POTZBLITZ! This German word is an oldfashioned and charming exclamation of surprise, wonder and wow! The compound word consists of the term „Potz“, which, as I just learned, is a corruption of the word „God“ from medieval times, and „Blitz“, which means lightning. There is a bright yellow lightning bolt zigzagging down the centre of the shawl – hence the name. The crocheted dots, remaining of rain drops and sparks, are crochted after finishing the whole shawl, so you can postpone the decision where to put them. Also the size is up to you, as the shawl is worked sideways.

The original wool I used is the hand dyed merino wool 300 from “bunte wolle” in Marschacht.
You can use different yarn with other yardage, but I advise not to use a yarn too thick as the shawl will be too heavy and unmanageable. You will need about 400 to 500 g yarn. Here are some interesting yarn alternatives:

• Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK
• Wollmeise Pure
• Malabrigo Arroyo
• Malabrigo Rastita
• Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend Semi-Solid
• Rowan Pure Wool 4 Ply

Knitting level: Hmm ... as the shawl is knitted in garter stitch, it's not demanding, but the construction and the details ask for some experience and patience. Nevertheless, as the pattern is very very detailed, for adventurous beginners who are not afraid of long patterns and who want to advance further in their knitting skills, it might be a nice project.

These knitting and crocheting techniques you already master:

• Knitting: cast on, knit, purl
• Crocheting (for the bobbles): chain stitch, double crochet stitch

Included tutorials:

• decreases, increases
• pick up stitches
• i-cord
• crochet bobbles

Have fun knitting, yours Steffi from cats&hats