This week has been a doozy, what with the yarn urchin turning two and all, but I did manage to block the shawl and take some pictures.
Pattern: A curved shawl with diamond edging, from Victorian Lace Today
Yarn: Lacey Lamb, in Blueblood Red, under 1 ball
Time Elapsed: Around 2.5 months, although I knit other stuff during this time
Modifications/Notes: I didn’t make any changes to the pattern, including the yarn and even the color of the yarn! I love the way it turned out. Maybe I’m being influenced by the book, here, but it’s a very proper shawl and seems to cry out for a crisp white shirt, charcoal business skirt, and some knee-high boots. Of course, I don’t work in an office anymore, so it’s more likely to be employed in a rather casual ensemble.
So, okay. Given that I just love (loveloveLOVE) the finished product, here’s the thing. Those adorable tiny little circles? Mean almost two hundred four-row repeats.
Said repeats involve double decreases, and so knitting this shawl was at once boring enough that I craved television, and fiddly enough that I couldn’t watch it. The border was the same way–50-ish repeats over 16 stitches. So while the finished product really is everything I’d hoped, I just can’t recommend the pattern unreservedly. Be prepared for some major slogging. There. I said it.
Mostly, I should now tell you about the yarn and the needles. LOVE the Addi lace needles. Just love them. They kept my stitches in place when I wanted them in place, and still allowed them to slide freely. But more than I loved the needles, I loved the yarn. It’s thin, true, but I’ve never in my life felt something so soft (at least for under $200). It feels like cashmere mixed with silk mixed with clouds, even though it’s only merino. The shawl is lofty, floats in air, and still manages to give warmth. I couldn’t get it away from Jacob.
That’s that! Eight billion more pictures, as usual, on the FO page.
*****
(Pssst! I finished the Sidewinders, too. Hopefully pictures today!)
Amy Herzog Designs