Monday, October 1, 2012

I said I would do it, and I did.

I've FINALLY finished my Meandering Vines shawl!  And it only took me two years and eight days!

I swore I would finish it so I could wear it this fall.  Also, I was getting pretty sick of seeing it sitting there in my knitting basket!  I started this one as a travel project when I went to visit my mom a couple years ago, but it turned out not to be the best choice.  Sure, it was compact.  But the yarn is so fine, and so close to the color of my needle, that working on this in anything but full sunlight was pretty much impossible.  And of course, the lace pattern made it not the best choice for social knitting.

You guys have seen this one a couple times before, but here are some FO shots just for good measure.

The obligatory "On the Knitting Chair" shot:

"Don't sit on it!  It's delicate!"

The "Artfully Rumpled" shot:

"What?  This old thing?"

The "Faux-keh" shot:

"Ooooh, I'm an artiste."

And the shot where you can actually see the stitch pattern!

"Legit"

I'm so happy to finally have this finished.  It feels so luxurious and ethereal.  I'm really looking forward to wearing this draped around my neck and shoulders this fall.  In fact, I'm meeting Alicia for coffee later and have a whole outfit planned around it!

Believe it or not, my first thought when I draped it around my shoulders last night for the first time was, "I should make another one!"

Yeah, I'm a little nuts.

Edited to add:  Here's how I wore it later on in the day!



Even though it's a shawl, I almost always wear shawls as a big scarf.  I was glad to have this today - it was a little nippy!

I'm also wearing my Lace Layering Tee for the first time and my coral Ginger skirt for what will probably be the last time this fall, all under this knit blazer I bought from Anthropologie a couple of years ago.  You can't really tell in these photos, but the blazer is cream and white striped, with ditsy floral accents in brown, turquoise and coral.  And of course I wore my trusty Keen ballet flats, since I did a lot of walking.  Sometimes living in the city is the opposite of glamorous!

31 comments:

  1. Gail, it is just beautiful. I am so glad you kept at it and now can enjoy it for years to come and yes, I think you might be nuts! ;)

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  2. This shawl is so lovely! The colour is so pretty and the pattern is beautiful. I've never tried knitting lace... I have the feeling my scattered brain would prevent me from concentrating on the pattern, but you should definitely make another one... how can you resist this beauty?

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    1. This one is actually a pretty easy pattern to memorize, once you get the hang of it. There are really only 2 different stitch patterns in there, mixed in with some stockinette!

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  3. This is exquisite. Like gossamer.

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    1. Ooooh, gossamer! Love that word! Thank you!

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  4. this turned out just beautiful (even if it took 2 years)!!!

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    1. It's amazing how long a project can take when you hardly ever work on it!

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  5. Beautiful! But, another one? Maybe you've been breathing too much nail polish fumes. :)

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  6. Mine's been going over two years - that actually sounds pretty quick! Maybe I should finish mine...

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    1. If I had actually worked on it consistently, I could have had it done inside two months. Ah well!

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  7. I'm sure I don't have the nerves (tenacity, patience) to make a shawl like this and I can only admire (and envy you a little :). The shawl is simply gorgeous!

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  8. So what's wrong with two years and eight days, right? You now have a gorgeous shawl forever! Will you show us the outfit you wore to meet Alicia for coffee ... please?

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  9. Oh wow, I don't think I would have the patience to knit something that fine. But the finished product, it almost makes me think it might be worth all of the effort. Yours is so gorgeous too, it definitely makes a perfect addition to your outfit.

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    1. That's why it took me so long - there were definitely a lot of times I didn't have the patience either, so it just sat in my basket!

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  10. Knit it again???! You are high on drugs! But it sure is a lovely shawl

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  11. Huzzah Gail! I love the color and you're right, lace is not the best for social knitting. Depending on the pattern I usually opt to leave it at home and grab something easy like a sock for knitting while chatting. I usually wear my shawls as big ol' scarves too. They look so nice artfully draped.

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  12. Wow :) Two years to finish?? It's so pretty though! And delicate! I like your outfit and yay lace Renfrew!

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    1. Well, only because I very rarely ever worked on it!

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  13. Worth the two years, it is gorgeous!

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  14. It's so lovely and delicate. It looks great paired with that cute outfit.

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    1. Thanks, Mela! It's such a versatile color - it will go with a lot of my things :-)

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  15. It's absolutely gorgeous! And I love your outfit (and lipstick)!

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    1. Thanks, Ginger! Lipstick is Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti - very moisturizing!

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  16. Gail, it's beautiful and the technique looks impeccable from the closeup pictures. Congratulations! The next time you might be more motivated to finish it knowing how wonderful the end result looks. But on second thoughts....I would try something else for a change.

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