But I’d like to think that if I had painted it, it would be as beautiful as this one. 

She has started it here and here. 

My husband has been a great resource in ensuring my head still fits through our doorways.  He was quick to point out that it is the shawl and not me that is attracting all the attention.  For which he is grateful.  He is fairly certain he would not stand a chance if all of you started courting me and bearing gifts of yarn.

I am anxiously willing the universe to bend to my will and deliver an email waiting for an email from Ailsa telling me that yarn is in hand.  Not that there is anything we can do but pace, twiddle thumbs, pace some more, and open the mailbox 500 times daily to see if a big package was overlooked but wait.  We are dependant on the postal services of her country and mine. 

I mailed the yarn, all 24 ounces of it, two Mondays ago.  However, it was only this recent Saturday night that I finished the last swatch for the shawl.  Even though I have casted my shawl off, there were some details that I felt could be better.  So I swatched some more, rewrote charts, and now we wait.  Unless Ailsa says screw it to the waiting and casts on anyway.  I wouldn’t blame her in the least.

On Sunday I organized as best I could all the swatches that ultimately led to the finished project.  I have a swatch with no chart. Apparently that chart must have been such crap I could no longer allow it in the house.  I have charts without swatches.  They aren’t the finished charts, so perhaps those swatches hit the road for a better gig.  I have some swatches that clearly show I had no clue what I was doing.  I am still not sure if I have a clue or if I am incredibly lucky.  I have swatches that are painted.  They weren’t painted for color but for technique.  I discovered I have none.  I have zero swatches that came out right the first try.  Proof that practice does make perfect.

Here is how I started…

The beginning of the shawl starts at the neck and represents the bottom of a peacock’s fan.  The small scallops that lay along the bird’s back.  Three swatches, two excel files, and eighteen pieces of graph paper later, I had figured out the first few inches.  I had also figured out that I was going to need more yarn and I hadn’t even casted on for the real thing yet.

The first (top) was tooo lacy, the second (lower right) tooo awkward in the increases, the third (lower left) was almost right.  Before you think you’ve fallen into a story about Goldilocks, a fourth post shawl swatch improved a minor detail that bugged me alot and that no one else would ever have noticed.

Immediately after the scallops comes a row of “eyes”.  Inspite of all the classes about how increases and decreases shape knitted fabric, I was completely inept at figuring out how to make my knitting round.  Ok, I wasn’t inept just a little arrogant.  I thought I knew everything I needed to know. They say pride comes before a fall.  It apparently comes before ugly as well.

Having a little humility knocked into me by the lace gods, I looked at what others had knitted before me.  I found atleast five different stitch patterns that created round knitting.  What might have been a fatal blow to the completion of the shawl was avoided.

 To me, this actually looks like the olive leaf crown that the ancient Romans wore.   I fixed it, a few more swatches later.

Every peacock feather also ends with an “eye” but is surrounded by other feathers of different lengths that look like Vs.  Three more swatches finally got the blending right.  At this point, I was also beginning to believe that three was my magic number.  Never two swatches, or five.  Always three. 

No technique at all in the painting.   I glopped it on like a five year old with finger paints.  For all of you who thought I should pursue a handpainted shawl, let’s be grateful that I didn’t.  I’m not against it but I think no further evidence is required to agree that I shouldn’t mix shawl and dye without more practice.

After months of swatching, ignoring, thinking, debating, ripping, charting, erasing, and knitting, I neared the end.  The fan of a peacock ends with wide, flat triangles.  It had been awhile since my Grand Eye Swatch Debacle.  Sometimes I have to be struck down twice.

My first attempt reminded me less of T-feathers and more of an upside down bikini top.  Turn your monitor over and see for yourself or click here.

Once again, I dutifully scoured my books that I should have consulted beforehand.  My ever patient husband was subjected to numerous pictures and forced to opinionate on what looked more realistic.  Three swatches later, two pre-shawl and one post, I had charted T-feathers.

 I was also getting smarter in  my use of swatches.  This has two different designs in one swatch.  The left side is more like a flower and the right is more like a T-feather.

Now I wait.  And pray that one of the missing swatches didn’t run off with a critical note that prevents Ailsa from knitting a shawl of her own.

I must admit that I have been feeling a little lost without the shawl on my needles.  I suppose that means I could, I don’t know, maybe actually work on some wips.  But there isn’t an interest in doing that.  Thus, I’m sort of in a “what now?” place with my knitting. 

In the mean time, about the color…what to do about the color?  The poll is showing a slight favorite for leaving it as it is. Even my SIL chimed in with a do not touch it.  However, handpainting is running a close second. 

I have given it much thought.  I think that handpainting the shawl would create an absolutely stunning work of art.  IF it is done properly.  I’m not prepared for that.  I made an attempt at painting my swatches a few months before with less than pleasing results.  It looked…contrived.  I think that is the best way to put it.  I have more swatches.  As the mood strikes, I will paint more of them.  If I hit upon a color combination and dyeing process that works, I will paint the shawl.  Until then I am going to leave it as it is – ivory.

For those of you who voted for solid color, I have a solution.  Knitabulous has kindly agreed to test knit a second shawl.  She has chosen a beautiful solid color for the yarn.  If you stalk her blog, you’ll probably get a chance to see it.

If you are recently new to my blog, you may be wondering how this project got started. The answer is Joan.  Over a year ago, she taught a class called Focus on Lace.  The final assignment was to knit a lace object, preferably of our own design.  All the assignments preceeding that were intended to prepare us.  When I started the class, I had the idea to knit the peacock feather shawl from Fiddlesticks. While I thought that was ambitious enough, Joan challenged me to think bigger.  I believe her exact words were “Why knit a feather when you could knit the whole bird?”

There have been many requests for the pattern. (Again, wow, thanks for making a girl feel good about her work!)  That is encouragement enough to get the process started on drafting a pattern for sale.  How that will happen is a question I’m not ready to answer.  If I understand state law, selling it myself will require a license. Even if it is only sold over the internet in electronic form.  (I’m in no position to explain why but Michigan seems to take the state sales tax thing very seriously.)  That leaves me the options of ignoring the law or having someone else sell it.  Risking a fight with a state government isn’t very high on my list of things to do before I die.  Thus, I’m going to go with option number 2.  There are suboptions to that option but it will take time to sort those out.  Hopefully, by the time I do, you’ll still think it’s worth knitting.  Of course, this assumes that three decades haven’t passed while I get my act together. 

During email trading, Juno asked if would do a post someday of the complete swatch process.  I think that sounds like a good idea.  At the very least, some of the swatches will provide a few laughs.  There were a few ideas that clearly show I was making it up as I went.  We should all be grateful that I learned from those mistakes and moved on. 

My mom will be the first to tell you that I never do anything in small measure or half way. Thus, I have a long track record of spectacular misses.  (Even my failures are large and usually entertaining to nearby witnesses). However, your support, encouragement, and insightful comments helped me continue to try even when I hit a few bumps in the road.  Thank you!

I worked hard.  I am allowed to be proud.  And I am.

This one opens larger – just click it.

Design: My own, my very own.
Yarn: Henry’s Attic – 50%wool / 50%Silk, 2 skeins
Needles: Addi Natura, US4
Time: 1+ years of swatches, frustration, and joy.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about my responses to your comments and questions.  You had some good ones (both comments and questions).  They deserve a post of their own.

The encouragement from all of you was wonderful.
Maybe you’ll believe me now. I know you were worried that it was only nice in your mind. I have been saying all along that it was nice, period. Telling me that I am biased does not make me wrong. It took all of them saying it to believe? Humph, I see where I rank.

Tonight is the last night that I will be knitting on the shawl. The fact that the moment has come to bind off seems almost unreal.
Technically, yesterday was the last time you knit on the shawl. Tonight is all about the CROCHET bind off.

This has made me realize that I am faced with a decision. What color should it be? Throughout the process, much wavering has occurred. Even among the comments there has not been consent.
I’d speak up with an opinion, but we have seen how much you don’t listen to me.

I think this calls for a poll. The options are to leave it solid ivory, dye it a solid color, or handpaint the different sections.
Isn’t photo editing wonderful? You can pretend all sorts of things.

Your thoughts on what color the bird should be is most welcome and encouraged. I am honestly of two minds about whether to dye or not dye, paint or not paint the shawl.
I think they’ve figured out the two minds thing. Let’s hope they haven’t already dialed for the men in white coats.

What’s a girl to do but pull it off the needles and block it? It’s not finished yet. I have two more charts to knit.  However, I wanted to see for myself that the bird is growing feathers instead of tricking me into knitting and getting nowhere know if I had truly fixed the issues of porportion.

I think we have passed pre-flight inspection.  Soon, it will be ready to fly. 

The question I need answered is exactly how do you rip out twenty-six rows (450+ stitches) each of lace? Do I  ….

Discover mistake. Ignore mistake. Be annoyed by mistake.  Tell myself that a severe blocking will hide the mistake.  Continue to be annoyed by mistake.  Count the stitches to see if the mistake has miraculously disappeared.  Be annoyed that mistake is stubbornly staying put. Thread a lifeline just below the mistake.  Cuss at the annoying mistake.  Rip out the rows.  While still annoyed, drink a whole bottle of wine.  Prepare to begin again, two charts completely undone, tomorrow after the hangover has left. 

Or should I move the bottle of wine up between discover and ignore?  And will one bottle be enough?

Somebody should really write a tutorial on this.  I want to make sure I do it right.

The sleeves have been reknit without mishap (whew!) and are blocking before I seam them up.  This means that I can return to the bird.  Last time I posted a pic was here.  It has grown a bit since then.  However, with 480+ stitches in each row, progress is slowing.  Each row takes about twenty minutes to complete.  But I am still enthralled and enthusiastic about finishing this!

After the work I did for the LYS color shawl, I realized it had been quite a while since I had worked on my own lace design.  I picked it up this past week and I can’t put it down.  I had been ignoring it and desperately hoping it would design itself in my absence letting it marinate, trying to figure out a transition for the next design element.  Like a switch being flipped, the lights came on.  I’ve been knitting it ever since.

After a few rows, the rhythm has returned.  I’ve settled right in again.  The shawl has been forgiving of my cold shoulder and welcomed me back.  The charts have been drawn.  All that is left is the knitting. 

Like coming home after a long stressful day and being greeted with a warm hug.  Knitting on this shawl again is that kind of good.