Wedding Shawl Project – Beverly Army Williams

Last Day Single

Blog-free Kim came over last night to lend a hand with blocking the wedding shawl. I had soaked it in some Celebrations Soak, then in went the wires. It wasn’t long before we agreed that pinning it on a sheet over a quilt on the hardwood floor was not going to work. It needed the bed, so this morning, the bed it got. I suspect I could block this to be even longer and wider, but my fear of snapping a thread is greater than my desire to block more vigorously. Want some pictures?

Here she is, all stretched out on the bed. There are some wobbly uneven bits, but see what I wrote above about fear of snapping. Here’s a close up. Don’t you love the way the color undulates? That Scout outdid herself.

I’ve got a jam-packed day, starting with a cut and color with Peter, followed by a bridal luncheon my sister is throwing me at one of my favorite restuarants, then waxing, nails, favor-making, and final house clean up. After the honeymoon I have posts to write about unexpected generosity. There’s a lot of it around, you know, and I was the recipient of some this morning. Thanks, Erin.

I’ll try to pop online to post a wedding picture tomorrow; if not then, I’ll be back on Monday.

Keep those good weather thoughts focussed on Granby, will you? Doesn’t look hopeful for a garden wedding, but, as so many of you noted recently, the most important thing is that Neal and I will be married…doesn’t matter where, right?

Mwah!

Want to See?

Since this picture was taken earlier in the week I’ve knit a bit more. I’m halfway done with the 17th repeat (out of 24). If all goes well, I should be finished with the center panel by next Tuesday. I’m a little concerned about the border as I don’t fully understand what I’ll be doing (or even how many stitches to pick up with this modified length), but I know I can figure it out or find help.

Our wedding is less than a month away. J. Crew came through for me again yesterday with wonderful in-store customer service when I had to return and exchange the dresses I bought. I should have the garment that will be my actual wedding dress on Friday. Here’s hoping for a good fit. (I chose the ivory one, so you ladies who helped me narrow things down will know!)

Flowers have been ordered, and we’re making a final decision about whether to have brunch at home or at a restaurant. Until today, we were going to have it here, but the decision is being re-thought. Invitations were sent last week, and the responses are trickling in. Our guest list for the May wedding (a bash for all of our friends is planned for July) is small, but I couldn’t resist sending a nice invitation anyway. Want to see that, too?

In Which Meg Plays the Coast Guard

I’ve vowed to think only happy, joyful thoughts while I knit the wedding shawl, but last night I was emotional as I knit and gave in to the ache that filled me. Wouldn’t you know, before long I had a dropped stitch, then I did a lace row (Row 7, if you’re interested) on the purl side. I tinked, but things were getting worse. I thought about my deadline, then thought about the fact that it is important for me to get this shawl right. That’s not to say there aren’t errors in it, but so far (knock on wood), the errors are not glaring.

That’s when I remembered the lifeline that Meg had encouraged me to use after every repeat. It’s also the same moment that I remembered how, just a few hours earlier, hubris had reared its ugly head, and I nearly decided to forgo the lifeline. It was there to rescue me, though, and I re-knit half the repeat before bed.

You may have seen this on Whip-up, but if not, take a look and fill a bag if you’re so inclined.

Project Wedding Shawl Spectrum

A cup of tea in a mug MB brought me from Tuscany, Almost French, on loan from Blogless Sara, and the Wedding Shawl. No, I don’t normally knit while I read and sip tea, but these are a few of my favorite things this afternoon.

Here’s a picture of the shawl on its own. I’m almost finished with repeat 7, which will leave me with about 18 more repeats to do.

What have I learned in my eleven days of lace knitting? Here’s a list for you:

1. Don’t imagine that you can hold a conversation and keep track of your location on the chart. It will all end with your having to recount stitches.

2. That gets annoying pretty quickly.

3. Supah dupah sharp needles are clutch.

4. Project Spectrum can help make the chart easier to follow. A little yellow highlighter mixed in with pink tape from a great kitter, and lace knitting is a bit easier.

Tonight is my SnB group, and I’ll probably bring Neal’s socks to finish (for reals). See list items #1 and #2.

Finished the second repeat of the shawl. I got through it more quickly and with less tinking (there still was some, though), which has given me hope for achieving my goal.

I’m about ready to go to bed, but I spent a few minutes trolling Swap-bot and signed up for the best-named swap I’ve seen: Swap a Goat. Helen came up with the idea that swappers might donate what they would spend on a swap to a charity in their partner’s name. I’ve signed up, and I hope you’ll consider it, too.

Sweet dreams.

Tinkerbell

I’m going to learn a lot from this project. It has been many years since I knit from a chart, and I had forgotten that the pattern said to read from right to left. You already know what I’m going to say next; I had to tink the first few rows because I read left to right.

Yesterday morning I woke up and wanted to get this repeat finished, so I started on Row 5. It wasn’t working out, though, so I tinked.

Normally I would ditch a project that required so much tinking before I even began it for real, but there’s that pesky deadline and my determination to create this stole. I’ve set some rules for myself, the foremost of which is that I have to focus my thoughts on joy and happiness while I knit it. I want my shoulders to be covered in something with no bad karma knit into it. So each time I tink, I think about what I’ve learned.

I also had used stitch markers (aren’t they lovely? FiberFly makes them.), but after reading some of the boards, I think I’m going to ditch them. I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind why they’re a bad idea, but I know that I’ve been led astray by them. Something to do with yarnovers and stitches moving, but it makes my head hurt to think about the reason right now.

Can you see the subtle variegation in the color of the yarn? Scout did a fantastic job with this dye job, and I’m not exaggerating in the least when I say it’s exactly what I wanted. Ex.Act.Ly.

There’s about an hour before the girls get their walk, so I’m off to get a few rows of repeat 2 done. First, though? A lifeline. This Tinkerbell needs one.

Notes to Self

1. That smug feeling you get when you figure out the crochet cast on tempts the fates too much. Lose it, and you won’t have to start over again next time. Because you will think about more than how very clever you are and remember that you don’t need to zip out the waste yarn until you’re ready to pick up the stitches.

2. While denial of your errors is easily succumbed to, especially when you can surf the Internet for new spindles that you don’t even need, there is a freaking DEADLINE here! Turn off the damn computer and go knit. Now.

Um. Yeah. The journey of a thousand miles and all that jazz.

Something Finished, Something Started

I reached my Runagogo goal by the skin of my teeth today. Want to see my red bar? What with being sick for most of February and the crap weather throughout March, I’m proud of reaching my 100 miles. Round two begins tomorrow, and my personal goal is 300 miles. I plan to add in biking and kayaking, so barring a June blizzard, I think it’s achievable.

This morning I read up on invisible cast on methods. As a visual learner, I depend on the videos at Knitting Help, but I did not like the results on my needle when I followed this one. Eunny came to the rescue with her Majoring in Lace series. I’ve got Crochet Cast On II in progress right now. After I eat a delicious fat-laden plate of my truffle mac and cheese, I’m going to finish up that cast on and start the shawl.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!