Dragon's Orchid Garden

After hours of hunching over sans glasses weaving in fine yarn ends I'm ready to block Liz's shawl. This is scary! I'm not even sure rayon yarn will block as well as wool, but it must be done. The big piece of cardboard is covered with a flannel sheet and fits quite nicely on our pool table. I held my breath as I put the shawl in the sink with a little bit of Organix vanilla shampoo, swished it around, then rinsed it twice in cold water. Next, I rolled it into a Nightmare Before Christmas beach towel to remove the excess water. Laying it out on the cardboard, I used a tape measure to get all of the edges straight and even. Used all but 2 of the 120 pins. Wayne and I moved it from the pool table to the workbench in the garage to dry and to prevent any kitty shenanigans. Whew! Time for a cold one and work on something simple, like dishrags.

I finished the last two rows Sunday night while dear hubby channel surfed as is his SOP. I worked last night (Monday), so didn't have a chance to finish. The pattern calls for a Russian bind off, and gave directions, but I wanted to see how it's done and turned to trusty YouTube for a video demonstration. After watching, I feel much more confident. I stopped at Michael's after work today and picked up blocking pins (I hope 120 will be enough). I have a door sized piece of cardboard covered with a flannel sheet on which to block the shawl. It will have to be in the garage, as I can't trust my four cats not to mess with it! I've been careful not to let them near it as my sister is allergic to cats. This video is the first time I've seen the continental method of knitting used in action. I've read that it's much faster. Maybe I can get my clumsy American fingers to do it if I practice. Pictures of the finished shawl should be ready tomorrow or Thursday.

Instead, I'm making this blog. I have two loooong rows left on the shawl I began in early June. The plan was to finish it in time for my sister's 50th birthday. That day came and went July 15th. The shawl is a pattern called Tuscany from No Sheep For You by Amy R. Singer. I'm using Gatsby Lux rayon yard from Katia, purchased at Fiber Art, Inc . in Odessa. It's been a lot of fun knitting. When it's finished, I'll post a picture. In the meantime, here's a picture of a ball of the beautiful yarn.