Islandic/Danish/Swedish/English/South African shawl

This shawl started it's life as a boast. My mother picking up an Icelandic-looking shawl in a Danish yarn shop, asking me whether I could make her one, and me boasting that of course I could. My mother duly purchased the pattern and yarn, then the fun began.

The first problem was that the pattern was in Danish. I could understand most of it, but wanted to be absolutely sure that I didn't misconstrue something crucial. Therefore I solicited the help of the very patient L, who is the only Danish knitter I know, and after a few emails we were all clear.

Thankfully this pattern is worked from the bottom up i.e. the cast-on row is the v of the shawl and you work towards the top/middle. This way, your rows get shorter and shorter as you work - rather than longer and longer which seems to be the traditional way of knitting a shawl (and incidentally makes the knitter lose the will to live near the end).

The only problem was that either I was doing something fundamentally wrong, or the pattern wasn't 100% correct. I just couldn't seem to make the number of stitches add up. Still, after *a little* free styling on the pattern front (and about 10 months later), the shawl was finally finished!

Here it is pre-blocking:


During blocking:


And hanging out after blocking:

In the end I think it's safe to say that this shawl has a rather international flavour: Inspired by Iceland, purchased in Denmark, begun in Sweden, worked on in England and finished in South Africa!