One day at work Birch IM'd me and asked if I wanted to go to a very fancy work dinner with her. Of course! I love dressing up. Of course, all my fancy clothes are pre-kid and don't fit. I found an awesome dress at Goodwill. All it needed was a little mending (thanks Gwyn!) and a shawl. I only had a week, so it needed to not be too complicated. After much Ravelry searching, I decided on Variation on a Frill from knitty, done in Athena Socks that Rock.
One skein was just the right length (good thing as that is all I had). The red highlights in the black yarn went great with the red dress. The dropped stitches made such a great drapey frill that I want to make a skirt for dancing using just the frill part of the pattern.
And it's a good thing I didn't make a gold shawl; I wouldn't want to match the chairs. I am wearing this shawl today over my sweater - it's not just for fancy occasions.
The other shawl is Madli's Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. It took a lot more than a week. I started it March 2009. The "nupps" (estonian bobbles) took a little getting used to but were fun.