Finally Done.

This is defiantly in the Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing category of things I've done. I think I started this a few months ago and have completed some other projects in the meantime but it was way more work than I though it would be. The border is what killed me - you actually knit it back and forth around the edges attaching it to the edge of the shawl - but each row is 14 stitches and it's done hundreds of times. After I got it done I realized it was much bigger than I thought it would end up being and it's made out of merchanized cotton (from Peru if anyone is interested in that detail? No? Whatever!) which meant I could soak and stretch it even bigger. Which I did. 

The pattern is called Day Lily and you can make out the flower pattern with it stretched, in retrospect red was an unfortunate color for this pattern. You can see it better now that it's blocked but I've been subjected to opinions such as blood vessels, placenta and hamburger, not exactly the response one wants for over 3 months of lace work. So, why did I make a too big shawl even bigger? Because it will make a beautiful, handmade lace table cloth and I can get some real use out of it. David is working on my sun room and I'll use it out there once I buy a table and chair set to sit out there. And it will get some use - I make shawls but I"m pretty sure people use them to decorate with and not wear. The only time I've ever seen anyone wear a shawl is when they attend a knitting function and want to show off thier lace knitting skills. So, it's finally off the needles and now I can finish the other half done stuff that's laying around. 

My birthday was a very quiet affair, which given all the running around I've been doing lately was a welcome gift. My back is really bothering me today but I'm pretty sure it's due to all the monster driving I've been doing lately. I got a few fun things for my birthday - my sister and her wife sent David and I ancestry DNA kits so we can finally rule out the milkman........ just kidding!  I bought a few ebooks and thing on line, since we've been downsizing things buying more stuff just does not have much appeal lately. I think you get to a point in your life where you have everything you want and need and there's no point to adding more stuff. Unless it's yarn or knitting related. Then you can pile it on.