Monday, June 12, 2006

Icarus shawl, blocking


Icarus shawl, blocking
Originally uploaded by Sophie_vf.
It's blocking! I finished casting off during the Italian-Ghana game of the World cup, then ran cotton cord through the top edge and center before soaking in Eucalan and blocking. It's huge! I needed three towels to put under this sucker. Can hardly wait till it dries.

The puffy lace, pre-blocking, and somehow very weird purple colour:

puffy lace



And a closeup of the stitch detail:

stitch detail, Icarus shawl



I think it's going to swallow up my vertically challenged self, but I'm glad I knit all the repeats. The proportion of stockinette to lace is perfect, and well balanced to my eye. I really enjoyed knitting the lace portion - as Kate mentioned, just as you think you have the pattern figured out it changes - but that made it fun and interesting. Watching the pattern emerge was a delight.

The one thing I didn't like was binding off. Ugh. I have done the k2, slip back and k2tog thing and like that bindoff - but I absolutely hated doing it purlwise. I hate binding off purlwise at the best of times, but this felt extra-tortuous. Honestly, I think I would take the slight detraction in appearance by binding off knitwise, if I had the choice again.
Also, I think that if I did this again, I would make the little garter stitch strip at the top. I find it disconcerting to have it start off with YO's, and it looks a bit fragile to me. So, I'd probably try a puny little 2 stitch strip and pick up 1 garter ridge stitch to give myself the 5 stitches to start off next time. Or something.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this shawl very very much. It had just the right balance of relaxed, "easy" sections and "thinky" sections. Kudos to Miriam for a terrific pattern!

11 comments:

Carol in NJ said...

Beautiful shawl and I like the color.

Carol

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a beauty, and finished already, I haven't started on the edge yet.

Sarah said...

Gorgeous.

I am getting so close! Only 1/2 of Chart 3 and all of Chart 4.

Can't wait.

Kate A. said...

Beautiful! I love the color, too. I suppose the start is a bit fragile. I hadn't thought about it, though I did notice that that part did get rather fuzzed up - not felted, but a little too much in that direction - by the time I had finished knitting, from getting turned over in my lap so many times, I guess. Maybe that'll make it a little stronger, though? In any case, I have thicker yarn, so I guess that helps.

Anyway, congrats on finishing! I can't wait to see it modeled!

Knittypants said...

Wow! It's gorgeous, the color is so lovely and rich.

Kim said...

It's so beautiful. I can imagine how thrilled you are to have it done. Congradulations!

Anonymous said...

Lovely, lovely. It's fun seeing Icarus in dark colors since I'm making mine in light blue. And it's fun seeing Icarus done, since I still have a way to go...

Opal said...

Yay! You finished! It came out so beautifully, you've inspired me to keep plugging away on mine.

Anonymous said...

It is so very lovely. The color is gorgeous. I am still plugging away on the 4th repeat of chart one. Mine seems so little, but I am at the right gauge. I guess when you give it the pre-blocking "bath" it grows.

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