When It Works Out

Pattern:  Guriddo Stole

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Twist Light, colorway Court & Spark

Needles: size 6

Knitting is a gamble. At least it is for me. I'm not counting dishcloths and the baby hats I've made by the dozens. But when I try a new pattern with a new yarn, it requires a step out in faith. There is a commitment to hours and hours of knitting. Without any promise that I will love the end result. Without any promise that it will look good on me. Am I willing to give that much time to something without a promise of success?

Of course, I do my homework. I check out the other projects on Ravelry and read notes from all the other knitters who have made this project. I can find out if there are particular problems with the pattern. Or, maybe even with that yarn.

But every individual knitter works differently. So it's still a bit of a gamble. And this project used about 1,000 yards of yarn. That's a lot of knitting. A lot of time. And this was a pattern I saw in a magazine. There were not many finished projects to see on Ravelry. I knitted and I hoped.

On Saturday I was determined to finish this wrap before I left for the week. I knitted all day. I knitted until my shoulders hurt. I would get up and do laundry. I knitted until my back ached. I would go cook something to leave for Daddy-O to have this week. And then I would knit some more. And lo and behold, I did it! I finished it. And I blocked it before bedtime. (Blocking is a good soak in cool water, then shaping and pinning it out to dry.) This was knitted to 60 inches long. Wet, it pinned out to 80 inches. And when it was dry and I unpinned it, it measured 70 inches. See where part of the gamble is? Lots of changes in the size. At the very end.

It was a happy day when I unpinned it on Sunday morning. It was better than I had hoped for. The yarn had transformed into a a soft wrap with a beautiful drape. It's a good thing when it all works out. A really good thing.



For those who wonder, I did do a swatch. But a small swatch is an indication of what will happen. Not an exact result. The finished shawl was better than the swatch. If it hadn't turned out so well, I figure I would still have learned something. But boy, am I happy that I love it!