I admit, I have always thought of geraniums as a somewhat “tacky” flower. They are so very red, almost garishly so. But when I saw them in Christina’s kitchen, they suddenly made perfect sense. In that dim room, the red wasn’t overly bright—it was necessary. It wasn’t too long after my visit that I bought the reddest geranium I could find and plopped it in my front window, where I now constantly deadhead and generally fuss over it year-round, just as I imagine Christina might have done.

Winters in Maine are long and gray, in need of a burst of color as much as the Olson’s kitchen. Knit up in the most geranium-y red I have found, this cheerful shawl invokes both the spirit and the shape of Christina’s geraniums to brighten even the dreariest winter day.

The shawl is worked from the center outward, increasing by 10 stitches every 4th row. Yarnover/ decrease pairs are worked on non-increase rows to maintain the openness of the lace. The curved edge of each “petal” is worked separately.