World, meet Hansel. Hansel, meet world. You two are going to get along swimmingly I think!
Started: December 25, 2014
Finished: March 7, 2015
Fiber: Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in Black
Notes: Hansel was a true labor of love, and it taught me so much. I loved the technique for creating yarn overs at the end of the rows of the middle garter section, had a study in yarn overs and "feather and fan" lace, and was taught patience and a deeper love for knitted-on edging with the triangles that go all the way around the border of the shawl. This piece is far from perfect, though, and if I were to go back and make another (which lets be real, I probably will!), I would pay more attention to my stitch counts at the beginning. I didn't pay attention to the number of rows and number of yarn overs for the edging until the entire garter section was complete, and unfortunately my counts were off by a stitch in a few of the sections (meaning I had forgotten to yarn over at the ends of a few rows). This caused me a lot of trouble trying to get the spines of the shawl to match up with each of the four corners of the square, and some creative finagling to get into the correct stitch numbers for the border section. I've also decided that when I'm knitting lace, I prefer reading it from a chart. Isn't that crazy? A year ago I didn't even know how to read charted lace and now it's my favorite thing. Ha! Just goes to show how accessible so many things in knitting are if you're willing to be adventurous and do a bit of research. Although after blocking this lace, I might say blocking is my new favorite thing. It just keeps amazing me how lace just opens up so wonderfully when you take the time to block it. Ah!
So my first hap shawl is off my needles and has been on my shoulders or in my lap for the past week. I even brought it with me to a conference earlier this week, it was the perfect thing to wear to keep warm in the car, although spring seems to finally be arriving here in Durham, so I'm not sure how long I can keep that up! I'm writing this post today in my apartment, where the sun is just streaming in so beautifully through the open windows here, and Nash and Melo are in heaven, completely stretched out in the warmth. It's nearly six o'clock and the world is still light outside, what a miracle. Even as a die-hard winter lover, there is something really special about the first taste of spring's arrival to the world.
Hope everyone is having a lovely, lovely, spring day. Happy knitting.