Ta da! I'm done, and I'm so relieved. For awhile there, things weren't looking so good.

I picked Icarus for my Amazing Lace Project. As soon as that Interweave hit the shelves in the Spring, I just fell for that shawl. It reminded me, not of a boy who got his wings fried off and crashed to the sea, but of a butterfly. My favorite t-shirt when I was a kid had a butterfly, and in looking back on childhood pictures, I was always wearing a huge smile along with that butterfly t-shirt. So, I "swatched" lilac Zephyr and cast-on. When I say "swatched" I mean that I didn't swatch for gauge, but for the fabric that I wanted. So, I began knitting . . . then I began sleeping . . . and then I got distracted. That first chart is such a bore to knit I just wasn't sure I would get through it.

Then, I resolved in August to get some unfinished projects off the needles, and I designated Icarus just such a project. I took it up with new resolve. However, when I did, I noticed a HOLE in a yarn over column. How could that have happened??? I inspected it closely - it was no moth hole, and believe you me, I know I moth hole when I see it. Then, I remembered - for one of my Amazing Lace Challenges (the one where you had to hide you knitting in a photo a la Where's Waldo), I had smooshed up Icarus into a ball, and hooked it to my toilet paper roll (because that's about how I was feeling about it at the time). I must have poked a hole. What a moron! Anyway, I darned up the hole - its close to the top, and my hair kind of falls over it anyway.

Chart 3, Chart 4 and the edging are much more interesting - and I found myself getting curiouser and curiouser about how the thing was going to look. I began knitting at furious pace- and, just before bind off - I ran out of yarn. Geesh. Could this project be fraught with more obstacles? Luckily, my LYS had just enough left on the cone to allow me to finish it off.

During the hate period of my love/hate relationship with Icarus, I thought about gifting it when I was done. But, now, I don't want to part with it - and I really need to cook up a fancy night on the town so I can wear my wings!

Good luck to everyone - especially those plowing through Chart 1 - hang in there - it's so worth it!

I have finished my Icarus, look att my blog: http://froding.blogspot.com
I have used flax about 200g of 16/2 and needles 3.0
It is so soft and cosy and I really recommend you to use flax in your next project!!
Regards//Marianne
If you want to have som translation, please ask and I will write in english!!

Here's Icarus, nearing the end of Chart 2. If you look over on my blog, and peer closely at the top of the knitting, where you can see the cable from my needle, there are the beginnings of the feathers that make up the edge of the shawl.

You'll have to look closely, or use a magnifying glass; I was afraid to pull the knitting taut enough to really show the detail. The last time I put photographic excellence ahead of knitting, I spent about an hour ripping and putting stitches back on to the needle.

I'm still loving the colors, and the response to the yarn. I was knitting while wiating to go in to a doctor's appointment, and a woman walked up to me and exclaimed "what beautiful yarn!" Yup, I made it myself. Koolaid dyed, very easy to do, color fast. Yes, she agreed, while she hadn't done any yarn dying, she knew from trying to get Koolaid stains out of her kids' clothes that it is very colorfast indeed.

If one was counting, one might note that after the last two rows of Chart 2, all that will be left to do are charts 3 and 4. And because one is resisting the temptation to make this competitive, there has been an effort to avoid counting said rows. However, eyeballing it, I'd say I have about 35 rows or so to go. Yeah!

Wow, those last 12 rows seemed so long!

Yesterday, I finished Chart 4 - and today the last four rows. She's done.

She was about 28 inches down the center line before blocking - after 34 - and almost 70 across the back. I added some carmel brown glass beads the same way that Miriam did on her original Icarus -on the purl stitch above the 4yo's. I'm quite happy about them. Sparkly - but not trashy.

This is the first time I've got to use my new blocking wires - what a treat! Here's a couple of shots:

Can't wait for it to dry and let her fly!

For the knit geek in all of us:

Knit-Wise Cashmere (2ply) 4 - 25g skeins - 800m (only 5 grams left) Garnet Red colour. Made in Scotland - available through YarnForward in Ottawa.

3.25 mm needles - It knits around 30 sts per 4 inches - but softens and relaxes to about 28 after wash.

Unblocked: about 28 inches down center spike - blocked - 34. I could have blocked it *more agressively* to size - but I liked the way it was looking - without being strained.

Thanks Miriam!

I've been loving this shawl, especially in the Aziza yarn (tencel from Just Our Yarn). However, I have already modified the pattern once, since I really hate having points at my butt... I found moving the "center" increase lines was easy, and I was able to incorporate them into the natural yo lines in the pattern.

Here she is, as seen on my regular blog, draped over the table lamp:



Now I'm starting to question my sanity -- I'm wanting to add more "layers" of feathers. This, of course, will mean that this isn't really an Icarus Shawl anymore, but would still use only Icarus charts.... I have this vision of a feathered cape...

someone stop me... or cheer me on....

Off to insert a life line so that if I try this and it's dreadful, I can frog in comfort...

Just posting a little progress report...

I am two rows shy of being done with chart 1. I'm afraid of running out of yarn, so I left lifelines at the 5th and 4th repeats. Hopefully I won't have to frog back! I can't wait for the really juicy stuff in the remaining charts!

I am starting Chart 2 and hope someone who's worked past this point can help.

Should the second YO in the pattern repeat of row 1 of Chart 2 line up with the center stitch of the K2tog, YO, center stitch, YO, SSK of Chart 1? and if not, do the Yos in Chart 2 line up with anything in particular from Chart 1?

Does that make sense? Basically, I'm wondering if I should see the long lacy lines from Chart 1 continue, or line up symmetrically or not with the edging?

thanks-

Finally, I am up and running with this pattern! I bought some laceweight yarn in lavender from the Knittery (web digs here: http://theknittery.com/)

I have had some trials and tribulations to start with (this is my first laceweight pattern) but I think I understand what is going on with the first chart.
Here is the link to my blog entry about it:http://knittingnatty.typepad.com/knittingnatty/2006/08/how_do_you_guys.html

I will be checking in with you all for the help I'll undoubtedly need as I go along...

After getting deeply bogged down in the 5th repeat of chart 1 , I'm finally done and have already ripped back 4 rows of chart 2 .
I have no idea whatI did that went so badly wrong but here's hoping it doesnt't happen again !
Thinking it was the early morning (woke at t 3am and couldn't return to sleep ) tha tinduced a knitting fog ..of sorts !

I'm finally starting to make some progress; the white line represents the completion of the first repeat. I'm trying not to think about how much knitting is left, but just keep knitting.

On a break...

Literally.

As in, the doctor thinks I might have broken my hand. Specifically one of the bones that helps the pinkie of my yarn holding hand work. Specifically, the pinkie that holds the yarn when I knit or crochet.

So, I'm on a break for a while. All puns intended.

I had fallen about two and a half weeks ago, almost three, and thought I had only sprained the wrists or maybe broken a scaphoid. Okay, that takes a few weeks to heal. But since I'm very pregnant, healing is going to take longer. I have 6 weeks to heal up before I can start expecting Bitty's arrival. The scaphoids came back negative. So did the wrist. But when my doc examined my hand today, I just about jumped out of my chair when he pressed one spot. So he suspects a fracture because the finger is still numb and it isn't getting any better.

*sigh*

And I wanted to get Iky done before I had Bitty...

So, up early in the morning - to knitting I go. It's really slow now - with almost 30 minutes per row. Yup - almost 30 minutes per row. Not that I'm a slow knitter - I just want to make sure that I don't goof up. Here's a shot (in natural light) of Chart two being complete:

The garnet colour is closer in this photo - however that carpet is a mid-carmel colour... it's hard to get the colour exactly right.

After supper - and yes it's about 30 minutes per row... I'm about to start row 12 of Chart three. I think the last 30 rows are going to take me a week to complete! That's not too bad - makes about three weeks to do a shawl. I'll have to go and investigate blocking wires...

Here's the overexposed picture - but you can sure see the feathers developing!

All Strings Considered



When I got the Interweave Knits magazine in June I looked longingly at Icarus and thought, "I'll never be able to make that." Then I started following this KAL and found my own courage in all of yours. I cast it on at the end of July using a buttery soft rusty red 100% alpaca laceweight I purchased from Birgitta Nostring of All Strings Considered. I am knitting fearlessly now, bolstered up by others' tales of lifelines and frogging as well as their triumphant thrills of accomplishment when the feathers emerge. The internet is a wonderful thing!

pattipurls
http://www.pattipurls.blogspot.com

Had to frog back 7 rows to my lifeline last night. My own stupidity, but thank goodness I was able to recover nicely. I am doing an extra repeat of Chart 1 because I love larger shawls. Using KP Shadow in Oregon Coast. I am so relieved that I was able to recover because I couldn't have lived with my mistakes. Everyone's shawls are so lovely!
Happy Knitting!
Sue J.

I need some support!


So I am in chart 2. I had to frog back to the last bit of chart one to fix a mistake I made and now I am just messing up all over the place. Somehow I ended up doing the k2tog of the k2tog yf k1 ssk part 2 sts before I should have and I created another hole. I tried to fix it and well I just f%^$ed it up more. Gah. It's just a little bit of a hole, but I am just messing up all over the place. Now when I did my first row of chart 2 somehow I ended up missing two sts on one of the repeats.


I am thinking about just frogging back to the part where you repeat rows 19-34 of chart one and doing it right. But the froggin physically pains me.

Oiy.

Encouraging words please. I feel like I shall never leave chart 1 and I don't want this to be something I just stop knitting.

My first post here, though I've been working on Icarus for several weeks now. I am finally into the fifth repeat of chart one, but progress is very, very slow. I hate to work only part of a row, so I don't pick it up unless I'm fairly certain I can complete at least one whole row in a sitting.










I do love the pattern. It is easy enough to knit without being boring. As I am sure you have all encountered, the rows are a tad bit LONG. Can't wait until it's done!
I am using Alpaca With a Twist, Fino, 70% baby alpaca 30% silk, color #0098. It is beautiful to work with. It is light and airy but has a nice weight to it as well. Very enjoyable!

Just a few pictures of my finished Icarus:

Blocking really shows off the detail:


The yarn is Great Adirondack's Serino and the shawl used about 1200 yards. It's big and soft and beautiful and was a lot of fun to knit. I took it to my LYS today and the owner who sold me the yarn was impressed. I've already purchased Miriam's pattern for the Seraphim Shawl and am looking for the right yarn for that.

Hello. I've just joined the KAL and am excited to get started. I have my pattern and ordered the yarn a couple days ago. I'm anxious for it to arrive so I can get started. This will be my second lace piece I've knitted. The yarn I ordered is Lorna's Laces, Helen's Lace. It's a variegated blue colorway. Blue is my favorite color. I'm a little bit nervous about the variegated bit, but we'll see how it goes. Looking forward to seeing all your beautiful work.

Windy

http://featherfarm.typepad.com/feather_farm/

Icarus - starting to slow down

Hello, this will be my first post - crossposted to the Icarus knitalong.

I started a week ago with some Cashmere from Yarnforward in Ottawa. Garnet coloured.

I’m technically 1.5 repeats away from moving to chart two. Funny how it doesn’t seem that it will be “big enough” :) It’s also taking longer to do a row (I’m close to 300 stitches)

Icarus - close to the end of chart one



I’m looking forward to going onto the next chart. There are so many beautiful shawls on this site!

Finally figured out what to do after the first 42 rows of chart 1!

I like to understand things completely. With Icarus being my first Lace project other than a scarf, I was in need of lace pattern directions broken down into quarks and atoms before pressing forward.

Directions say: Repeat rows 19-42 of chart 1 five more times for 342 sts. See Notes for how to adjust size at this point.
Notes say: For larger or smaller shawl, work rows 19-42 of chart 1 more or fewer times before finishing chart 1 by working rows 19-34.

Whut? Uber confusing.
Ok, I get that this sentence is to describe that increasing accordingly will make the shawl longer and wider, but how exactly to increase? According to these directions... had me a boggled.

Having already invested 42 rows (with some additional tortureous rows of ripping back and reknitting to deal with dropped sts), it was time to sit down with pencil and paper and take a closer look at the pattern.

Addition of another section for clarity would have helped me here. Something like, "for each of these five repeats, DOUBLE the two 12 sts pattern repeats at the odd numbered rows" so that:

At the end of the first section of rows 18-42 repeat, adding in two repeats of the pattern box you should then have:
2 pattern box repeats = 24 sts on each side of the center, 48 sts added, 151 sts
4 pattern box repeats = 48 sts on each side of the center, 96 sts added, 199 sts
6 pattern box repeats = 72 sts on each side of the center, 144 sts added, 247 sts
8 pattern box repeats = 96 sts on each side of the center, 192 sts added, 295 sts
10 pattern box repeats = 120 sts on each side of the center, 240 sts added, 343 sts

Having the pattern broken down this way allowed me to see how exactly I didn't need to follow along and end up with 343, how I could still go on to futz with the numbers of pattern box repeats in my way, and still keep the shawl shaping.

I hope this helps out someone else out stuck in the same spot.