Finished Lace!!

I finished the shawl on time!

I was quite scared of blocking it. Partly because I was scared it wouldn't block out enough, and partly because the yarn is so thin, I was worried it might just snap in the middle and make a big hole! But as soon as I dipped it in the water, it just went whoosh! absorbed it right up, and became so much more pliable.

This is a pic of it before blocking:



and this is it after:



It still didn't quite get to the 60" mark, but it grew from less than 36" to about 50", which seemed long enough :) It seemed like it would probably stretch out more next time it's washed and blocked though.

Knitting on the border was fun. I liked how in this pattern, you didn't have to pick up all the stitches, you just picked up one at a time and knit into it. And the numbers all worked! I was quite amazed at that, I usually have a few too many or too few stitches when I'm picking up and knitting them. But this one worked out perfectly.

Here's a detail shot post-blocking.



Probably not the bestest job of blocking out ever, other people's lace always looks so precise... But it was my first attempt, and it was a bit rushed to get it all done before the birthday. Now though, the shawl is the bf's mum's responsibility for washing and blocking ;)

She really liked the shawl, and put it straight on :) She said that it was amazing to see the yarn actually knitted into something, since it had sat in her stash for so long, then in mine for a little while. She really liked it, and appreciated it, and I'm glad :)