The Opera Shawl

In the 1800s, Haapsalu, Estonia, was a classy place to summer. Society people from Germany, Sweden, and St. Petersburg would flock to the beautiful Black Sea beaches in Haapsalu. A cottage industry sprang up: Haapsalu women began knitting and selling fine lace shawls using stitch patterns straight from nature, such as lily of the valley stitch and birch leaf stitch. The tourists loved the shawls and snapped them up to wear back home at the opera. It was a way to stay connected to a place they loved all year long.

 

The Carrie Strand Opera Shawl is a modern take on the Haapsalu shawls of old. Using stitch patterns and colors plucked from the natural surroundings in Northern Michigan, the shawls tell a story of a beautiful place, one you can carry with you all year long. 

 

Each Opera Shawl is one of a kind, and each one tells a story. Find the story that fits you and wear it in the summer over a t-shirt on a cool evening, or in the winter layered up over a sweater. Available exclusively at Esperance.