The shawl is off the needles, after a hand-cramping evening of casting off. Of course it took many hours to do so, and I was starting to panic about running out of yarn on the skein I was using (not that I didn't have another skein left over, but it was unwound, and I didn't relish the idea of winding a new ball just to finish the cast off row.) After all my worry, I had just enough to finish. It looks great; the ruffle itself is super ruffly and awesome, totally worth the time and effort, in the end. It seems smallish, but once I block it, it will grow substantially. After all, I always take Elizabeth Zimmermann's advice to "block shawls severely." Photos will follow.
For now, I'm going to have a relaxing bath and catch up on some reading.
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2 comments:
Hi Ronda, I am following your blog for quite a while. I am really courious about this shawl. When will we get to see it?
I am a knitter, too. Mostily make socks of leftover wool, which my friend's don't want to us up. The results are very unique.
A question: what is it all about the blocking? Maybe I don't know enough about finishing.
Anyway, I admire your stuff!
Hi Monika -- nice to hear from you. Photos of the shawl should be up in a couple of days, once I get it blocked and am organized enough to take some photos. Blocking is not as important for things like socks, so that is probably why you've never run across it. It is more important for something like this lace shawl. Basically you just soak the finished item in some water and wool wash and then lay it out flat to dry on some towels, sometimes pinning it into place or just stretching and shaping it into the right dimensions. This helps stitches to even out, makes cables really pop out, and opens up lace patterns beautifully. Thanks for the kind words!
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