Ploshkin, thank you for the tip - you're right of course I just get a bit lazy about the counting
I didn't used to wear shawls, but they're easy to layer up over pretty much anything when the hot flushes mean you're hot one minute, cold the next. So I make the big enough to wrap, and sturdy enough to deal with being dragged about the place and dropped on the floor often.
Previously I made this one:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nocturne-shawl
in a Malabrigo yarn that I hadn't liked as a cardigan. If you're worried about shape or fit I find shawls so forgiving.