Twins!

They're not both for me.  I'm selfish, but really, I can only use so many shawls.

They're not identical twins, they're fraternal.  And isn't it weird to use the word fraternal, even when the twins involved are sisters, not brothers?  I digress.  The point is, these two shawls share a lot of DNA.  They're made by the same person (me), from the same pattern (the Elise shawl), and around the same time (February -OMG, I made them and blogged them in the same month!).

They were also made for sisters.  Specifically, for me and my sister.  Unsurprisingly, being my publicly acknowledged muse didn't really satisfy my sister.  And being a younger sister, she was not at all shy about frequently letting me know just how unhappy she was.  If you have a younger sister, and she's the baby of the family, you know what I mean.  And if you are a younger sister, you also know what I mean.  We older sisters know that you do it deliberately.

Her birthday is in the month of February, so I crocheted her a shawl as a birthday gift.  This pattern is awesome.  It works up quickly, it's free, you can make it with pretty much any kind of yarn, its free, and you can easily customize it by changing the edging, adjusting the size, adjusting the hook size, etc. etc.  And did I mention that its free?

If this chair were cold, it could throw on a shoulder shawl....

Her shawl was a lot of fun to make. I think that's why its easier for me to be generous with crocheted items, versus sewn items.  Crochet is like therapy for me, it calms me down; I enjoy the process.  And because I made a shawl, I didn't have to worry about how it would fit; my only concern was would she like it.  

A crab stitch edging seemed suitable.
No, I'm not saying that my sister is crabby.

As much as I enjoyed making it, I had no desire to keep it, because all of the decisions were made with her in mind - what color to use, what edging, and most importantly, what size.  Honestly, I don't enjoy wearing shoulder shawls.  They're a little fussy and they constantly demand attention, as they move with every move you make.  For my sister, however, it was perfect.  

or tie on a neck scarf.

So that the party with this pattern could continue, I crocheted a neck scarf for me.  Smaller yarn, smaller hook, and smaller size.

Beaded edging.  I love beads.  Did I mention that before?

Now her birthday has passed, and we're both happy.  Hmm, if we went out together, both wearing our shawls, I wonder if we'd pass for twins.