Early spring in the mountains of the northeast usually means there is still a layer of snow on the ground. The melting snow is soft and slushy. The sunlight is bright and golden, robust enough to bring forth new life. Not like the brittle, fragile light of high winter – fleeting and gone so early in the day. The air is cool but not cold. It is a good time for wearing just a shawl. A shawl that you can wrap around to leave your hands free for work by tying it at your back.
Oona in her Tess of the d’Urbervilles Shawl
The corners are long enough so that you can wrap the shawl around your waist and tie it in the back – leaving your hands free.
Oona likes wraps and old-fashioned things and so I made this springtime shawl for her. Knit & crochet designer Kay Meadors very generously makes her Tess of the d’Urbervilles Shawl pattern available for a free download on Ravelry (if you knit and you aren’t already a member of Ravelry, do it, you’ll love it). I used a machine wash & dry pure wool yarn – Cascade 220 Superwash. The color is Spring Night. It was a fun and easy shawl to make.
Early spring also means newly shorn sheep and new lambs. These twins are one day old here.
The photos were taken with the Hipstamatic app using their new Mabel lens and Dixie film.
Loisaida Nest 
Hi Ileana! Your posts are wonderful and this shawl is great. Oona is a very lovely young woman and so pretty. Thanks for your blogs. xoxo from Margi
Margi, I’m so happy you are a reader! Thanks for this note, it made my day. You should know that Millie is fantastic and she has a fan base here. I get emails from people asking about her.
Iliana I LOVE this!! You have given me the project I’ve been looking for! So simple and practical. I get inspired by your posts- thank you for being so generous. Elissa Sent from my iPad
Hi Elissa, thanks for your note. So nice. If you knit this, use the Cascade yarn, it is a little bit springy (forgive the bad pun), so that you can tie it without stretching it out of shape.
Oh! And Oona is such a beautiful Tess! All the best.
Sent from my iPad
Where can I find this pattern? It is no longer on revelry. I would love to knit this.