Feats of strength?

Last weekend was not such a great weekend for me. It wasn’t terribly awful, either, but it was marked by a persistent headache that only went away late on Sunday when I gave up and went back to bed for a nap, as well as personal troubles and an unwillingness to deal with the world. So I did what any woman with two sticks and some pretty yarn does. I knit.

Apparently I knit a lot. I finished my Swallowtail Shawl in two days. Cast on Friday night after the Olympics’ opening ceremonies and finished before 6 pm Sunday evening.

Now, having a headache and knitting a lace pattern may seem counterintuitive. However, the beauty of Evelyn Clark’s design lies in it’s simplicity. A simple 6-stitch lace pattern forms the main body of the shawl, two Lily of the Valley borders give the shawl stability and the opportunity to add pretty beads (or nupps, if you prefer to actually follow instructions), and then a simple lace edging opens the whole thing up and adds those glorious lacy points that we all love.

I was worried that the beads might be add weight or make the shawl cumbersome or clanky but the Lily of the Valley pattern spreads out the beads and allows them to simply sparkle and shine without distracting too much from the rest of the shawl. Although, good luck in achieving that, thanks to the punk rock neon pink and yellow set against the lavender, charcoal, and black of Fresh from the Cauldron’s one of a kind Maleficent colorway, on her MCN lace.

The overall size is a bit smaller than I’d expected. This may be due in part to the yarn, the MCN Lace is a little heavier than most lace weights, or may just be that I had different expectations. I’d estimate that the long edge is 40″ long and the height down the center stitch is 18″-20″. It’s the perfect size for a bandit-style scarf, much like my Ishbel. I’ve worn it a few days now, especially since we’ve got colder weather and constant snow (but nothing too bad like the East Coast had a couple of weeks ago).

I’ve started working on my Bandelier socks for my other Ravelympics project. Because I goofed and bought sport weight yarn, I’ve had to make a few adjustments, such as the needle size, length of leg, and the depth of the short-row heel. But it seems to be working out so far!