Saturday, January 6, 2007

Curved shawl blocking

I stayed up extra-late last night to finish the border, and I just finished pinning out the shawl:

Yarn:Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro, color #110, Dark Red
Needles:US 3 (3.25mm); started with Addi Turbo and continued with Clover Bamboo (much preferred the latter!)
Finished Dimensions:22" at the deepest point, 64" across the shoulder edge; the pattern called for 21"x62" but my gauge must have been just slightly looser (I didn't bother checking beforehand). I could probably have stretched the shawl a couple more inches if I had wanted to and if I'd used blocking wires (or cotton thread) along the top edge as well as more pins along the edges of the main portion of the shawl, to take the strain off the border points; the main portion is very stretchy.

I had a little trouble when it came to knitting the border onto the cast-on stitches of the shawl. The yarn-over loops along the edges were very easy to work into, but I was a little lost along that cast-on edge; it wasn't at all obvious to me where I was supposed to attach the border, so I had to wing it. As a result there are two fewer repeats of the edging than the pattern calls for, and there are some slightly wonky spots along that edge; but I think it worked out okay. It's not perfect, but I do think it turned out well and its recipient will love it. I'm looking forward to unpinning it and seeing how it drapes.

I have plans - and yarn - to make a few more projects from VLT, including the alpine lace scarf, harebell lace fichu (for my mom, who admired it in the book), and the three-cornered shawl in clover pattern (which I very much admire myself). I may also make the myrtle leaf shawl with willow border, with what I have left of this yarn. So I'll be back!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh wow it turned out so great!

Just A Knit Wit said...

That shawl is so beautiful. You did an amazing job!

Unknown said...

Beautiful knitting!

Brenda said...

Looks great! You did a terrific job.

~Lori said...

Thanks everyone! :) I've already wrapped it up in a gift box, with wrapping paper and everything, so I don't fondle it into oblivion before the recipient gets to see it....

craftydabbler said...

Oh, that is just beautiful! Congratulations.

christine karr said...

Gorgeous - that may be my first selection to knit! Can I ask how much yardage, approximately, you used?

Kristina B said...

This is gorgeous.

Rina said...

That shawl turned out very beautiful. I'm having some confusing of the border. Maybe I'm not reading the instructions right. But your finished look made me to not give up on this shawl.