St. Ninian's

On the very last day we were on Shetland, we visited Saint Ninian's Beach. It was on the way to the airport, a slight detour. But worth every minute of it. This beach is special because it's a tombolo. It's a sand bridge between 2 pieces of land/rock and the ocean meets the beach on 2 sides.

We were in luck, the sun was shining, it was windy, so lots of waves.

Halfway down, we spotted a seal. It was keeping it's eye on us too. He dove under, came up, spotted us and disappeared in a wave and came up a bit further.
He noticed we came closer and closer... Then he went under and never (seem) to come up again.
Until Amy turned around and saw he made a run for the other side of the water behind us!
He left his prints on the beach..

An amazing goodbye for such a pretty island.

When I came home, someone asked me to knit a shawl with the famous cockle shell pattern. I decided, because it's directional, that the shawl needed to be knit in 2 parts. When that was done, I grafted it in the center, looked at it, and in an instant St. Ninian's came up in my mind...

So.. there you have it. A wonderful experience, a great island, an old pattern and a stunning lace shawl..

The yarn is Merino, Silk, Cashmere in lóvely Dark Red Roses (one of a kind skein).

 The shells meet in the center; when you wear this shawl the shells go in the same direction.

 Pattern will be available December 1, 2012

Pattern: St. Ninians (written and charted)
Design: MoniqueB.
Yarn: 1030m or 1120y  Merino/silk/cashmere 70/20/10 Dark Red Roses OOAK Dye For Wool
Needles: 3,25mm or US 3
Size: 195cm x 73cm or 79" x 29"
Start: Nov 3 2012
Done: Nov 19 2012