Stars In A Midnight Sky Shawl

The yarn that I used for this shawl is called Midnight, and it is hand dyed on an UltraLuxe(15% cashmere) base by Dani at Sunshine Yarns.  I have become a devoted fan of Sunshine yarns since I discovered them. Dani, who was affected by the floods near Boulder, Colorado, has a color sense that suits my tastes perfectly, and her base yarns are divine. Her yarns have become my favorite yarns of all time, and I am carefully gathering a stash of them. This is what Dani says of this UltraLuxe yarn base:

"A delicious single-ply blend that you are sure to fall in love with! With 75% superwash merino, 15% cashmere and 10% silk, you will get incredible durability, softness and sheen. Needle size 2-4 US or 2.5 to 3.5 mm, and 6-7.5 stitches per 1 inch. Each skein is approximately 420 yards/100 grams. Handwash delicate and dry flat."

It was difficult for me to get a good image of this yarn because it is so dark and rich. A true, deep midnight blue with hints of lighter color that reminds me of stars. The image below is probably the closest to reality, but reality is darker and richer looking

Fairly close to the true color, although it is still darker - it's almost black it is such a dark blue.

The pattern is called the Geology Shawl by Very Busy Monkey, but I have to admit to doing a bit of "changing-it- up" in places. I had tried this shawl earlier this year, and it was a frustrating business for me. There were so many different stitch patterns involved (6), and many that I had never done. Of course, I like a challenge too, and so it did not take me long to give it another, much more successful go. I think loving the feel of this yarn was a big help. I couldn't put it down! It looks really nice on, but I have not decided if it will stay here or be a gift. We'll see. In the meantime I am finishing up a new cowl made from an interesting yarn called "Patina" from Skacel yarns. It's rayon content makes it shimmer. More on that soon!

A bit too much purple in this image- and not dark enough, but the patterning shows up well!

A bit too light as compared to the real thing, but it's a good general idea if you can imagine a much deeper midnight color.