I'm a very slow knitter. Not only that, I'm forgetful. Between being slow and forgetting I have a work-in-progress lace shawl lying around somewhere, it took me approximately 1 year 5 months to complete my third human-size lace shawl.
The pattern is by Anna Dalvi and not super hard. Of course when I started it, it felt very hard. I used the Garter Tab to start and I had to redo it a few times to get it right. The one big difference between this shawl and the SkyWalker Lace Shawl or the first lace shawl I've made is the even rows are not purled. Instead I have one chart for odd rows and one chart for even rows. And of course for even rows, you have to use a different stitch from the odd row even thought the symbols are THE SAME. So confusing. Why do knitting patterns make life so hard? Like, why not use DIFFERENT symbols? I can't count the number of times I had to rip back because I FORGOT. Yes, I use a highlighter to colour the even rows but you know how your mind wanders when you knit and you forget. I had to use a lifeline for every row because otherwise I would give up. Although I know how to tink back most stitches, I can't for the life of me figure out how to tink back ssk or slip 2 stitches knitwise, knit 1 stitch, pass slipped stitches over. Grr... but I realised later that using a different chart for the even rows makes the lace pattern reversible. WOW. For that, it's worth all the headache, blood boiling, hair tearing and many many Hokkien swear words.
The finished shawl is 43" wide and 19" tall. I. did. not. block. it. And. I. Shan't.
p.s. so cool of my family to model my lace shawl!!!
I was thinking what a cute collage you could make with the family and shawl pictures.
ReplyDeleteGive your scarf a gentle wash and lay it flat to dry and you will love how it looks. The stitches will all even out.
I love that you think scarf weather is less than 28°C.
Wow, well done! I always like that second easy row to give you a break, but I also really like scarves and shawls that are reversible. Worth the effort! I agree with the previous comment - blocking doesn’t have to be a major issue, just wash and spread out in shape to dry.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane McLellan, yes, you're right. I shouldn't let blocking be a major issue. It's a blind spot. I'll wash and spread to dry as best as I can. I won't use pins though. That I totally dislike. Thanks for the advice!
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