How to wet block Echo Flower Shawl

Or any triangular shawl really.

What you need:
Sink or washing up bowl
A towel
Blocking wires
Pins (many)
Tape Measure
Large floor space or spare bed
30-45 minutes blocking time plus soaking time plus drying time

1) Soak the finished shawl.  I use only just warm to the touch water, swish some Eucalan wool wash in first then place the shawl in the sink. Leave to soak for about 30 minutes, or all day if you're easily distracted.

2) Collect the wet shawl from the sink and squeeze out as much water as you can. Wrap shawl in a towel and stand on it to squeeze some more water out. Best done in barefoot or crocs, otherwise you end up with damp socks.

3) Transfer to where you're going to end up pinning out the shawl.  I use my living room floor. Thread blocking wires along the longest edge (usually the top edge).  I use two wires, one for each half either side of the centre.

 Echo Flower Shawl doesn't have a yarnover edging so I used the central hole in each flower along the top edge, formed by the 2 into 9 or 3 into 9.

5) Spread the shawl out on the floor, evenly along the blocking wires. Pin the blocking wires at either end without pinning the shawl, to secure the blocking wire in place.

6) Measure the top edge either side of the centre and pin in place.  Don't be afraid to stretch a little.

7) Pin the centre spine in place, again stretching the fabric so the lace pattern opens up. Wool based yarns will have a bit more stretch than the pure silk I used. If the centre has a has a yarn over spine, you could thread it onto more blocking wires. Check the measurements and compare them to the pattern and to what you'd like.

8)  Ease one side of the triangle out and pin along the outermost flowers. Don't pin the edging for now.  Check weather you can stretch the pattern out even more.

9) Repeat for the other side.

10) Check the shawl looks reasonably symmetrical.

11) Pin out each point.  Start at the left edge and ease the points out until you reach the centre.  Repeat for the right edge.

12) Leave to dry.  Feel smug.

McAfee killed my internet...

...but my dad fixed it :)

It seems McAfee can be a bit sensitive and on Saturday, after it updated, it came upon an infallible way of stopping me downloading any malicious software.  It stopped me getting online at all.  My dad spent many hours first figuring out the problem, then carefully removing McAfee so it didn't cause more damage and putting on AVG.  It's a shame, as I don't think MacAfee is that well known for this problem as I don't think it's that prevalent.  My dad only found one example online of someone else who had the same issue, back in June, so I think I was unlucky.

I have finished the Echo Flower Shawl and it is beyootiful.  I even wore it on Sunday but didn't take any photos.  I have started something new, even though I was planning to finish an old project first. I went to see my mum on Saturday, and took her Rock Island round to start.  I think I'm half way through the first edging - I have to work 71 repeats in total so better get back to it.

Nupp-tastic

I've started the edge chart on Echo Flower Shawl and now I'm into the real meat of it - nupps.  They are bobbles worked over two rows and are one of the trademarks of Estonian lace.  (I don't know what the others are but I imagine there are more than one.) Nupps are incredibly time consuming and run a certain degree of risk - if you get it wrong on the RS, you're going to struggle on the WS.  I decided to work 9 stitch nupps which means in one stitch I knit, yo, knit, yo, knit, yo, knit, yo, knit, then continue as usual.  On the WS row I purl all of those 9 together, making sure not to miss any as this leaves straggly loops hanging around.  On the first row with nupps, I worked them loosely but it turned out they needed to be a bit looser to make the p9tog less of a drama.  On the first row with p9tog, I averaged somewhere between 7 and 8, so had to go back and pass some extra loops over the worked stitch.  Last night I managed two rows in the whole evening of knitting.  Tonight, I had to work two nupps for every repeat, and take extra care to keep them loose, so I only managed one RS row and less than half of the WS.  I'm also finding the silk tough going so my arms need some stretching and maybe a break tomorrow. 

Inspired by the olympics

I went for a walk. It wasn't for very long but it was more about the principle of exercising every day to get back to fitness for running. I can't help being inspired by the Olympics - I've been glued to it since it started but I can't help thinking that it would be a shame if I spent the whole two weeks on the sofa watching it, especially as I spent the two weeks prior to it on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. I woke up last Friday, feeling the most miserable I've felt for ages. Not quite crying into my cereal a la Toni Collette in about a boy, but far closer than I feel comfortable with. I think the combination of poor weather, stress at work and lack of exercise came to a peak but since then I've been buoyant.  The opening ceremony was electric, I went for a walk on Saturday, a swim on Sunday and then a walk every day since.  The sunshine from last week must have filtered through to my brain and the cooler nights mean I'm sleeper better and waking up before my alarm.

I think I've done 13 repeats on my Echo Flower Shawl but I decided to work an extra repeat so I could use all of my Olympic RingOs. I even managed to use the in the correct (but reverse) order.  I'm now using three whole sets of ten for the pattern reps and 4 to make the edges and centre.  I'm currently having a minor mental battle about whether to buy some more, after a lovely message from their creator letting me know a new set is in stock.  I think I'll have to miss out this time as I'm sure they'll be plenty more temptation in future.

Each row is taking ages now and if there's exciting sport on, I switch to my sock.  That backfired today during the gymnastics though as I forgot I was still decreasing for the gusset. I had to tink a few rows, keeping one eye on Uchimura winning gold, with Kristian Thomas missing out due to not landing his vault properly.  I'm enjoying knitting with 100% silk but it is causing some aching in my arms and hands.  I was anticipating problems based on experience with cotton in the past, the lack of elasticity in the yarn being the culprit, but I managed to get far further through before it started. I'm pleased as I'm a much looser knitting than I used to be, dude, and this seems to be helping.

Echo Flower Shawl

Sometimes when I wake up in the night, I'm not fully awake. Like last night, I remember closing the window so the talking bees couldn't come in.

I hurt my leg on Tuesday so have booked an appointment with the GP as there seems to be a recurring shin problem that is stopping me from dancing and running, and at the moment even walking hurts.  So more days on the sofa, gradually expanding and feeling lethargic.  I think I'll have to focus just on walking as exercise as soon as this injury starts to clear up, and put aside my desire to get back to running. sad face.

Pn the other hand, knitting makes me happy.  I've been staring at a computer screen a bit too much today, with work and extra work for my friend, but I've got the rest of the evening to stare at the tv while knitting instead. I started Echo Flower Shawl with my steeplechase yarn and it's a very relaxed knit.  The main pattern is only 8 rows long and only the right sides are pattern rows.  I've completed 3 repeats already, making great use of all the new stitch markers.  Okay, some of the new stitch markers but I've plenty more repeats to come so will be using many more.  It's just aswell as plans are afoot to buy even more, just because I can. I may also have been spending money at a certain boutique knitting shop in London but that will have to wait for another day.

I just put the heating on...

...it's only been on for 10 minutes but now I'm feeling much more snug.  I put it on to encourage my washing to dry.  It's been raining all day and I'm beginning to develop trenchfoot to supplement my winter blues.  Happy July, everybody.

My hours at work have been cut slightly from this week (poor weather = poor sales) and I'm determined to make the most of it.  I walked to work, even though it was raining (although I hadn't realised it was raining as it was invisible sideways drizzle) but drove back after lunch.  I developed a raging bad mood due so wasn't disappointed to have to leave early.  What better remedy than boiling up milk for a restorative hot chocolate and settling down for Japanese homework.  If I can manage half an hour each day and half an hour of stupid boxing and dancing with the wii I'm sure I'll start feeling more cheerful.

Some pretty things that make me happy arrived last week from Fripperies & Bibelots.  My only complaint about the company is there are far too many wonderful colours to choose from.  Whittling it down to five sets (wimbledon, breakfast at tiffanys, dusky sunset, rock chick, scaly simple solid rings) was a feat of great restraint but now there's an olympic set and I'd like vampire's kiss and not to mention there's a limited edition club set being released on Sunday night.   Now that I have so many stitch markers, I really should put some to use but I made myself finish a project before starting a new one.  It was supposed to be the simplicity cardigan but evidently if a cardigan has already taken a year, it's not going to knit itself.  After a brilliant wedding on Saturday (more about that another post) I finished a sock yesterday. Hangover plus channel 5 films all afternoon makes perfect simple sock knitting time. So, this evening, having done all the smug things mentioned earlier, I wound my steeplechase green silk and am ready to embark on Echo Flower Shawl. Bon voyage.