Rose Garden Shawl From Knit N Purl - Done!

Done!

As expected, blocking brings out the true beauty of this shawl.  I found I had to pin each scalloped edge three times to keep the curve the way I wanted it.  No blocking wires for this job—just lots and lots of pins and patience.  

This is a lovely pattern—delicate but not so much that you can’t wear it with a casual outfit.  Some of that owes to the cotton Pima Quatro, but it’s also in the design.

I do like it, with two exceptions that are purely based on personal opinion:

1) I think I’d prefer this pattern in a solid, rather than the color quartet that is this particular yarn.  Quatro comes in solids, so you can still use this fiber.  Like most lace patterns, I’d stick with a bright or light solid.  Given the leaf motif, a spring green might suit perfectly.  It’s not that the one I have isn’t pretty, it’s just that the beauty of the pattern gets lost in all those purples.

2) I’ve decided I’m not a big fan of the shawlette.  I like full-size shawls, even if they are a bigger fiber and time commitment.  At nearly six feet tall, the scale of a shawlette or a small shawl like this always feels off.  I prefer a shawl to reach my elbows when I wear it, not just skim my shoulders.  Looking at these photos compared to others I find on the web, it's possible I missed a repeat in the lace pattern which would have made it wider, so the size may be be entirely my fault.  And for someone with a petite frame, this may be the perfect size.  Still, even for me, this would be perfectly suitable over a sundress in an overly air-conditioned restaurant,. 

I wore the Rose Garden Shawl to church this morning and received many compliments.  My worries over the few mistakes in those first rows were completely groundless—no one noticed a thing except how nicely it matched my dress.  

Over a lighter top like you see here, the design shows off even more.  And I must say, I do like the feel of cotton (cue the “fabric of our lives” theme song here…) against my neck or over bare shoulders.

Thanks for a challenging yet satisfying knitting experience, Knit N Purl!