The Fog Shawl from The Fiber Universe--Day 5

Doubting doubling...

My week—and a pair of pesky migraines thanks to Chicago’s roller-coaster of a weather forecast lately—kept me from binding this off until last night.  But with a pair of of 11.23.63 episodes on Hulu, all was accomplished.  With such diverting television, it didn't feel as tedious as expected. I read the book and have enjoyed the adaptation immensely.

This morning’s church sermon was on “Doubting Thomas.”  I find myself right there with our friend Tom on this project.  Erin from The Fiber Universe tells me it will double in size once blocked.  Now that it’s off the needles and lying there looking well, small, I find myself harboring suspicions. Will it really stretch that far?  The lattice I can believe, but all that stockinette?  I can’t see it.

Time for science. Or at least math.  I measured the long side (I suppose technically that’s the hypotenuse of our triangle) and one of the angle sides. 

This way, once I stretch this thing on the wires, I can know for sure even before it dries.  

I’m anxious to see what happens.  I expect you are, too.  Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share.

The Fog Shawl from The Fiber Universe--Day 4

Feelings...

I’ve decided.  I’m done.  

If the criteria is “you can’t stomach it any more,” I’m there.  I’ve been knitting through so many back loops my eyes are blurring.  It’s time.  If this goes on how I feel, I feel ready to be done.  Of course, this is a top-down shawl, so I would have felt ready to be done long before I was truly done. And for me, the only thing that would feel worse than “not done” would be the feeling I’d get if the thing ended up too small for my liking.

Wow, I really am feeling all the feels on this one, aren’t I?

Of course, Bella had to inspect

Time for some science.  Or at least some theoretical visuals.  I laid the shawl out overtop a finished shawl I already own, whose size I like very much.  This Fog is currently is about two-thirds the size of the finished right-sized Phoenix shawl.  To me, this affirms that I’m at a safe enough place to stop.  If it doubles in size, I’ll have a lovely big shawl.  If it grows less than that, I should still be okay.  Only I do know how to block a shawl within a inch of its life, so I’m feeling confident I can stretch this one to an ideal size.  At this point, I don’t think it can come out too small.

I’ve learned a lot about my control-freak nature on this project.  I need directions.  Specific directions.  I can punt in many areas of my life, but in knitting, I need to know it will turn out right.  I want to have solid trust that the directions I follow will produce the outcome I desire.  

As such, this “recipe” has taught me the limits of my knitting improvisation.  And those limits are rather small.  Then again, my life calls for a great deal of creativity in other areas, so being able to depend on my knitting makes a kind of compensatory sense.  Were I an accountant, maybe I could go hog wild with my knitting.  Goodness, wouldn’t that be a thing to see?

In any case, I’m settling in tonight for a very long stint of Jenny’s Incredibly Stretchy bind off to ensure I can stretch this baby out.  Stay tuned—I’m feeling like it’s going to be wonderful.

Fog Shawl from The Fiber Universe--Day 1

Secret recipe?

The control freak in me has mixed feelings about free-form patterns like this.  I trust my creativity with words—after all, it’s how I earn my living—but in visual matters, I defer to those with more skill than I.

Designer Dallas Ann Prentice calls this “A shawl recipe.”  It’s a fitting metaphor, as the instructions contain phrases like “…until you find it to be a pleasing place to stop,” and “…until you just can’t stomach it anymore.”  In other words, the basic ingredients are laid out for you, but you’re given a lot of freedom in how you combine them.

You know how some people put flowers in a vase and it looks elegant, artistic, and beautiful?  I put flowers in a vase and I get…just flowers in a vase.  I don’t have that “decor” knack.  As such, I’m a bit nervous that my version of “a pleasing place to stop” isn’t going to turn out all that pleasing.

It helps, however, to have gorgeous yarn.  My Plymouth Revel (shade 07) undulates through tones of blue and green.  (If I didn’t already have plans for this yarn, by the way, I could follow the QR code on the label to the free “Revel Bandana” pattern). My Dream in Color Jilly “sumptuously splendid hand dyed yarn” in “Tranquil” wanders through a tight palette of soft and dark blues.  Naturally, I didn’t combine these on my own—I leaned on Erin’s expertise. I know my limitations.

Yes, it’s a top down, but I will try not to indulge in any rants as the super-long rows show up near the finish line.  So far, the easy stockinette pattern goes swift and effortless.  Well begun!