WIP Wednesday - Another Butterfly Shawl

I finally found something to use my handspun for! I'd originally thought to use it for a cowl or a scarf, but never quite found something that worked. All I knew was that I wanted to use all of it, but none of the scarves or cowls I'd found patterns for really appealed to me.

But as I was browsing around Ravelry for ideas, I came across this pillow case. I'd never really considered pillow-cases before for my handspun, as I'd somehow gotten fixed on the accessory idea, but suddenly it clicked, and I knew I had found the right pattern :) Weirdly enough the pattern was written to be knit in pieces! but that was easily remedied, and I decided to use the three-needle bind off for the end, so I only have to seam one side together :) I originally wanted to make some handy closure so I can get the pillow out again, but couldn't quite figure out a way that'd look nice, so I ended up just sewing it together with the pillow inside ;-)

I've wanted to knit a new version of the Butterfly shawl pretty much ever since I finished my last one last January. This weekend I finally cast on using SEVEN different colours :-D I love how vibrant it looks... although I am less thrilled with the 10500 ends I'll have to weave in ;) It'll be worth it though, and I'm trying to weave them in whenever I finish a colour-repeat (i.e. 12 ends), so I don't end up with having the weave them all in at the end.

Last week I offered to knit Dad a new scarf, to replace the one I knit earlier in my knitting career and which I suddenly realized was awfully thin and more of an autumn scarf than a proper winter one. I sent off a few patterns for him to choose between (scarves get boring - I wanted to make sure it was something I'd enjoy knitting) and without the slightest bit of a hint, he chose my favourite one! I went out to buy yarn on Monday, and have since gotten the first few stripes of the Penstripe scarf done.
It's wonderfully soft :) I think he'll like it.