cotton or acrylic yarn will work best in this instance for easy washing.

The pattern comes with both UK and US terminology and the full details of yarns (yardage, colours, order) for both samples.

The Lenten Moon pattern is free on Ravelry for this moon cycle, from Monday 9th March (Lenten Moon) to Wednesday 8th April (Seed Moon), no code needed.

*taken from The Almanac - a seasonal guide to 2020 by Lia Leendertz.