Saturday, November 21, 2009

MO PROGRESS


Although I finished this in August on the flight home from Dublin, I didn't block it until today.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague. Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Glazed Carrot. Less than one skein. (I still have 1.25 skeins left. Any ideas what I should do with them?)


This is for Myfanwe. She's allergic to lace, but I think, since it is in her favorite color, she might be able to wear this one.

As usual, I can only see its flaws. I am an average knitter, but I am a below-average finisher. If they had taught blocking at my high school, I would have finished in the lower third of my class.

2 comments:

Ted said...

Aiden, the shawl(lette) is lovely.

People think that you have to block lace very severely. Often the lace looks like it's had the life blocked out of it. I find that there's a fine line between enough stretching that the lace is wide open and gorgeous, and stretched so much that it looks like a face-lift gone wrong.

Triangular shawls don't always want to be blocked to a true triangle shape, for reasons related to row gauge and geometry that I'll explain to you sometime over tea and poundcake. Some people's knitting (stitch gauge, I think) allows the shawls to be blocked out to a true triangle, but if yours doesn't want to go that way, then block the bottom edge out to a pointy-ish curve instead. You'll win -- or you should, at least -- because the mini points along the edge will dress out consistently as points, instead of flattening out partway along the edge.

And remember that as it's worn and the humidity goes up'n'down a bit, it's all going to relax anyway and will become quite cozy.

Aidan said...

Ted -- thank you so very, very much for your comment. I always take everything you say so seriously. You are my Elizabeth Zimmerman!

And I promise, if you are ever in my neck of the woods, I will make you the best pound cake you have ever tasted, and serve you the finest tea available. From my Adams china tea set. 'Cuz if I don't use it for someone as important as you, I might as well not give the thing house room

Have a great day. You've improved mine.