At last I can share a few photos of Osebury Rock, my final creation from Ysolda’s 2015 Shawl Club. Osebury Rock is a rustic colorwork pattern that was delightfully fun to knit. I completed this project whilst my husband entertained me with plot twists, assassination attempts, and political intrigue in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

(Note: there is actually one more pattern left to go in the shawl club, a beautiful and complex lacework piece called Lunna Voe. But since I didn’t have a chance to begin working on Lunna Voe in 2015, I’ll consider it a part of 2016’s knitting adventures.)

Dulcinea is not modeling this particular installment of Ysolda’s Shawl Club because I turned the pattern into a pair of legwarmers, and legwarmers are not the sort of thing any sane dog likes to wear. Happily, my kitty Snowy is here to pick up the slack.

Like the rest of the shawls in Ysolda’s club, Osebury Rock showcases a custom-dyed British yarn, while the name of the pattern references an interesting geological feature related to the provenance of the yarn.

Osebury Rock (also known as Rosebury Rock) is a cliff on the River Teme, said to be a domain of the Fey, and I’m guessing the jagged geometric colorwork in Ysolda’s pattern pays homage to those fairy-haunted rock formations. The yarn itself has a more homey inspiration: Jon Dunn-Ballam of Easyknits.uk dyed the squishy Polwarth-Merino yarn in rich, gem-like colors meant to evoke yummy roasted vegetables.

I must say that Ysolda’s shawl club has been a lot of fun. For each installment, I worked hard to avoid seeing any spoilers, so every package arriving from Scotland by Royal Mail has contained a complete surprise. I like surprises, I love special fibers, and I enjoy mastering new techniques. But the best part of the shawl club has been the unexpected bonus: learning some of the history and mythology and geology related to each pattern and yarn.