Maker's Note - Mo Troppo by Åsa Tricosa

The two things I like best about Åsa Tricosa’s new Mo Troppo shawl are the shape and the fabric. In my view, a light-weight long rectangle is one of the most wearable and practical shawl/wrap shapes one can have in their wardrobe. Rectangular wraps drape nicely over your shoulders like a pashmina. They wrap around your neck with the simplest loose loop or with as many wraps as it takes to feel warm. And they tuck nicely into a handbag or tote, ready to be worn at a moment’s notice and set aside just as easily.

For knitters, however, the long rectangle can be a bit of a slog, with seemingly miles and miles of knitting required for a rather simple outcome. Not so with Mo Troppo! Åsa’s design has enough variety to keep you engaged and eager for the next sections. Beginning with the provisional Winding Cast On (a Tricosa favorite) knit in a way to create a folded hem to start, you knit your way through a cheery segment of stripes all the while maintaining a spine created with a double decrease and corresponding increases along the edges.

Once this first asymmetrical edge is created and the fun of the stripes has worn off, it’s time to begin the main body of the shawl - a field filled with beautiful lily stitches. If this is your first foray into simple textures, you’ll find that the lily stitch is a fine place to start. Åsa provides a full page of well-photographed, detailed steps showing each maneuver involved in creating the stitch. Your reward once each lily stitch segment is complete? A short section of easy-going stockinette stitch.

Here are some things to know skill-wise to decide whether or not this is a good project for you to tackle.  You’ll want to be familiar and comfortable with slipping stitches, passing stitches over each other and knitting into the back leg of stitches. You’ll also learn and use the Lifted increase, one of my favorites since it is as close to invisible as an increase can be. Åsa provides written instructions AND charts so if you are wary of charts, she has you covered.

Our Celebration Kits, available for a limited time only, include tutorial postcards for the lifted increase as well as the provisional winding cast on.

Needles Up!