A Real Wool-peddler's Shawl

Here's the part where I cast about for someone else to blame.  I choose the Scarlet Knitter and her red Tehri shawl.  I thought I liked the subdued Tehri-variations on Cheryl Oberle's Wool-peddler's Shawl, a la Kay Gardiner. Months ago though, when I saw the Scarlet Knitter's version, I lost my heart.  I wanted a red shawl, except I really didn't want to knit another Tehri version.  The green shawl was languishing while I tried to steel myself to frog it.  To cast on, even for a red version, seemed foolhardy.

In Folk Shawls, Cheryl Oberle notes that what made a Wool-peddler recognizable in the crowded market was the color of her shawl.  It was red.  As far as I was concerned, that meant I could cast on any shawl and as long as it was red it would still be a wool-peddler's shawl.

So I cast on for Mara from Madelintosh, a most aggravating pattern.  It's free, and sometimes you get what you pay for. Poorly written to begin with, the new versions that purported to address errors in earlier versions did not. Even more annoying, the directions were (and still are, at least on Version 4) for a variation of the shawl pictured on the pattern. Not pleasant, not pleasant at all.  Thank heavens for the Raveller's who figured out the the pattern and posted enough information for the rest of us to actually knit it.  Much as I love the yarn, I will think twice, or possibly ten times, before I knit another Madelintosh pattern.

With all that said, behold the Mara shawl. 

Proof positive that while I've been trying to get back to the blog, I've been knitting. Miracles do happen. 

Not blocked.  No ends sewn in.  So I can't give final dimensions nor properly call it a finished object, yet.

Pattern: Mara by Madelintosh (go look at the projects on Ravelry first, as in do some extensive research).
Yarn: Madelintosh, Tosh Vintage in Tart, 4 skeins and the start of a fifth for the bind-off because I was too lazy to rip back and reclaim the yarn and had an extra skein, anyway.
Needles:  Addi Turbo circulars, 40" by the end, US 9/5.5 mm. 

Changes:  I've decided I don't like holes in my solid fabric shawls anymore, so I did mirror imaged M1 increases, lifting the bar from the front for the two increases before the center stitch and from behind for the two after the center stitch.  Once I finished the K1P1 section, I only increased stitches at the edges, not up the center.The ribbing along the edges is not 2 by 2 as specified in the pattern, its P2,K2,P1,K1 up until the center spine, then mirror-imaged. 

Isn't it beautiful?  Now you know the source of my desire for a red sweater.