As the Shawl Turns
Published September 22, 2007 by cheryl
Once upon a time there was a girl who was looking for a dress to wear to her niece’s wedding. She searched high and low, but couldn’t find anything except sleeveless dresses, and only in black, white, or red (or a combination of those). None with sleeves (even short ones), and none in any more wedding-appropriate colors. Finally giving in to this year’s fashion, she ended up buying a sleeveless dress in a white-and-red print, thinking to wear a sweater or shawl with it.
Then lo and behold, as she thumbed through her copy of Victorian Lace Today, she spied the “Curved Shawl”. The Lacey Lamb was just the same red as the dress, and the girl thought it would be perfect for covering up her bare shoulders! So at the beginning of July, she cast on, confident that the shawl would be finished well before the wedding at the end of September.
The shawl got off to a good start during a cruise to Mexico, but then was cruelly abandoned as other projects took priority. Occasionally it was worked on, but mostly it languished alone and lonely. It followed the girl to the Shakespeare Festival in Southern Utah, to a motorcycle rally in Missouri, and finally to a Bar Mitzvah in Michigan, begging for some attention.
Finally the girl was able to clear up her other projects and finish the body of the shawl. But to her dismay, the shawl seemed much too tiny. Practically a bandana. It was her own fault, of course. She had chosen to go down a needle size - fearing that her loose tension would cause her to run out of yarn if she made it with the suggested size.
Obviously it would stretch a lot when blocked, but would it be enough? Should she make it larger before adding the border? There was still half the yarn left. But the wedding date loomed, and the girl knew she was running out of time. So she plunged ahead with the border, hoping that the magic of blocking would save her.
She raced against time. But still the questions remained. Would she finish it before leaving town? Would it be large enough to wear around the shoulders? Would the loose, sloppy, cast-on stitches even out a bit during blocking? And what about those big, ugly yarnovers at the edge of the border? Would it be a dream, or a dud? Would she end up with a shawl, or a shmatte?
Tune in tomorrow for the exciting (?) conclusion of “As the Shawl Turns”.
Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.
Cabled Sheep lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she enjoys knitting and munching veggies out of the garden.
I hope it is a “dream.” Thanks for the very entertaining video link. I really enjoy your sense of humor.
I’m guessing dream.
I know the end of the story…I saw the shawl;-)
I can’t wait to see it!
I’m sure it turned out to be the most gorgeous thing ever.
You’re cruel to make us wait! I was so proud of myself for not scrolling down for the picture before reading the text, and then NO PICTURE!
Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing it!
Oh, the suspense!!!