The Shipwreck Reveal!
12:09 PM Posted In HPKCHC , Knit Edit This 2 Comments »
It's finally finished. And I might add, I am damn proud of myself for finishing this. I started this shawl on September 14th and finished binding it off on November 23rd. However, it finished blocking and drying today, November 26th. It's stunning! I learned a lot on the process of making this.
1. I learned how to do the magic loop method of starting a circle... Learned How... not Mastered How. But it is fun and I think I will be doing it again in the future.
2. Life Lines are the savior of knitting! I didn't use them in the beginning and at one point during the bleeding heart section, had to rip completely back to the beginning. Near the end during the fagot lave section, I got complacent about them and lost 12 rows of the never ending (yo, k2tog). USE LIFELINES.
3. Never ever again will I spend all day knitting along happily and then try to bind of a large project. The rows near the end of Shipwreck are quite substantial. I managed to get my speed down to about 45 minutes a row. Binding off took me 2 and a half hours. From what I understand, I made good time. I should have waited until the following day.
4. Blocking is my best friend in knitting. When I finished the shawl I was disappointed with it's size. I wanted a large shawl. I had the option to knit a few extra rows onto it and I decided not to because I wanted to finish in time for Thanksgiving. It barely wrapped around my shoulders and just covered my back. So I blocked it. I am happy to say I can cover my head with it now and it still touches the backs of my knees. It wraps around me with out issue now.
5. Beaded knitting is a PAIN. The knitting part of it is a breeze. It didn't slow me down at all. Moving thousands and thousands of beads down hundreds and hundreds of yards of yarn on the other hand... I found the best way to do this is to unravel the whole ball or hank, space the beads out along the entire length then wind it up.
6. Hubby's are invaluable to a big project. Not only did my hubby take it upon himself to space out my beads for me so I could keep knitting and finish in time, he also used his ingenuity to make us a swift out of k'nex since buying one is not in the budget. Hubby's - never leave home without one.
What it comes down to, is I am smitten with this shawl.
This was my first big knitting project. When I started it, I had never done lace before, never used a life line, never used a stitch marker, never used magic loop. I had never done anything then short rows of Knit and Purl. I was a complete novice. This was one of the most fun and rewarding projects I have ever done. Don't be afraid to try it!
1. I learned how to do the magic loop method of starting a circle... Learned How... not Mastered How. But it is fun and I think I will be doing it again in the future.
2. Life Lines are the savior of knitting! I didn't use them in the beginning and at one point during the bleeding heart section, had to rip completely back to the beginning. Near the end during the fagot lave section, I got complacent about them and lost 12 rows of the never ending (yo, k2tog). USE LIFELINES.
3. Never ever again will I spend all day knitting along happily and then try to bind of a large project. The rows near the end of Shipwreck are quite substantial. I managed to get my speed down to about 45 minutes a row. Binding off took me 2 and a half hours. From what I understand, I made good time. I should have waited until the following day.
4. Blocking is my best friend in knitting. When I finished the shawl I was disappointed with it's size. I wanted a large shawl. I had the option to knit a few extra rows onto it and I decided not to because I wanted to finish in time for Thanksgiving. It barely wrapped around my shoulders and just covered my back. So I blocked it. I am happy to say I can cover my head with it now and it still touches the backs of my knees. It wraps around me with out issue now.
5. Beaded knitting is a PAIN. The knitting part of it is a breeze. It didn't slow me down at all. Moving thousands and thousands of beads down hundreds and hundreds of yards of yarn on the other hand... I found the best way to do this is to unravel the whole ball or hank, space the beads out along the entire length then wind it up.
6. Hubby's are invaluable to a big project. Not only did my hubby take it upon himself to space out my beads for me so I could keep knitting and finish in time, he also used his ingenuity to make us a swift out of k'nex since buying one is not in the budget. Hubby's - never leave home without one.
What it comes down to, is I am smitten with this shawl.
This was my first big knitting project. When I started it, I had never done lace before, never used a life line, never used a stitch marker, never used magic loop. I had never done anything then short rows of Knit and Purl. I was a complete novice. This was one of the most fun and rewarding projects I have ever done. Don't be afraid to try it!
