Monster shawl

This morning's conversation...

Me:      I'm going to take some photos of my shawl.
Bill:      I can take them -- you go to the very end of the garden, and I'll stand at the back door and see if I can fit it all in.



Pattern: Lightweight Mountain Peaks Shawl
Yarn: 2.4 skeins (1,050 yds) Misti Alpaca 2-Ply Lace (colour: 0790)
Needle: 3.25mm Addi Lace

I feel a real sense of accomplishment with this project. The pattern was a challenge, with two elements I'd never done before: lace patterning on both RS and WS rows, and a knitted-on side-to-side border. I think it's my most difficult project to date. As I was blocking it I was a little scared by the size, but the second I draped it around my shoulders, I was in love.

The reason for its hugeness (compared with the photo of the original shawl in the Mimknits pattern) is that I used laceweight yarn with a cobweb-weight pattern. (So typical of me: I meant to buy the laceweight Mountain Peaks pattern but made a mistake, and I was too cheap to just suck up that $6.50, so I just went ahead with the pattern I'd bought.)

Because I used a heavier yarn and, thus, a bigger needle, I ran out of yarn at the halfway point of the border. I turned to Ravelry for help, and it didn't let me down; Raveler luGirl very generously dug into her own stash and sent me a skein of yarn from the same dye lot so I could finish. (Oh, how I love knitters.)


I still love all those small shawls I listed in my last post, but I want to marry this giant shawl. I also want to keep knitting challenging lace. It's very satisfying.