Knitting patterns often refer to the “right side” and the “wrong side” when they’re describing the rows we knit.

For garments that seems logical, the right side is the side that is worn on the outside and the wrong side is the one that sits against our skin.

But what about shawls?

As we drape them over our shoulders, snuggle them around our neck and loop them to sit “just so”, the right side often disappears, and the wrong side flips so that it’s visible.

It can all get a bit topsy turvy, and for some knitters, it’s enough to put them off shawls.

But should we worry about which side is out and which is in? What if we rethought the whole right side/wrong side thing?

REMEMBER, YOU’RE THE BOSS OF YOUR KNITTING, AND THAT INCLUDES SHAWLS

What if we decided that there was no right side or wrong side. What if we decided that our shawl just had DIFFERENT sides? Each as fabulous and perfect for showing off as the other.

Would that change things?

Take another look at your shawl. Spread it out and (cultivating all your kindest feelings!) check out the side that we usually call the back. Does it have its own rhythm and pattern? Could we find it in our hearts to say that it’s gorgeous even though it’s not the norm?

IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE, SQUINT YOUR EYES A LITTLE …

I think we could do it.

I think deciding we’re the boss of our shawl’s “right side” and “wrong side” is another of those little life lessons that knitting can teach us.

Embracing something out of the norm in our knitting can help us see that if we change our expectations and summon all our bravery, there is beauty in life where we never expected it to be.

And, if we want to, we can embrace that beauty, and rock our shawls no matter which way they fall.