25. May 2010 05:00
by Jobo
3 Comments

The Shetland Triangle has been a quite enjoyable project... beads included. The tiny crochet hook was very easy to use, and even the beaded rows flew along at reasonable speeds. I decided that the shawl didn't need all-over bling, but perhaps just the last few pattern repeats. After some deliberation, I choose to add them to row 9 (the mostly plain knit row of the 10 row repeat) and then to bead the very points of the border with 3 beads on each point, and the centre one of course.
The beads themselves seem to match in quite nicely. At first I wasn't sure if the slightly rainbow essence would match the Plum yarn, but I think that they compliment the shawl more than a plain flat black bead would have. I actually found these beads by accident while shopping at Michael's - they were part of a premade necklace with multiple strands of beads. There were strands of plain black shiny seed beads, several of these "e" beads that I used for Shetland Triangle, some silver metallic looking "e" beads, and finally some black "e" beads that have the look of hematite. I bought the whole necklace for 99 cents... and I only used one strand for this piece! I'm sure I will find something else to do with the rest at some point.
In the end I worked 2 more repeats of the initial lace pattern than the instructions called for, and surprisingly enough, I managed to use only one skein of the KnitPicks Shadow Lace that I had. I wanted this to be large enough to wrap comfortably around the shoulders, but I don't really know the recipient that well, so I wasn't sure she would want a really huge overpowering shawl. I think I reached a decent happy medium on size. This also means I have enough yarn to make another of these... maybe for me, since I am feeling undecided about giving this away. I think that's usually how I know I did a good job... if I like the item well enough to keep it myself, it's likely nice enough to be giving it away to someone else?
When I was knitting this up... using the prescribed sized needles... I had wondered if maybe I should have used larger needles to get a more airy feel to this shawl. As usual though, the magic of blocking evened out balance, and I think it feels just about right.
The finished shawl is light but still has enough substance to warm up the wearer. I am always amazed at how much warmth a light shawl can give. I think it's kind of like afghans. How can something so full of "holes" trap so much heat next to the body? Must be one of those life mysteries ;) I hope that the person I made this for will feel good when she wears it. I tried to think kind and comforting thoughts as I knit along, so I like to think that maybe those good vibes will go along with her wherever she goes. Positive Energy is Good Medicine in itself.