in between the business, i shared my shawl with a fellow shawl loving co-worker and told her how i discovered what i really needed was a poncho when she said, "make your shawl into a poncho. it's a rectangle so just sew up the sides and leave a space for your head to slip through." well, duh! here i had been looking at patterns that basically did just that and never once thought of applying it to my shawl.
which is why i love being at the LYS. because while we sit and knit and chat, i may discover a solution to a problem i have encountered; or see a yarn or pattern differently due to the way someone else is using it; or i become inspired to try something out of the ordinary or more challenging; or i learn to do something in a new or improved way. no matter what it is, it is always fun.
so this evening, i sewed up one side of my shawl and converted it to a poncho. and it worked! it may get a few stares because of there being a ruffle along one side or because, despite my best efforts, the pinstriping does not line up, but oh well. as a poncho it will stay in place and keep me warm. which is what my intention was when i made it. all i needed was a new way of seeing it.