Bad Woman Wrap

My presentation of this FO is long-overdue. I wrapped up work on the Bad Woman Wrap about 6 weeks ago, blocked it, and have even been wearing it around the house. But she lacked a shawl pin and, in a somewhat uncharacteristically modest moment, asked me to wait for a public outing until she could make a proper appearance.

Pattern: Bad Woman Wrap by Lee Burrow (Shop Pattern available at Bad Woman Yarn)
Materials: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, 3 skeins (645 yards), in colorway 6246 Teal
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Started: May 25, 2008
Completed: June 8, 2008
Previously Blogged: Helluva Gal and 2008 LYS Tour

I absolutely adore this wrap. It's elegant and understated, with great drape and lines evoking a kimono.


For me, the Bad Woman Wrap offers a perfect balance of sure-footed solidity grounding the open, airiness of the YOs. The lighter-than-air fantasy offered by so many of the lace patterns I see people knitting—while often mind-bogglingly stunning—just doesn't suit me for anything approaching daily wear. For dress-up occasions, sure—but as a parent finishing a PhD, my chances of going out for an elegant night on the town are slim-to-none. . . . You're much more likely to find me in a dark corner of the library or hidden away in my office scribbling on the dissertation than engaging Seattle's prodigious nightlife. And besides, until I finish the dissertation, if I actually landed an opportunity to go out one evening, I'd need to direct myself to the office rather than Belltown.

Don't get me wrong! This doesn't mean the Bad Woman Wrap's all name but no naughty. She's definitely up for a night out. It's just that she also fits in very well at my office—housed in a classy Humanities center staffed by a group of women with sophisticated fashion sense—at home in my reading chair, or out walking the dogs. There's more to the Bad Woman than meets the eye. She's my kind of gal!


The Bad Woman's an easy knit: fast and loose. I enjoyed every minute of it and took her with me everywhere I went. Stealing random moments for a quick-but-satisfying rendezvous—even if only for a half row.

The YO section does bias, requiring a good wet-blocking. But I found that with a firm, steady hand, the Bad Woman fell into line.

I did edit the last few rows of the pattern, for symmetry's sake. The body section needs to end on a YO row. Then for edging, reverse the written instructions so you're knitting row 2 first instead of row 1 and ending with a purl bind-off.

And the shawl pin?

Gorgeous, no?!?!

I picked up this beauty at Bad Woman Yarn which, for my money, has the best selection of shawl pins in the city. This one's made by a Vermont artisan. It's glass—basically a translucent brown with swirls of color and slight opalescence (that was difficult to photograph in Seattle's evening light). I selected this pin for its chameleon-like quality: It looks completely different against other colors and promises to be a versatile addition to my wardrobe.

On an only slightly different subject, if you're in the market for great yarn deals, Bad Woman Yarn is in the middle of its 1-year anniversary sale—a month-long extravaganza featuring new yarn sales each week. Lee, store co-owner and designer of the Bad Woman Wrap, says that by the end of the month, every yarn in the store should be on sale. Even if you're not in Seattle, this might merit a call to the shop to see if that yarn you want for your next project is available.

Heck, what you really need to do is familiarize yourself with the color card for Berroco Ultra Alpaca, contact Bad Woman Yarn to find out what week the Ultra Alpaca will go on sale, and set a reminder to place your order then. Just know that the sale will only be for colors in stock. But if you do this, you'll get the yarn and the pattern for this great wrap. Do make sure you mention that you want the shop pattern to be included in the order! (And no, I don't work there or enjoy a financial relationship other than occasionally handing over my cash in exchange for their goods!)