There is something about light and ethereal lace shawls that seem just right for the warmer weather. Maybe it is that they can be carried so easily (scrunched into one's bag perhaps?) and on hand for any arctic blasts of airconditioning; maybe it is just the light covering they provide when the warm breezes cool in the evening....
In any event, Nim Teasdale's Schherazade's Tale is perfect.
The Design
Here is how Nim describes this lovely piece:
Scheherazade’s Tale is unique and dramatic.
Inspired by the heroine of the Thousand and One Nights, who told a tale so gripping it saved her life. Her story (a collection of stories, gathered from all over Asia over the course of many centuries) was full of dramatic cliffhangers and neat conclusions, all within the wider story arc of a woman dedicated to helping her sistren1.
These cycles of tension and rest are echoed in this beaded crescent shawl, with its unusual edgings which can be blocked into sunflower-like petals, or left to form gently ruffled points.
The pattern is highly adaptable:
***work a plain section first if you like
***beads if you want them
***continue smaller or larger sections to any size
***try lace to fingering weight
***adaptable sizing
The pattern is both written and charted.--- the shawl is worked top-down.
She recommends between 200 - 800 yards (183 - 732 m) of lace or fingering weight yarn -- her shawl was knit with 360.0 yards (329.2 meters) of a lace weight yarn.
******
It is very hard to predict how many beads you will need or want for this as there are so many choices in design that you will be making personally and uniquely for yourself. And while Nim does suggest where to put beads, it is really a matter of knitter's-choice. I looked at the Project Pages on Ravelry; some knitters used about 200 beads and some didn't specify.
You will notice in Nim's shawl, she used the smaller and more subtle 8/0 beads.
If you choose 6/0 beads, be aware that as these are larger they will stand out more dramatically but also as these are heavier, less is more especially when you don't want to add too much weight to a lace weight yarn and possibly distort the fabric over time.
Either will work and look gorgeous, in my oh-so-humble opinion.
