Rushing of the Waves

The inspiration for these two designs – Rusing of the Waves: shawlette and shawl – came about from a poem by Menella Bute Smedley (1820-1877). This excerpt of the overall poem explains about the terrors of sea voyages for those left at home.

The shawlette is for the short voyages, when the sailor was only out for a couple of weeks, maybe a month. It’s mostly the frothy crest of the waves, but the wife knows that the sea is dark and may steal her happiness.

The shawl is for the longer voyages … the months of waiting to spot the ship coming back to port. The shawl starts out light, but the long months stretch out, creating fear that the sailor is not coming home. The bit of white extending down the edge of the waves represents the bit of hope that remains even in the darkest hour.

For the shawlette: MC = 2.5 oz (225 yds), CC2 = 2 oz (185 yds)

For the shawl: MC = 1 oz (95 yds), CC1 = 1 oz (95 yds), CC2 = 2 oz (185 yds), CC3 = 3.2 oz (300 yds), CC4 = 6 oz (575 yds)